If you watched Beyonce’s Homecoming documentary on Netflix, you know she spent 8-12 months working her body to the bone to get ready for her show at Coachella. I’m betting she got massages and other pampering services weekly, if not daily to soothe her aching muscles.
I’m also willing to bet she went on a spa retreat after the show to get some much needed “me” time to recover. She can do that since she is rolling in the cash, but what can a single mom with not much disposable income do when she needs to be pampered?
Getting a massage can easily cost $65 per hour per session. If you don’t have that kind of money to splurge it sucks when you just need your body cared for. But wait! There is good news! You can get pampered and treated like Beyonce’ but for far less. Stick with me and I’ll tell you all about it.
How to Pamper Yourself on a Budget
Years ago I learned about how to get luxury services for less for me and my family, mostly because of my mom. My mom went to cosmetology school when I was a teen and I learned about the discounted deeply discounted services including hair care, nail care, and facials.
The students were under the supervision of a licensed cosmetologist so their work was done carefully and meticulously. Granted it took a little longer but the results were good.
Much of the time we feel that because we have a limited amount of money we can’t (or won’t) pamper ourselves because. Despite the perceived limitations, there are ways to get luxury services at an affordable price.
There is more than one way to get what you need, whether it’s spa services whether is beautician services, whether it’s healthcare, car care, by simply visiting a training center.
1. Discount Hair Care
You can go to a beauty school and receive deeply discounted hair care. This includes shampoo and set, blowouts, chemical treatments, or deep conditioning.
These services start at $5 or $6. Can you really can’t beat a $5 shampoo?. If you want to add a set, you can probably add five more dollars. If you want to get a color that might be $25.
Compare that to going to a regular beautician and paying $40 to $45 for a simple washing set or paying $100 to get your hair colored.
How do you find these services? You can search online for a list of beauty schools in your area. It’s that simple.
2. Affordable Nail Care
Manicures, pedicures, and gel nails are a pampering ritual many women practice weekly, monthly, or on special occasions. We love getting our nails done because it makes us feel pretty and pampered.
My favorite nail treatment is the SNS nails because it lasts for weeks and looks brand new every day. You can go to the same beauty school like the one you went to get your hair done to get your nails done.
A basic manicure can be as low as $5, a pedicure for $5 or a mani-pedi spa treatment for around $20. All the services are completed under the supervision of a licensed cosmetologist so you don’t have to worry about damage or poor service.
3. Financially Feasible Facials
The next thing is facials which are one of my favorite beauty treatments. When I get a facial it is like I’m in heaven because I’m getting my skin cleansed and massaged, my neck massaged and my scalp massaged.
When I go through that process is so relaxing, especially with the warm towels and wonderful fragrances. You can get your facial through an esthetician school or cosmetology school.
You can get a facial for $20 or $25 which is really inexpensive compared to going to a private company. You can also get your eyebrows while you are there if it is a service the esthetician offers.
4. Massages for Less
Another place to go for us to get a luxury experience for an affordable rate is a massage therapy school.
My best friend went to massage therapy school and she said that they had their clinic open and they would actually work on patients. Clients came in and paid $20-25 for a one hour massage.
Now you surely can do that right so what it takes really again is doing the research to find out if there’s a massage school in your area. Call them up, make an appointment, and actually go get the work done at a deep discount. This is luxury for less.
I’m a big fan of all these little ways to get what you need. I think once you start doing the research you will find there’s a lot out there for you and you don’t have to break the bank in order to get the services.
5. Affordable Health Services
I don’t know if you realize it or not but if you need health services you can go to a community or technical college to get checkups, dental care, and etc.
Programs that offer physician assistant, dental assistant or dental hygiene, even phlebotomy schools often have a clinic for students to practice.
Call the school or visit online to see if they have a clinic, hours of service, and number to call to make an appointment.
6. Discount Dental Services
Then the next thing I want you to kind of tap into is dental services. So if you happen to have a dental school near you, you can go to their clinic and get dental work done for a deep discount.
It may be a dental hygiene school, a community college or technical schools with a dental program. You can go to the associated dental clinic to get teeth cleaning, teeth whitening, or even x-rays all at a deep discount.
You can pay a very low price and get quality service because these students are more than likely going to be advanced students. They will give you quality service because their grades depend on it.
They are under the supervision of a licensed and certified instructor who guides and checks the student’s work. Definitely check it out and make sure that you are tapping into these resources near you.
7. Affordable Car Care
So far we’ve learned about beauty services, we’ve learned about luxury spa services like facials and massage and we’ve learned about health services.
The last thing I want to talk to you about are mechanics services. If you need a tune-up, spark plugs change, or a diagnostic test on your car because you don’t know what the problem is, you can go to a Technical College.
Find the school that has a program for auto mechanics or auto body service. Don’t be nervous about taking your car there because the instructors are licensed and certified mechanics and they know about the car and they can help you.
Go Ahead and Get Your Pampering On. You CAN Afford It!
Isn’t it exciting to know you can get all these typically expensive services for less? Now it is time to go try these different services out. Look for schools in your area. Search for the community colleges the technical colleges and find out if they have the services that you need.
There are lots of schools out there who provide massage therapy services, health care service, and car care service. It may cost you less than $50 to pamper yourself vs. $250. I’m sure you can find a way to spend $50 on yourself, right?
BONUS TIP
Another place to get health and beauty services and even car care service is Groupon or other group buying apps. I see massage, dental, and chiropractic care all the time on these sites.
You might be able to get gift cards from family or friend for your birthday, Christmas, or other gift-giving holidays. Sometimes all it takes is asking.
What services have you gotten from a school, a tradable or technical school, or any other school and pay rock bottom prices for?
Let me know in the comments below.
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
