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How To… Create a bespoke self-care routine

Look and feel your best on your next getaway with these top self-care tips from Becky Leuluai, senior director of spa and retail at Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort. | By Alison Cavatore | April 18, 2023

Self-care, anywhere 

Try these self-care tips while traveling or at home to look and feel your best.

Breathe in, breathe out and escape the day-to-day grind with some well-earned self-care in the form of travel. A change of scenery isn’t just great for your mental health, it can also benefit your physical health — you can boost your step count while hiking along peaceful nature trails or while exploring urban cityscapes.

While the perks of travel are obvious, it can also come with minor adjustments — new climates, changes in diet and even disruptions to sleep patterns (hello, jetlag). But fear not, Becky Leuluai, senior director of spa and retail at Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, is on hand to demonstrate how to create a self-care routine to ensure you stay fresh, relaxed and rejuvenated.

Says Leuluai, “Self-care is the most intimate thing we can do for ourselves. We truly cannot be present or helpful to others unless we are practicing those same values for ourselves. To me, self-care is the ultimate act of love.”

Leuluai’s number one self-care tip when traveling? “Sunscreen! Make sure it’s not expired and at least 50 SPF so that your skin is protected,” she says.

From hydrating masks and ice rollers to quiet meditation and a gua sha facial massage, making time to practice self-care while away can be easy. Leuluai also recommends prioritizing time to calm your mind and stay centered through meditation.

To ensure you return home ready for anything, explore your hotel’s amenities for optimizing physical and mental health. At Arizona Biltmore, stop by Tierra Luna spa for transcendent experiences that incorporate locally sourced botanicals, indigenous muds, native scents and healing crystals reflective of the ethereal experience of the desert chic resort.

So, on your next getaway, leave the daily to-do list and busy lifestyle behind and instead focus on a customized for-you list for the ultimate self-care experience.

How To... Create a bespoke self-care routine

Step 1: Hydrate. Travel can dry out your skin so be sure to replenish your body from the inside out by drinking plenty of water. Try to drink at least half your body weight in ounces to stay refreshed and hydrated.

Step 2: Check-in, chill out. Make ice rolling part of your morning routine — it’s great for helping with post-travel puffiness and circulation. Unpack your favorite ice rollers, fill up your hotel ice bucket and chill them for about 10 minutes before use.

Step 3: Face it. Facial massage is a great way to relieve stress and promote healthy skin. Bonus points for that post-massage glow.

- Cleanse your face with your favorite facial wash and then gently pat facial oil onto your skin.

- Employ a gua sha tool made of natural stone and place it at an angle of about 15 degrees at the base of your neck and work up to your jawline. Repeat each stroke five times.

- With the curved edge of the gua sha, work with a gentle pressure from your jaw up to your cheek bone five times, incorporating a wiggle at the end of each stroke to relieve tension.

- Move the curved edge of your tool to your cheekbone and stroke in an upward direction.

- Using the flat edge of the gua sha, start at the top of the brow and work up to the hairline.

Step 4: Say spaaaa. Enhance your self-care routine with a visit to the on-property spa. Experience unique wellness opportunities not available at home, like Tierra Luna’s standalone outdoor salt room for halotherapy and ancient holistic treatments emitting small salt particles that assist with relaxation, anti-aging and breathing.

Step 5: Find your center. Set an intention and let your mind relax. Spending at least five minutes in a quiet place to focus on your deep breathing will benefit your mind, nervous systems and heart health.

Alison Cavatore is the assistant editor for the content marketing team at Hilton. She has written and copyedited for numerous print and digital publications in the U.S. and abroad. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Alison has lived in Miami, Scottsdale, Holland, France, Switzerland and Canada. She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area.

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