A gift in a jar will not only impress the recipient but it is also fun to make! I am taking the gift jar idea a bit further by combing it with Valentine’s Day ideas. Last week, I shared the Ice Skating Date In A Jar. This week I am showing how to make a Spa In A Jar so you can have a relaxing spa date at home! I have some home spa treatment recipes from previous posts so I included them in this mason jar.
A Spa In A Jar could be given for many occasions besides Valentine’s Day! My teen saw me making it and said she would love to have it when I was done. If you are making this for a date, be sure to make two jars so that you can each use all the treatments!
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.
Spa In A Jar Items
Start with a Kerr wide mouth, quart size mason jar to hold everything. I tried to stick to a blue color scheme to make the jar look pretty but it isn’t necessary if you can’t find matching items.
- travel size face cleanser
- Nivea lip balm
- hair treatment packet
- travel size lotion
- blue razor
- mini pebble candles (no longer available)
- nail clippers
- nail file
- bath bomb
- chocolate truffles
I also included the following home spa treatments that I made myself: Lavender Bath Salts, Maple Brown Sugar Scrub, Sugar Hand Scrub and Peppermint Tea Foot Soak. You can click on each one for the recipe and links to the printable labels.
Slowly add the items to the jar with the content labels facing the outside so that the recipient can easily see what is in the jar. It took several attempts to get everything to fit into the jar and I kept adjusting it until it looked right. Once it was all in, I printed the Spa In A Jar label and cut a length of ribbon which I attached to the jar. You can download the free printable here. I printed it by choosing “wallet size” and it was perfect.
Let’s take a little spin around the jar so that you can see it from all sides.
Wondering what else you could put in this jar? How about a face mask, lip scrub, foot scrub, pore strips, massage oil, perfume, hand cream, foot lotion, socks, eye mask and tea light candles. I am going to try to find some mini sized spa items for men so that I can assemble a jar that is specifically for men. Not that any of these items are too flowery or girly but I’m sure a guy would appreciate receiving products with scents geared toward men.
There have been a lot of questions about the exact containers I used so I purchased another package for this photo. I should’ve taken a picture before I painted the original ones but I didn’t even think it of. I found these containers at the Family Dollar in one of the food aisles as a hanging extra. You know the little things that are hanging between the items on the shelves? Each container holds 2.4 oz and they cost $1.00 for the 8 pack.
The foot soak jars are these bead storage containers.
A fluffy bathrobe and cozy slippers would be the perfect things to give along with the Spa In A Jar!
Peppermint Pampering Gifts In A Jar
indiasworld says
great ideas! i have some large mason jars and now i have some great uses for them. thanks a bunch!!!!
india
Ambra says
Dear Tonia,
thank you very much for sharing this wonderful ideas! I’m gonna try them as Christmas gifts this year! 😉
I only have one question: in most of the recipes you use epsom salt, could it be subsistute with usual sea salt?
Thank you very much in andavance! 🙂
ambra
Tonia says
Hi Ambra,
I think the only recipe that uses salt is the foot soak, right? From what I read online, you can use sea salt instead of Epsom salt but sea salt is typically used for cooking. Sea salt can help relieve stress and achy joints and muscles. Epsom salts have soothing effects on the muscles and nervous system of the body and helps to detoxify the body. Hope that helps!
Merry Christmas,
~Tonia
Judy says
Tonia
I have been doing crafts since I was young and this is one of best in a long time gifts in a jar. I am making them for Christmas gifts and I know they will go over big in my family. You have a awesome website and real easy to follow. Thank You
Tonia says
Thank you Judy! Your lovely comment made my day!
Amber says
Hi Tonia! I love your site and am so excited to make your gifts in a jar:) do you have a label for Foot Scrub? I want to add the peppermint scrub to the Spa in a Jar but I can’t find a label for it. Thanks and have a great holiday!
Tonia says
Hi Amber,
Sorry, I only have the foot soak label not a foot scrub. Here is a link to the peppermint sugar scrub label: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzzc0kU7BM6FRDNIS2IxQVQxa2c/edit?usp=sharing
~Tonia
Kristi says
This is such an awesome idea! I’m making 6 for the girls in my family and packaging them with a robe, slippers, a wine glass, and some extra larger spa goodies for a pink spa themed Christmas gift! I can wait to share this with all my friends on Facebook but it’ll have to to wait because I’d hate to give away the surprise for the girls until after they unwrap them. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this idea!
Nikki Comma says
What a great idea! I need to find my old giant mason jars now… Thanks for your post.
Larissa says
Hi! I LOVE this idea! One question: how did you attach the labels to the containers? Glue? How about to the ribbon on the glass jar? just curious! Thanks!
Tonia says
Hi Larissa,
Thank you! I attached them both with glue dots but you could also use a hot glue gun.
~Tonia
renee says
I didn’t realize til I had gone to the store 3 times, that the jars are WIDE MOUTH QUART sized. Not Reg mouth. JUST if anyone else had issues. Walmart has them online for order. Or at their store!!
Tonia says
Yikes! Sorry for all of the extra trips to the store! I will add that to the post. Thanks Renee!
renee says
Hey Tonia,
No worries. I think this is an amazing gift idea and you have have inspired me to make them and your other amazing crafts!! Sorry if my post seemed a bit rude, I didn’t mean that. Just that I was going around like a madman looking for the wide mouth. 🙂 of course I’m the silly goose trying to shove things in yhe smaller mouth jars. Thanks for the inspiration Tonia!!!! Happy Holidays!!!! Renee
Tonia says
It’s all good! I’m so glad you figured it out. Happy holidays to you too! ~Tonia
Lisa says
Thank you so much for the great ideas!!! I recently got laid off and since the holidays are coming I am on a super strict budget. Thank you for giving me fun, inexpensive and personalized ideas for the holidays!!!!
Sara says
Have you made a gentleman friendly version of this yet? Or have any ideas about male friendly scents to incorporate into it? My boyfriend loves pampering himself but hate most of the “girly” smells they have.
Tonia says
I have not made one yet but that is a great idea! I will try to make one and post about it soon. Thanks Sara!
Carrie Swenson says
I am in love with this idea! I can think of so many people in my life who would benefit from this gift. Thanks for sharing!
Carrie
Beth @ Through the Eyes of the Mrs. says
This is so much fun! I would love to get a gift like this. What a way to find an excuse to pamper yourself. I featured this on my Handmade Gift Ideas! http://www.throughtheeyesofthemrs.com/2013/11/30-handmade-gift-ideas.html
Tonia says
Thanks so much Beth! Your round up is full of beautiful ideas!
Tonya says
If you use essential oils for your scrubs it can melt plastic. I would put the scrubs in small baby food jars. I love this spa in a jar idea ! 🙂
Savannah says
adorable. I’m making it for x-mas presents this year. where can you buy the packaging
Tonia says
Hi Savannah,
Wonderful! Which packaging are you wondering about?
~Tonia
Jaed says
Hi, I love this gift idea! where did you get the tiny candle from?
Tonia says
I got it from here Cerra. You can see more about them in this post: http://www.thegunnysack.com/2011/09/spotlight-friday-cerra-be-aware-act.html
Hilary says
I just found your website from Pinterest, and am now a follower. I love this idea! For Christmas we do guy and girl gifts for everyone in the family, and I think this would be awesome to give the ladies. Thank you!
Yolanda says
Ok. I think I thought of any way to package that. Question on the containers, did you say Family Dollar? I checked two of them and they don’t carry; but I was thinking it just may be here in Dallas area that doesn’t.
Yolanda says
Unless I missed it, where did you purchase the container for the bath salt?
Tonia says
Hi Yolanda,
I had a hard time finding test tubes. There are many places where they are available online but the shipping would’ve been expensive in order to get them in time. I found the test tubes at Michaels on clearance for 38 cents each. They had Halloween candy in them and they only had these 6 left. I threw away the candy, washed the test tubes and spray painted the lids silver.
~Tonia
brenda says
This may be a dumb question, but where can you buy the mason jars?
Tonia says
Hi Brenda,
You can find mason jars at Walmart, Target, Michaels and I’ve even bought them at my small local grocery store. I’ve also seen them at thrift stores. Best of luck!
~Tonia
Katie says
I LOVE this idea!! I am needing 20 hostess gifts for my upcoming baby showers and I think this is the way I want to go! I love the baby blue and black, I just hope I can find what I need in my small town! I also love your everything jars! I am a teacher and think this would be an adorable gift to give my fellow teachers! Fingers crossed!