When you hear the word "spa," your first thought might be of expensive, luxurious weekends away filled with pampering – but as the health benefits of spa and spa-like treatments for physical rehabilitation have become more and more clear, having a little spa right within your home has become more and more rational (and, with technology's advances, more affordable for the layman). But how do you know which treatments to opt for in the limited space you've got? If you're looking for the best at-home spa treatments for your health, then here's what you need to know.

Turn Up the Heat

Relaxing and luxurious-feeling, yes, but hot tubs can do so much more for your health than just letting you take some time out for yourself. Just a half hour of sitting in a hot tub can improve the way your heart functions, relieve lower back and muscle pain, and even help you sleep more quickly and more deeply, among many more benefits. For an added health bonus, you can incorporate the benefits of aromatherapy with smells added to the water such as chamomile and lavender at nighttime, or peppermint and eucalyptus if you're more of a daytime bather.

Play in the Mud

No, they're not just for cartoon pigs or a hilarious mishap; mud baths can be both incredibly relaxing and can actually help to cure (or at least give temporary relief to) a wide range of skin conditions. Mud baths have anti-inflammatory properties, which can both help skin conditions and those problems underneath the skin, such as relieving the swelling that comes with spondylitis (and similar conditions such as osteoarthritis). Aside from spondylitis, mud baths (so long as the mud is fine enough in texture) help skin conditions like psoriasis and rosacea, which makes your relaxation time really help your overall health.

Face Facts

Long associated with the height of pampering, facials actually aren't that tough to do by yourself and come with many health benefits. While having a facial done every couple of weeks or so isn't tied directly with health conditions like mud baths or hot tubs are, they still have an impact on your overall health. Not only can some facials remove redness from the skin and help banish acne, but they can also offer relief to those with extremely dry skin by acting as a sort of conditioner, and help your overall level of stress to go down. Facials (like this chocolate-based one) are easy to do at home and force you to pretty much do nothing for close to a half-hour, allowing for relaxation time you wouldn't normally take and helping you to relax.