Spending a day at the spa is not just relaxing and fun, it also costs big bucks.

If money is one of your concerns, try to turn your home into a spa. Most of what you need is probably already in your kitchen. So with these simple tips get ready for a homemade spa day.

Essential oils are a time-tested tool for healing an incredible number of discomforts such as depression, discomfort and muscle fatigue. Explore the wonderful world of aromatherapy and beat back day-to-day health problems without rushing to a spa. “There are different way to use essential oils, you can use a diffuser — either the one used with water or the one that involves heat. Steam treatments are great for soothing congestion, respiratory and sinus infections or allergy troubles. All you need is to drop some oil in hot water and inhale the steam. A less intense way is the dry evaporation method which is dropping some oil on a cotton ball or a tissue and leaving it in a bowl close by,” said massage therapist Kimberly Stone, who works in a Dubai spa. “You can also create your own bottled spritz or spray by mixing the oils with water and spraying it into a room or straight into the fabric. Take a relaxing bath and drop some of the oils into warm water and enjoy the scents. Finally you can apply directly to the skin and massage,” she added.

There are simple ways to use aromatherapy as a healer:

1. When feeling anxious: Add a few drops of ylang-ylang to your bath water. Or, blend it with rose or lavender oil, and give yourself a full-body massage. The tensions will melt away from your mind and body.

2. Healing sniffles: Just a drop of eucalyptus oil on your pillow or on a tissue eases sinusitis.

3. Soothing aching muscles: A blend of perky peppermint and soothing lavender oil is what you need.

4. For indigestion: Honey is a time-tested remedy for belly woes. Add a few drops of peppermint oil to it, mix them in a glass of water, and sip — the relief is almost instant.

5. Weekend dullness: Rosemary oil added to your bathwater gives a quick energy boost.

6. Feeling down: Lift up your spirits with jasmine or bergamot essential oils. You could mix them with base oil for a full-body massage, or sprinkle a few drops in your bath water.

7. Insomnia: Lavender essence massaged on your face, neck and shoulders invites restfulness. Or, have a warm, lavender-infused bath before bedtime.

8. For stretch marks and scars: Try neroli essential oil blended with a cream or lotion. It helps regenerate skin by stimulating cell growth.

“Essential oils should be thinned with cold-pressed transporter oils so that they do not cause a bad reaction or irritation. These carrier oils are treated as base oils that help carry the essential oil onto the skin. These usually originate from nuts, kernels or seeds such as sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, grape seed oil and hazelnut oil,” said Stone. “Make sure that for every ounce of carrier oil, use five to 10 drops of

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