Love is… staying at home this Valentine’s

If you’re anything like me, the thought of holding hands across a dimly lit restaurant on Valentine’s Day with lots of other couples smiling goofily into each others eyes makes you cringe, then a good alternative is opting to stay at home.

That’s not to say I avoid the day all together (the staying at home is strictly my own preference – lots of women adore having their hand held on this special day), a lovely home cooked meal (something more involved than beans on toast would be good though please) , some music, some wine, soft lighting and the offer a massage works wonders in getting my boyfriend in my good books!

To start, run a lovely indulgent bubble bath (floating petals are optional – personally I think it’s a waste of a lovely flower but maybe that’s the indulgence of it!?), light some lovely scented candles, The Sanctuary’s Votive Candle set are perfect and can be dotted around to get that all important mood setting.

Allow maximum relaxation time in the tub – this part of the process can not be rushed! Once your Valentine has retreated from the bath completely relaxed and thinking what a wonderful person you are, the offer of a back massage would go down a treat (The Sanctuary’s Massage Oil is perfect and only costs £6.99).

Focus on the back and shoulders as this is where most people hold their tension, for ultimate relaxation include a head massage (always a good idea to check if they are happy for this to happen first, if they’re sporting a fancy hairdo its probably wise to skip this part), include the back of the neck and give the ears a light rub and squeeze very lightly on the earlobes (trust me this feels weird but strangely nice).

Put the above together with a mushy sentimental card and you have a very low cost, low cringe factor Valentine’s Day.

If you’re feeling a gift of some sort is also required, check out our Valentine’s gifts – we’ll even gift wrap it for you for easy-peasy shopping.

Love on the menu

Following my discussion on a stay-at-home Valentine’s Day, today’s Metro features an article with some advice from top chef Thierry Laborde on how to create that perfect Valentine’s meal that us mere ordinary culinary folk can rustle up.

Check out the article below:

http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/food/812553-valentine-s-day-put-love-on-the-menu-by-cooking

If your Valentine’s cooking experience reveals inner talents or shows up your lack of talent, Laborde runs his own cookery school, The Kitchen in South London to help improve technique and skills. www.visitthekitchen.com

Visit handbag.com blog for latest celeb news and beauty musings

For up to date latest beauty gossip, musings and news check out Handbag.com’s beauty blog edited by Veronica.

Discussing the benefits of gaining some much needed R&R by visiting our very own spa and signing up to The Sanctuary’s blog (I’m obviously biased to this task!), Veronica also discusses thoughts on celebs using sunbeds and the latest catwalk trends of going blonde versus brunette. Check out Veronicas latest thoughts here.

Handbag.com are also running a fab competition to win a Sanctuary Girls Delight gift voucher package were you and a friend can enjoy the benefits of the spa’s facilities, a 50 minute treatment each and yummy lunch. To finish off your pampering day they are also chucking in a £100 voucher for Scott’s restaurant. Use the below link to enter and good luck!

http://www.handbag.com/competitions-offers/handbag-giveaway-bag-this-win-5-12-feb-2010/competition