Today luxury bathrooms are taking on a life of their own from everything to elaborate, custom built steam showers and saunas to luxury soaking tubs and Jacuzzi tubs. All of these updates are great, and perfect for the family with the unlimited budget, but here are some more cost effective ways to spruce up your master bath to make it more spa-like:

1. Fresh Paint - It sounds like an over simplistic solution, but many dingy bathrooms can benefit greatly from a few fresh coats of a new color of semi-gloss latex paint. This is a great alternative to remodeling your bathroom walls with expensive tile (although tile is very nice). For a more spa-like atmosphere choose natural colors that are lighter (not necessarily brighter) and that are more subtle so your bathroom will gain a Zen appeal.

2. Get Rid of the Clutter - Making your master bath more enjoyable and more like a fancy spa is the best excuse to go minimalistic and get rid of all the junk. Remove all of the items cluttering up your sink, toilet and even floor space. This means hiding the trash can, toothbrush holder, bar of soap and getting the scale out of the bathroom so you can enjoy a soak without being taunted by  a visible scale reminding you of your failed dieting plans. Utilize any hidden storage you have, or even install new, hidden places to hang your hand towels such as inside your sink cabinet. If you don’t have enough space to hide your towels, then you can easily install beautiful, decorative towel hooks. A clean, open space really does wonders for the psyche and will make your bathroom much more enjoyable.

3. New Robes & Slippers - Enough cannot be said for a nice comfy robe and a new pair of slippers when you get out of the bathtub or shower. This is an easy way to really enjoy leaving the comfort of your bathroom. Take time relaxing in a new robe & slippers when you are done bathing and you will be much more inclined to actually indulge in treating yourself to relaxing in your bathroom and using it more like a spa.

4. Shower Head - If you are still using the same shower head that came with the house when you bought it, then it might be time to purchase a new one. Budget may be an issue on this item, because if you really want to improve your shower experience you would want to purchase a high end waterfall shower head which will be expensive. Regardless of your budget though, if you don’t at least have a shower head you are happy with (the pressure, stream, features), then you should treat yourself to a new one that will make your shower experience more enjoyable.

5. Aromatherapy - Adding aromatherapy candles, or aromatherapy hydrosols to your bathing experience will do wonders for decreasing your stress. Many of these scents have been designed and created specifically for decreasing stress levels and bringing on deep relaxation. If you are lucky enough to already have a steam shower, then you can even indulge in essential oils and Precious Reserve oils that you can drip directly on your aromatherapy steam shower’s head if it is so equipped.