Let the Gym Be Your Spa

Many articles on saving money or cutting costs suggest ditching the gym membership.  This is foolish advice!  Well, what is foolish, is having the membership and not using it.  Another mistake is assuming the best way to get a cost effective membership, is to choose a bare-bones facility.  There are low cost memberships at facilities that don't have showers and the like.  A fitness center without at least that amenity is not necessarily a bargain.

There have been bathroom remodels at the Microcosm which could not have been survived without a gym locker room/shower to serve as a bathroom stand-in.  That also applies when the power is out and there is no hot water.  If the gym has power -- go there to get clean!  Or if you really want to cut into a high water bill, shower there as much as possible.

One of the best reasons to choose a club that has extra amenities, is that things like a sauna can provide a great DIY spa opportunity.  This blogger swims at an aquatic center at least three days per week.  Part of the time there is spent in the sauna.  Sweating out chlorine is a big part of it -- but there are many more benefits.  Once the sweat starts and pores open up, a good way to gently exfoliate is to rub the skin all over.  Forget about expensive ultrasonic brushes -- bare hands rubbing on a sauna sweaty face removed dead skin and clears pores.  It's not uncommon to over exfoliate with a scrubbing device.  The best part with the sauna approach, is no products are required to do the  job!

Another benefit of the sauna, is deep hair conditioning.  Taking a shower first is a must, as is shampooing out all dirt and residue.  Once that's done, working in a deep conditioner (for example the Salon Selectives deep conditioning treatment sold at Dollar Tree for a buck!) and pulling back hair in an elastic provides a great way to soften things up.

Be sure to wear flip-flops to protect feet, but also be sure to rub soles and tough skin areas around the ankles while sitting in the heat.  It's also a good time to push back cuticles -- on hands and feet.  While all this is going on, drink plenty of water.  It doesn't hurt to fill a re-usable water bottle up with ice at home and then fill it with water right before heading in to sweat.  Drink it all!

Once time in the sauna is up, take a nice long shower and moisturize everywhere before getting dressed and heading home.  It actually makes more sense to wait to get home before drying hair -- letting it air dry a bit helps avoid heat damage.

A good hand scrubbing all over, while sweating pores clean will lead to soft and radiant skin -- without having to buy any gadgets or spending on a salon treatment.  With Clarisonic devices and brush heads costing upwards of $300 (once you factor in replacement heads, etc.), the cost of a salon exfoliation treatment costing $75 or more, well suddenly that $25 a  month membership isn't really that outrageous. 

Anyone with a fitness facility membership who has access to a spa and is not using it, please think about setting aside time to take advantage of it two or three times a week.  After a couple of weeks, notice the difference in the look and feel of face, shoulders, etc.  It's really worth the time and money!