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While each different type of self care can be practiced alone, it can often be a communal experience.
That is why many people choose to host self-care parties and invite their friends and acquaintances over!
Throw them in the comfort of your own home or a nice location with some delicious food and cocktails and you are all set for a great day and have a glow up together!
I’ve been hosting self-care parties for over 2 years and have gone through a lot of trial and error learning just what it takes to host a good party.
Below I’ve outlined what are some of the best practices so you can learn how to host a self care party!
Why Host a Self Care Party?
Self care is a practice that’s becoming more and more popular.
It’s important to take care of yourself, and sometimes, it can be equally rewarding to take care of others too and let them see the benefits.
Not to mention, it’s a great personal self care motivation when you get trusted with the responsibility to organize one.
This is why, self care parties can be organized not just for your personal friends, but also for someone who wants to experience what it is like.
Granted, most of us will start with just our own group of friends, but don’t let yourself be limited to just that, ok?
Anyways, hosting a self care party will help ensure that your friends are getting their hands dirty in all the right ways—and who doesn’t love an excuse for a get together?
Self care can mean anything from meditation to reiki therapy, journaling, or baking homemade cupcakes (yum).
Whatever it is you choose as part of your daily routine—or weekly routine, or monthly routine—you’ll be able to share all those little details with your friends at the party!
The idea behind hosting a self-care party is simple: Everyone gets together in one room (or outdoors if weather permits) and does whatever they want without any pressure from anyone else except themselves.
The only thing I recommend?
Have plenty of snacks available throughout the event so no one feels left out while they’re all having a great time!
7 Tips for Hosting an Amazing Self Care Party
1. Create an Invite
Now that you’ve decided to have a self care party, it’s time to invite people!
When you’re brainstorming who might be interested in mindfulness and why they will benefit from attending, keep in mind that not everyone will be able to attend.
However, these types of parties are great for building community and for sharing resources.
Include the date, time, location, RSVP information and any details you feel are important in your invitation.
The more information you can provide, the better!
Download a sample of an invite here.
2. Prepare Party Favors
What is a party without party favors right?
Don’t worry, you don’t have to break the bank here just to make something special for your guests.
Take my ideas and run with them:
- A small gift bag that contains a herbal tea bag, a mini jar of honey, and a cute wooden teaspoon (can be put together for less than $3)
- A small gift box containing lip balm, a hydrating face mask, and a bath bomb (less than $7)
- A small basket that includes several personal items such as a scented candle, organic bar soap, and lavender hand sanitizer ($20 or less)
- A clear glass that is custom engraved with an inspirational quote or affirmation (like “I am enough”) ($20 or less)
Don’t forget to include a handwritten welcome note/card/letter to add a real personal touch!
3. Plan a Menu
You’re going to have to feed your friends unless you plan a potluck. Whichever way, it is good to know the menu beforehand so that there will not be any wastage and to make sure everyone gets something.
- Food: You want to keep it light, so think of small plates with plenty of variety. You want people to be able to grab a bite and go, so finger foods are good. My rule of thumb is to be able to make something the night before that does not take up more than 1-2 hours of my time. This way, I know I will stick to something simple and easy to eat
- Drink: Water is always essential, and you can also serve some hot herbal tea and coffee as well. Wine might seem like an obvious choice for self care parties because it pairs well with cheese platters and charcuterie boards, but if you are serving alcohol at your party, make sure there are enough non-alcoholic drink options available too—people with any kind of health condition or allergies may need some alternatives!
4. Be Mindful of Others
When you are planning a self-care party, it is important to be mindful of others.
This means that you need to be aware of all of your guests’ needs and make sure that they feel comfortable with the activities you have chosen.
Before you start planning your self-care party, make sure everyone who will be attending knows what it is that they’re signing up for.
You don’t want anyone feeling pressured or obligated to participate if they don’t want to.
If someone says they don’t want to join in on any of the activities at all, respect their decision and ask them if there is anything else they would like to do instead.
If they still feel uncomfortable after that (for example, if they were hoping to simply come along as an observer), then it might be best not to invite them at all.
Give each other lots of space to be themselves and not be obligated to have to do something. Being comfortable is key!
5. Choose Activities That Work For You And Your Guests
You should choose activities that work for you and your guests.
If you have a lot of guests coming, it may be more appropriate to choose an activity that can be done in smaller groups if possible.
This can be anything from a massage or facial to going for a hike or having a yoga class together.
Choose activities that don’t require much prep or clean-up time.
You don’t want to be stressed out about cleaning up before or after your party, so choose something that doesn’t require too much effort on your part.
Make sure everyone knows what they’re getting into beforehand so there aren’t any surprises on the day of your party!
6. Encourage People to Talk About Their Own Self Care Experiences
The key to hosting an effective self care party is making sure everyone has an opportunity to participate in the conversation.
That’s why it’s important to encourage people to talk about their own experiences.
Here are some ideas on how to do that:
- Ask each person to share a tip or technique they use that they learned from another person
- Ask each person to share a tip or technique they use that they learned by discovering themselves
- Ask each person to share a story about when they needed more self care than usual (e.g., after a big breakup)
You might want to send out the questions ahead of time so that people who want to speak can be prepared.
Of course, make this optional so that no one feels pressured to say something.
Emphasize that this is just an exchange of ideas and not some kind of stress-inducing activity!
7. Make Sure Everyone Has A Way Home
Think about the logistics of your party.
Make sure everyone has a way home, and that you have enough food, drinks, space, and chairs.
Be sure to provide parking if there are no nearby lots or garages.
Think about your guests’ comfort as well: if you are hosting an event with many people in attendance, consider having extra bathrooms available for guests’ use.
It’s small little things like that which will make your party outstanding and let your guests feel a lot of love.
8. Review
Get everyone to share their comments and feedback with you a day or two after the party.
This is a good way to know how your participants feel and you might also discover ways to improve your next party.
Share with them how they can use a self care tracker to be better aligned with their goals and daily activities.
Self Care Party Activity Ideas
There are lots of things you can do together that do not require a lot of setup time and effort.
If you are unsure what to do, you might want to consider some of them below, or better yet, ask your participants for ideas!
Here are some activities that you can do at your next self care party:
- Get together with some friends and make each other smoothies! You can get really creative with the ingredients—the more colorful, the better!
- Make some homemade popsicles with fresh fruit, juice, and mint leaves. They’re delicious and refreshing, but also good for you!
- Have everyone bring their favorite book and read it out loud together. It’s a great way to bond over something other than social media or TV!
- Try making your own bath bombs—they’re easy to make with just three ingredients! The best part is that they’ll smell amazing and make your skin feel so soft afterward!
- Have everyone bring their favorite food or drink that they enjoy eating when they want to treat themselves to share with one another
- This might be a bit more work but a cooking class could be really fun! If space is a constraint, organize the people into small groups that can work on different areas of the kitchen, for example, one using the burner, one using the oven, one with the outdoor grill
- Make a vision board together by making use of old magazines. Here’s a simple guideline for your guests: Cut out pictures from magazines that represent what you want to be like in the future. Don’t worry about how well they match up with each other—just let your imagination run wild! Glue them to your poster boards in any way that makes sense to you and can add words or phrases as well if they help you visualize what kind of person or experience you want to become in life.
You can also check out this list of fun self care activities for more inspiration!
If your participants are ok with it, you could even share the results and comments with everyone who attended. Knowledge is power, baby!
In Conclusion: How to Host a Self Care Party
Hosting a self-care party is a great way to practice mindfulness with friends and loved ones.
It’s also a perfect opportunity to teach others about the importance of self care, whether they need it or not.
When we are in good spirits, we tend to have more positive interactions with others—and since everyone has something to offer when it comes down to it, this could be your chance at making an impact on someone else’s day.
And who knows?
Maybe you will learn something new about yourself!
