The Golden Door, La Costa, Canyon Ranch, luxury resorts and cruise ships... wouldn't it be great to enjoy the relaxation and pampering you'd get at one of these great spas? THE ADVICE SISTERS® can't magically transport you to one of these five-star spa destinations, but we can help you get out from behind your computer and give yourself a relaxing break....at home. You don't have to wait for a special occasion or a weekend, and although it might not change your life, it will, at the very least, help you to chill out after a bad day at work...especially in the summer months when tempers flare and the mercury rises!

1. GET READY: One of the keys to a successful spa experience is to set the scene in advance. Prepare the night before, or in the morning before you go out. You'll have something to look forward to all day, and will be able to go home and relax immediately, without stopping to deal with dinner or get things together when you're already tired. The basics are:

• votive or tea light candles
• clean towels
• a robe or lounge clothes
• various skin and hair spa products (see below)
• loofah or brush
• hair dryer and styling brushes (if you use them)
• beverages and a light spa dinner

Optional: an inflatable pillow on which to rest your head. Otherwise, roll up a towel and place it behind your neck as you soak.

You can't relax if your stomach is growling, so make part of your spa experience is a cool, easy and healthy meal. A good choice for a spa night dinner might be a large, colorful cold salad (E.g. nicoise, a grilled chicken over mesclun greens, or a cold pasta salad with veggies) served with a fresh, crusty bread, accompanied by a fresh fruit salad, melon wedge or fresh berries for dessert. In the winter, a savory soup or stew, served with fresh fruit or sorbet for dessert fits the bill. You can prepare the salad the night before, or "cheat" and bring dinner home "ready-made" from the gourmet shop. A glass of wine while soaking in the tub is ok, but if you don't want to get too sleepy, opt for something lighter such as a flavored club soda or mineral water which makes a healthy and elegant alternative. *note: unless you want to pull slivers of glass out of your feet, save the crystal for the table and use only plastic in your bathroom.

Relaxation involves treating all your senses, including your eyes and mouth. Resist the urge to rush through dinner or glup it while doing something else. Ditch the plastic containers. Sit down and focus on your mate or your plate, instead of the evening news. Before you go out in the morning, clear the papers and junk off the dining room table and cover it with a tablecloth or nice place mats. A nice, optional touch is or a vase with some fresh flowers to lift your spirits and help set the mood. When you come home you'll appreciate the extra effort you made to make this evening, special. Single? Don't think this effort is wasted on you or wait for a dinner date or a special occasion....this is a nice thing to do for yourself every day... especially if you're enjoying a solo spa night!

Pour a chilled glass of the beverage of your choice, and enjoy it while the warm (not hot) water fills your tub. Bring a champagne bucket with ice to keep your wine or water cold if you have the room since you will feel better and more alert if you stay hydrated during your spa soak. If your skin is hot, irritated, sunburned, chafed, or just plain sticky, soaking in warm water will feel better, help you relax, and make you feel cooler than cold water will when you dry off. Scent the water using a moisturizing aroma therapy or bubble bath such as Avon's Calming Breeze Tub Tea from the AVON CENTER SPA LINE ($24.00). These clever, giant T-bags scent the water and make any bath feel special. *NOTE: select the bath products in scents you enjoy, but keep them all in the same range. You'll feel like a giant fruit basket or florist shop if you use too many different scents at once!

Turn your answering machine ON, your pager and cell phone OFF. Slip into the tub....close your eyes.....shut out the workaday world.... and............R..E..L..A..X.

While you're soaking, relax your mind. Think positive thoughts. Consider at least three things you're really grateful for. You might practice a few self-affirmations (try the one we've posted monthly on RELATIONSHIP TOOLS FOR WINNERS, or create a few of your own). If you're relaxing with a partner, fantasize together about the good times ahead: that romantic vacation; the dream house you would love to own; or even what you plan to do later in the evening. Don't try to work out your problems in the tub. Keep the conversation light This is not the time to pick a fight, plan the seating chart for your wedding, or plan your next presentation at work.

A shampoo is a part of your spa experience. On a spa night the goal is a little luxury. Put away the sale shampoo and give your hair a special treat like Avon's Lemon Lite Shampoo from the AVON CENTER SPA LINE ($10.00) which smells like lemons, green tea, and fresh cut grass and compliments the "Calming Breeze" products for the bath. The scent is light and invigorating .. even my husband loved it! It produced a rich, foamy lather and it did exactly what Avon claims: removes excess oil and dirt without stripping your hair of its natural moisture or drying your scalp. Even without conditioner or any other products, my hair looked healthy, shiny, and felt incredibly soft without residue. The Lemon Lite Shampoo was one of the best shampoos I have ever used at any price (and I've tried quite a few that which much more expensive). I liked it so much I went to Avon's web site (http://www.avon.com ) to purchase more and found a 2-for-1 sale! You might follow your shampoo with a special conditioning treatment such as Avon's Fabulously Rich Re-hydrating Hair Creme from the AVON CENTER SPA LINE ($20.00). This intense conditioner hydrates, restores body and seals split ends with a complex of wheat protein, soy and coconut oils. To my surprise, it worked beautifully without weighing my hair down with a greasy coating.

For post-spa styling, less effective was Avon's Wheat Protein All Weather Sculpting from the AVON CENTER SPA LINE ($10.00). This botanical complex of hawthorn, sage and chamomile was a gooey gel that didn't hold my style very long and left my hair feeling sticky. Ditto with Avon's Sunsheen Conditioning Mist from the AVON CENTER SPA LINE (($17.00). It's a great idea to use a UV protectant to help prevent hair from fading or drying in the sun or from chlorine in a pool, but while the mist made my hair flat and greasy. I would use this product at the beach or pool (if I had my hair pulled back and didn't care how it looked) but not for daily use. A better product for daily use, especially for people who suffer from dry or frizzy hair, is Avon's Silky Sage Frizz Relief from the AVON CENTER SPA LINE ( ($17.00). This light, non-greasy serum (clean and convenient in a pump) would be particularly good for dry or curly hair. It smoothed the frizz without adding a heavy coating and didn't weigh down my hairstyle.

3. THE GRAND FINALE: If you're not quite ready to let your at-home spa experience come to and end, you can add more products and more features (E.g. a home facial and a manicure and pedicure). Your weekday spa night will still feel wonderful if you just stick to the basics, however. Before you go to bed, lightly spray your pillow with a calming aromatheraphy spray. SWEET DREAMS OF MORE SPA NIGHTS TO COME!!!!!

*Avon also sent me a few of their regular (non-spa line) products to try that are worth a mention: I tried Avon's Sun-so-Soft SPF 25 Sun Block Stick ($7.50). I liked the plastic glue-stick type packaging and the fact that it's waterproof, PABA-free, and has a broad spectrum protection against the sun's damaging UVA and UVB rays, as well as vitamins A and C. It did protect my face without irritation but it looked and felt like a glue stick -- and my skin felt sticky all day. Ditto with Avon's famous "Skin-So-Soft" Body Lotion. Many claim that skin-so-soft is the best defense against mosquitos, but when I used it on a picnic by a lake, plenty of other flying insects enthusiastically swarmed around my skin-so-soft covered arms and legs! Judge for yourself!

Avon's web site is also worth a mention. Although it is graphics-intensive, I was surprised to find that the site loaded quicky and provided an interactive shopping experience that is efficient, easy, and pleasant to use. If you'd like to try a spa night and try out some of Avon's products, go to http://www.avon.com. You will find the latest products, and also weekly specials at good discounts from all of Avon's product areas.

ABOUT AVON: Avon Products, Inc., founded in 1886, is the world's largest direct seller of beauty and related products, but it's not quite the same company you might remember from your childhood when Mom purchased the perfect shade of lipstick from the door-to-door "Avon Lady." The company is still recognized throughout the world for inexpensive beauty, skin care, and cosmetics, but I was surprised at the quality and sophistication of the products being offered today, especially in the Avon Center Spa line. These appeal to both women and men with unisex fragrances and that would look appropriate with any sophisticated decor. The prices in the spa line are comparable to similar products of the same quality in the marketplace. According to Wendy Clark, General Manager of the Avon Cente, the spa line is meant to be: " a niche brand, supporting the special needs of customers with special concerns, especially skin care problems." Avon's vision is: "to be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women--globally." Avon markets to women and men in 135 countries through their web site: http://www.avon.com and nearly 2.8 million independent sales representatives.

*This  "WHAT WORKS" column by Alison Blackman Dunham AKA. "Advice Sister Alison"