Unless you are someone who already has a beautiful, fully organized bathroom, you likely walk into yours wishing it felt…more relaxing. Who doesn’t want to pretend they are leisurely winding down for the day in a fancy hotel or spa?? I know I do. So since most of us can’t or don’t want to get involved in any renovation costs, I’ve come up with some free or affordable ways for you to create your spa-like bathroom. It’s a sacred space where you get to shut the door and get some alone time. Might as well make it a place you love to be in.

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Declutter

Ok, I know, but y’all, IT’S FREE TO DECLUTTER! Can it be annoying? Yes. Hard? Probably. But take it from a gal who finally threw out all those free samples she didn’t even know how to use; you can do it. I know you’ll tell yourself, but this is a nice serum sample. If it is, then use it tonight. Otherwise, say goodbye. You will thank yourself. Then go to those bigger products, the expired pills, etc. Be smart to avoid unnecessary waste, but be strong and pretty ruthless.

It’s the first step because, well, a spa-like bathroom isn’t cluttered. Now, if you are thinking, “But Jess! I have a small bathroom with little storage, where do you suggest I put the stuff I actually need??”

I’ve found some pretty cool storage solutions I think you’ll love:

1. Amelia Wooden Wall Cabinet | 2. Retro Wall-Mounted Cabinet | 3. Arched Metal Display Cabinet | 4. Arched Wall Mounted Bathroom Cabinet | 5. Single Bathroom Storage With Solf Close Door | 6. Hannemarie Bathroom Cabinet

If you have wall space, a mostly closed storage wall cabinet to help clear up your vanity will help you so much! The goal overall is to reduce as much visual clutter as possible, but look, you still need to have your things easily accessible. All of these are awesome for different reasons. #1 and #2 will add more organic whimsy if that’s the style of your bathroom. A spa-like bathroom doesn’t refer to one kind of style. It’s what style feels good to you. So these tips are universal! If you are going to go the glass cabinet route, be really mindful of how much you cram onto the shelves. Make sure your products have room to breathe. That’s what’s going to give you that visual calming feel.

1. Mid-Century Modern Slim Night Stand with Storage | 2. Rolling Slim Storage | 3. 5-Shelf Bookcase | 4. Ultra Slim 8-Tier Bookshelf

So I’m going to be honest, I didn’t realize there was storage furniture that was sooo skinny! It’s a small bathroom dweller’s dream. Emily actually found #1, and man, is it great for a bathroom next to a toilet, perhaps? A very narrow bedroom in need of a very slim nightstand? At 7.9″, the world is your small-space oyster. #2 is the classic Yamazaki rolling cart. This is also great for a nook. They also have this one that has a solid side, so it can go up against a wall without showing all your things. Then are you ready for this? #3 is 4.7″ deep! Seems impossible, but it’s true. I like that it has a little open storage, but otherwise it’s all closed. It comes in a bunch of other colors, and if you have the space, it can even be tucked behind your door. #4 is all open, but if you are a naturally organized person and like to have your products maybe decanted in a similar color palette, this could be great. It’s a bit of a risk with no reviews and a steeper price point, but for a small bathroom this could be a game-changing storage piece. You have a good amount of size options, and the slimest depth is 3.5 in. WILD.

1. Over The Toilet Storage Cabinet | 2. RÅGRUND | 3. Round Natural Seagrass Laundry Hamper | 4. Small Wicker Baskets (Set of 3)

Here are a few more pretty org pieces. While any style can create a spa-like bathroom feel, natural materials do get you there pretty easily. If one of your only storage space options is above your toilet, I do love the look of #1. The arched top, the woven door fronts, and the little shelf feel really elevated to me for an over-the-toilet cabinet. That IKEA cutie is on clearance and a great deal. Of course, you want to over-crowd with products since there’s no storage, but that’s also where baskets like #4 come in. Then lastly, if you have a hamper in your bathroom, consider the style. My personal preference is to have a lid (mine’s in my bedroom, and I just don’t want to have to look at my dirty clothes every time I enter. I think that’s also nice for a bathroom. Someday, all my clothes, clean and dirty alike, will live in my closet. But until then…I love a lid.

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Color Palette

This one is one of the most important ways to create a visually calming space…a decided and concise color palette. Again, that doesn’t mean only whites, creams, and woods. Sometimes, especially in a rental, your tile will dictate at least some of the color palette, like it did in Brady’s old vintage bathroom. He basically let the teal tile be the one “color” and then kept everything else very neutral with hits of brass. It’s incredibly cohesive and sweet.

The Silver Lake Hills bathroom was a traditional style dream. The team chose incredibly classic materials and patterns and kept the color palette to white/creams, blue, polished nickel, and some black. Despite there being no windows, it still feels airy because all of the “color” is in the bottom half of the room. Traditional but still spa-like:)

Remember this stunning bathroom EHD alum Julie Rose did the lead design on for Velinda Hellen Design (another EHD alum:))? It’s still one of my favorites. This bathroom uses dark woods, saturated greens, and warm mustards and rusts – aka not your typical “spa” colors. However, this bathroom is a dream. The color palette (and wonderful materials/design) is so tight that your eyes can fully relax. That’s really why you want to rein in the amount of colors. Your eyes and brain don’t have to work to figure the space out. You can simply enjoy and get ready or wind down for the day.

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Vanity Essentials

This one can be hard, but if you want a spa-like bathroom, you gotta keep what’s on your vanity to a minimum. Here are the EHD vanity essentials:

• Vase (size depending on vanity size)
• Soap bar on tray or cute soap dispenser
• A tray for essential products
• If needed, a cup for toothbrushes
• Candle (if it can fit, but more on that later)

Sara created maybe the most whimsical guest bath ever. But as you can see, she really kept the vanity simple – a bud vase and soap dispenser. There’s likely a toothbrush holder when it’s not being styled for a photoshoot, but the medicine cabinet could also hold toothbrushes. That is something that you can choose for your own bathroom:) Here are some great affordable soap holders/dispensers and bud vases:

1. Handmade Cedar Soap Dish | 2. Amber Glass Soap Dispenser | 3. Clarrington Dispenser | 4. Carrara White Marble Soap Dish | 5. River Stone Soap Dish | 6. Marble Soap Dispenser

Usually, people have a preference between bar soap and liquid soap. Right now my teeny vanity is better suited for a soap dispenser, but there are so many amazing-smelling bars of soap that I could go either way. But whether you choose a soap dish or a soap dispenser…make it a beautiful little moment. All three of the soap dishes are made of organic materials, but each has a very different style. The dispensers are all fairly simple and refined, but each also has a distinctly different style. Smell is so important too! Make sure you love the smell of whatever soap you choose. It’s silly, but it really has an impact on your mood.

Next up: vases…well, bud vases specifically.

1. Sahar Ceramic Small Vase | 2. Fraya Vase | 3. Mini Stoneware Vase | 4. Fera Bud Vase | 5. PÄRLHÄGG Vase | 6. Seca Warm White Porcelain Bud Vase

I choose bud vases because we talk about larger vases often, and a good bud vase isn’t as easy to find as you’d think. Try to have a little fun with shape and material. Also, it can be helpful to know if you are someone who wants to be able to fit in a mini bouquet or just a sprig or two. #3, #4, and #6 are great for the latter. I’m not known for my florals, so this is my kind of bud vase.

What can’t a tray make prettier?? Nothing, and that includes a vanity tray. Of course, not all vanities have the space for one, but if you do, please consider getting one. It helps not only to organize some of the pretty things you want to display, but it also creates a little zone. It visually breaks up the vanity in a great way and makes the products you choose to display look like a very intentional decision. Here are some great ones:

1. White Marble Vanity Tray | 2. Wooden Tray | 3. WAVY Concrete Tray | 4. Vintage Laura Ashley Normandy Rose Tray | 5. Small Stainless Steel Tray | 6. Sandstone Vanity Tray

Aside from color palette, there aren’t really any rules when it comes to vanity trays. They can be organic, refined, rectangular, amorphous, you name it. As long as it fits and looks great with your overall style, have a blast. Classics like #1 and #2 will work forever and work with any style. #3 and #4 add more playful whimsy, which is nice if you have a ton of rectangles and squares in your soon-to-be spa-like bathroom. #5 and #6 give a little more of a contemporary feel that’s nice and fresh!

Now for a VERY important bathroom tool…the toothbrush holder.

1. Fluted Marble Toothbrush Holder | 2. Roland Stainless Steel Tumbler | 3. Horse Ceramic Mug | 4. Speckled Stoneware Cup | 5. Calacatta Viola Marble Toothbrush Holder | 6. Ceramic White Polka Dot Cup

I think this is a great moment to add in a little more pattern and texture. #3 and #6 are both handmade from Etsy, and if you ask me, they are so cool and fun. Your spa-like bathroom can be those things too! Just add pieces that do that; add the fun, sparingly. Find a cup that feels like you found it at a flea market or cool store. I promise it will add soul and depth, as it did to Scott’s bathroom above.

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Use Your Toilet

Use the top of your toilet! It’s such an underutilized space. Grab another small tray and add a plant and a candle.

This hack is so helpful for those who can’t lose (or don’t really have any) counter space on their vanity. Of course, if your flusher is at the top of your toilet, that would be tricky but maybe not impossible. Play, add even a tissue box. The top of the toilet water tank is just another great space to add ambience and spread out the clutter:)

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Scent Is Essential

To me, this is serious. Aside from the pretty design, the next thing (or honestly maybe even the first) you do is notice the smell of a spa. Normally, it’s intoxicating… “How do I make my house smell like this?” is what most of us say almost immediately. Candles can get pricey fast. Below are most of my all-time favorites, but there are also diffusers and potent-smelling bars of soap (this one was always amazing) whenever I walked into the room.

I tend to go for more fresh, woody, herby smells. If it’s sweet, I’m likely not going to buy it. That’s just my preference, and here are my main picks.

1. Teakwood & Tobacco | 2. Minérale Candle | 3. Maison Louis Marie Candle – L’etang Noir | 4. La Condesa | 5. Garden Mint Candle | 6.  Jasmine Coconut Candle

Well, I just finished #4 and LOVED it. #5 is next to my bed, and Sara got me the mini one for Christmas, and every time I get a whiff, I’m transported to a beautiful and calm space. #3 is so nostalgic to me because that’s what was in our studio when I first started working here one hundred years ago:) It’s beautiful. But for me, a lucky yet not terribly frequent patron, I love, love, love the smell of The Now’s Jasmine Coconut candle. Mal and I were super impressed, but #2 when we went to their home store event and got a whiff in person. Finally, #1 is a totally classic!

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Get a Plant

“Put a plant in it,” I think, should be the new motto for every room, and a bathroom is a great space to live by it.

Malcolm styled a sweet yet dramatic couple of sprigs in his niche while also creating a sweet arrangement for his spa-like bathroom.

Sara added a plant to her open shelving AND her window ledge in her guest bathroom. Look how the branches almost flare out. The shape your plant creates is also important.

But if you want something easy plus a little functional, add a bundle of eucalyptus and tie it to your shower head. It’s beautiful, adds a great smell, and is soothing. What’s not to love?

But you know, if you have the space, we will never say no to a tree. Especially if you are fogoing adding in a good amount of art. You need something to pull your eye up that adds texture and color.

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: A Wood Stool (Optional But Good)

There’s nothing like a little stool to add that organic wood moment. It’s also a workhorse if you need it. It can go in the shower for a sit or leg rest for shaving. It can be a laptop holder when you are taking a bath.

It’s just a small piece of furniture that has nearly endless functions and adds an organic moment for visual texture and potential warmth.

See?! This wonderful bathroom in the River House needed a medium-toned, warm piece, and that stool took care of that right quick!

1. Wood Accent Stool | 2. Zoro Round Stool | 3. Shower Foot Rest | 4. Minnick Solid Wood Accent Stool | 5. Paulownia Wood Carved Stool | 6. Round Solid Wooden Stool

So I’d check on the ability for these to get really wet, but I think most of them can at least be off the less-wet area of your shower. #1 is the most expensive, but it looks so cool. Modern organic at its finest. #2 and #6 are a bit more refined, which is perfect if you love a more traditional mid-century modern style. Love the natural/raw wood look? #4 and #5 are beautiful and at good prices. But if you are looking for a true shower stool you can sneak in a corner, #3 is clean and so cute! I just stayed with my cousin, and she had one in her newly renovated bathroom. It was perfect!

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Decanting

If you think this is silly, I hear you. BUT if you are someone who wants their eyes to soften as they enter their bathroom, a tight color palette WILL do that for you. Having product bottles (well, the ones that need to be out on display) be in the same or a similar color bottle, like Bowser did in her tiny bathroom, will help you achieve that.

You, of course, don’t need to actually decant every single product you own. That’s likely wasteful, and you’ll lose product, time, and therefore…money. BUT buying a similar product line is another option to keep things cohesive (as shown above). OR you can decant just your bigger items, like your main shower products. Here are some great decanting options.

1. Shampoo and Conditioner Dispensers (With Wall Mount) | 2. Resin Shampoo, Conditioner or Body Wash Dispenser Set | 3. Fluted Shampoo & Conditioner Dispensers | 4. Frosted Amber Glass Shampoo and Conditioner Dispenser Set

If you’ve had the pleasure of going to a spa, you know that those bottles and canisters match. I really liked all four of these for different reasons. #1 is simple, sleek, and comes with adhesive-ready wall holders. I was a little surprised by how much I like #2, but I really do. It’s just got “spa-like bathroom” vibes to me. The fluted detail of #3 is so cute, and who doesn’t love a frosted amber bottle?

Spa-Like Bathroom Tip: Good Soft Towels

Finally, we have come to towels and robes. There’s no need to be sad when you have to give your spa robe back when it’s time to leave the spa because you deserve the best at home too!

We haven’t done a full deep-dive into our favorite towels and robes of all time, but let’s just say, Brooklinen and Boll & Branch are doing it right.

Towel type is a personal preference, but in the name of extreme comfort, most people agree on plush or super plush towels and robes. FYI, these are not the most budget-friendly. But we stand firmly behind them, and if you have the budget, we think you will be very happy:)

1. Super-Plush Turkish Cotton Bath Towels (Set of 2) | 2. Terrycloth Bathrobe | 3. Super-Plush Robe | 4. Plush Bath Sheet

Emily is very much of the mind that you get what you pay for with towels. #1 (the Brooklinen one) is one she says stays soft and wonderful. They have a ton of different colors and patterns in the towels, AND their amazing robe, which is #3. That checkered Amazon robe has also been an Emily Henderson favorite, and if my memory serves me right, bought one for each of her close friends. Then who doesn’t adore a soft bath sheet? It’s such a luxury to have a large towel, and I love this blush color!

There you have it! Mostly affordable ways to make your bathroom and your life a little better and calmer. Remember to consider sight, touch, and smell when pulling together your spa-like bathroom. Treat yourself to some things that truly make you happy, and I can almost promise that they will instantly change how you feel about your bathroom.

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Farmhouse Primary Bathroom