Health and Wellness Well Well Well Treat Yourself Every Month With These Self-Care Subscription Boxes From a home spa to journaling, find a subscription box to help you get in your self-care. By Amanda Prahl Updated on April 28, 2023 @ 03:51PM Pin Share Tweet Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Photo: Instagram/ @thesill In a hectic, often stressful world, it’s important to take time to relax and recharge, and that’s what the self-care subscription boxes are designed to do. Self-care can mean any number of things, whether it’s journaling, treating yourself to a spa day, enjoying a favorite hobby, or anything else. The key is that these practices help you to feel better inside and out. The best self-care subscription boxes are the ones that combine a reasonable price with creative selections and genuinely useful items. You may want to consider what types of self-care practices you already like or are interested in, then start with boxes targeting those activities. Wherever you are on your journey of self-care, these subscription boxes are sure to give you plenty of new ideas during your downtime. Best Self-Care Subscription Boxes of 2023 Best for Perfume: Scentbird Best for Clothing: Stitch Fix Best for Beauty: Beautycounter Best for Handcrafting: Home Made Luxe Best for DIY Natural Products: Makesy Best for Candles: Wickbox Best for Tea: Simple Loose Leaf Best for Relaxation: Therabox Best for Journaling: Silk and Sonder Best for Bath and Body: Bath Bevy Best for Perfume: Scentbird Scentbird Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $16.95 per monthTheme: FragrancePlan Options: Monthly Pros & Cons Pros Can choose from hundreds of scents Refillable, reusable bottles Includes info to hone in on perfume preferences Cons Only offers sample-sized bottles Why It’s a Top Pick If self-care for you means being surrounded by your favorite scents, then Scentbird is the ideal subscription to keep you feeling great. The Perfume of the Month subscription is designed to allow subscribers to try out a wide array of new scents and learn more about their perfume preferences. Upon initially signing up for the subscription, you'll select a “starter” scent from among Scentbird’s recommendations or bestsellers. Your first scent will arrive in a small, refillable case holding an 8-milliliter bottle. Then, each month, you’ll get a new mini bottle of your choosing. You can create a curated list from Scentbird's catalog of over 600 fragrances. You’ll also get to expand your knowledge of perfume and develop your own preferences. Each scent includes in-depth information about its composition and notes, plus recommendations for other scents that you might like. If you find a new favorite scent, you can also purchase a full-size bottle separately. Best for Clothing: Stitch Fix Stitch Fix Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $20 styling fee Theme: Clothing and shoesPlan Options: Every 2-3 weeks, monthly, bimonthly, or every three months Pros & Cons Pros Styling fee is credited toward purchase Selections personalized by a stylist Free shipping and returns Cons Some individual pieces run expensive Accuracy of style picks can vary in first few "Fixes" Why It’s a Top Pick Shopping for new clothes can be a fun form of self-care, but it can also get stressful with so many options. Stitch Fix aims to help by having stylists personally curate clothes based on your preferences and size. The service allows you to try out a nearly unlimited amount of clothing, all without committing your closet space or budget to pieces before you have a chance to try them. Each Stitch Fix delivery starts with curation from expert stylists, who take into account your stated preferences, your choices in previous boxes, current trends, and more. Boxes feature menswear, womenswear, and children’s, all in a fairly wide size range. You’ll start by paying a styling fee, but the fee can be credited back toward any purchases you make from that box. Once you get your box, you can try on the items, decide what you want to keep and purchase, and send the rest back for free. Plus, you’ll get a 25 percent discount if you decide to purchase all the items in a single shipment. You can schedule automatic deliveries at the frequency that works best for you, or place orders manually. You can also choose to skip a delivery at any time. Best for Beauty: Beautycounter Courtesy of Beauty Counter Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $19Theme: Makeup, skin care, bath & body carePlan Options: Custom Pros & Cons Pros Offers a variety of clean beauty products Membership service nets you exclusive deals Product discounts on applicable orders Cons Auto-replenishment only available on a few items Not a traditional subscription format Why It’s a Top Pick While Beautycounter isn’t quite a traditional “subscription box,” its membership option is a fantastic way to explore a wide variety of beauty, skin care, and body care products. Beautycounter products largely fit into three major categories: makeup, skin care, and bath and body, with individual products sold alongside “regimens” and package deals designed to address specific skin concerns. The company is also dedicated to producing clean and sustainable beauty products by avoiding toxic ingredients and screening products to minimize the potential of any trace contaminants. Instead of having a subscription box, Beautycounter offers a membership, as well as an auto-replenishment subscription. Memberships comes with several perks, including free shipping on orders of $75 and up, 10 percent product credit on applicable orders, a welcome gift, and exclusive member deals year-round. You can also sign up for auto-replenishment on a handful of bestselling items, where you’ll get new deliveries of your favorite products on a set schedule and for a slight discount. Best for Handcrafting: Home Made Luxe Home Made Luxe Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $30 per monthTheme: Home decor craftsPlan Options: Monthly (can prepay for multiple months) Pros & Cons Pros Different types of crafts for any occasion Projects are practical and/or decorative Includes text, photo, and video instructions Cons No choices or customization Some crafts can be a little basic Why It’s a Top Pick Handcrafting cute projects can be a very effective form of self-care, and Home Made Luxe embraces the fun of creating something beautiful. Every month, subscribers receive a complete kit with all the supplies and directions needed to create a project that can then be used as decor in their homes. Kits come with all necessary supplies other than basic items like scissors or glue. You’ll also get to try out different techniques across different kits, with projects focused on media like wall art, stepping stones, knitting, macrame, wreaths, and more. You don’t have to be a crafting expert to complete these projects. Each monthly delivery typically includes written, photo, and/or video instructions, and the projects themselves are relatively easy to do. On the other hand, that can make the projects feel a little too simplistic for subscribers who do have existing craft experience. Ahead of each shipment, Home Made Luxe shares previews of the upcoming kits online, so you can decide if the next box is a good fit for you. While you can’t customize kits or choose alternatives, you can easily skip a month and pick back up the following month. The website also includes a store where you can buy kits individually if you see something you’re especially interested in. Best for DIY Natural Products: Makesy Makesy Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $49.95 per monthTheme: DIY candle, beauty, and homePlan Options: Monthly (can prepay for multiple months) Pros & Cons Pros Materials are ethically and sustainably sourced Can choose your kits across three categories each month Can skip months anytime Cons A little on the expensive side Refunds are only given as store credit Why It’s a Top Pick If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at making your own self-care products, Makesy might be the right subscription for you. The company sells a wide variety of DIY kits that allow individuals to make their own soaps, candles, perfumes, skin care products, body care products, and much more. Kits include all the necessary components to make a particular product and have accessible online instructions. Everything in the kit features sustainable, ethical, and clean products, with ingredients that are free from common harmful compounds to ensure you’re creating something safe for your body. Compared to other subscription kits, Makesy’s DIY kit subscription has a bit more freedom in choices. Every month, you get to choose from three different kits: one each in the categories of candles, home, or beauty. You can stick with the same category for several months — with new kits offered each month — or switch back and forth between categories as often as you’d like. It’s also very easy to skip a month if you want to take a break or don’t love any of the options for the month, and you can also purchase kits and supplies separately from the online store. If you want a refund on any purchase, however, your only option is store credit. Best for Candles: Wickbox Courtesy Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $34.95 per monthTheme: CandlesPlan Options: Monthly Pros & Cons Pros Candles have significant burn times of up to 100 hours Curated for your scent preferences Can also shop jewelry and decor Cons Can’t make your own selections Very limited selection for individual purchases Why It’s a Top Pick Candles are a classic pick for self-care items, and Wickbox is all about keeping your home filled with great-smelling, beautiful, and cozy candles. The subscription service is narrowly focused on candles, although its accompanying online shop does also include a few decor and jewelry items, too. Every month, you’ll receive a new candle, chosen to match your personal preferences and sitting in a beautiful glass vessel that matches the mood of the season. When signing up for the service, subscribers fill out a scent profile with information about scents they do and don’t like. Wickbox then uses these details to select a candle that suits your preferences. You’ll also choose whether to subscribe to the “medium” box, which includes a candle with a burn time between 30 and 60 hours, or the “large” box, which features candles that have burn times between 60 and 100 hours. Note, however, you can’t personally choose the scents you’ll receive. Wickbox does have an online store with a handful of candles available for individual purchase, but the selection is fairly limited. Best for Tea: Simple Loose Leaf Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $19.90 per monthTheme: TeaPlan Options: Monthly (can prepay for multiple months) Pros & Cons Pros Tea selections curated for your tastes Offers a collection of globally sourced teas Free shipping on all orders Cons Can’t pick teas yourself Teas are only sample-sized Why It’s a Top Pick Brewing a cup of fresh tea can be a wonderful part of a self-care routine, and Simple Loose Leaf is here to make it both exciting and relaxing. The company’s “Personalized Tea Sampler Club” offers subscribers an easy way to try out a wide variety of new teas, all curated to match your existing preferences. You’ll start with a short, four-question “Tea Profile” quiz to give the curators an idea of what your tastes are and which teas might interest you. While you can’t hand-select the teas in your subscription, you can adjust your profile and review teas you received in past orders to curate future shipments. Teas are delivered on a monthly basis, although you can prepay for three, six, or 12 months in advance for a slight discount. Depending on what tier you pick, you can have up to four different tea selections each month. Every package comes with tasting notes to help you better understand what you do and don’t like about each tea. Once you find teas you love, you can also purchase full-sized teas from the main Simple Loose Leaf shop. Best for Relaxation: Therabox Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $39.99 per monthTheme: Personal care (skin and body, stationery, etc.)Plan Options: Monthly (can prepay for multiple months) Pros & Cons Pros Variety of therapeutic products and themes Items are usually full-size Can easily pause your subscription Cons Can’t personalize or select items in the box Does not offer free shipping Why It’s a Top Pick Self-care means different things to different people, but Therabox tries to craft a box with enough variety to speak to a wide range of individuals and their needs. Each monthly box contains seven or eight items geared at helping subscribers wind down from whatever is stressing them out and focus on relaxation and inner peace. Although subscribers can’t pick out the individual items included in their shipments, each box typically has enough variety in its selections to ensure that everyone finds something that speaks to them. All of the items in your Therabox come as full-size products — no “mini” or “sample” products here. Each box has its own theme, such as “Cozy” or “Nourish,” and select past boxes are available for individual purchase in the shop. The items included in the boxes vary in type, ranging from skin care and body care to candles and more. You’ll also find an “activity” included in each delivery, such as directed journaling, brain-training exercises, and other activities geared toward helping you center your mind to relax. Even better, you can preview each box ahead of shipping, and if you don’t love it, you can easily skip a month and restart the next time around. Best for Journaling: Silk and Sonder Silk and Sonde Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $24.95 per monthTheme: Journals and plannersPlan Options: Monthly (can prepay for multiple months) Pros & Cons Pros Detailed, elegant journals with unique layouts Offers guided prompts and exercises Includes community access and events Cons Subscription price is relatively high Can feel pressure to “keep up” Why It’s a Top Pick Many people find journaling to be a very effective form of self-care, and Silk and Sonder looks to take that practice to the next level. The subscription features a monthly delivery of a new, deluxe journal or planner for each month. These journals are much more than just lined notebooks, though, and feature thoughtful prompts, mindfulness exercises, along with audio reflections to help guide you as you build your journaling habits. Silk and Sonder subscriptions also include access to an exclusive community of users to have discussions and a space to virtually encourage peers. The coordinating app provides daily affirmations, questions, and information on community events. Ideally, these features are meant to make journaling an effective part of self-care. That being said, some may feel pressure to maintain a journal or be a part of a community, which are things you have to think about before committing to a subscription. Best for Bath and Body: Bath Bevy BathBevy Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $43.21 per monthTheme: Bath items and body carePlan Options: Monthly or quarterly Pros & Cons Pros Offers a variety of bath and body products and candles Boxes come in fun, seasonal themes Wide selection of boxes that are ready to ship Cons Can’t select individual items Doesn’t include free shipping Why It’s a Top Pick If you want to transform your bath experience into something truly luxurious, Bath Bevy has everything you need for a spa-grade moment of self-care. Bath lovers can enjoy the original Bath Bevy Box, which includes products like bath bombs, bubble bath, bath salts, and more. If you’re more of a shower person, the TUBLESS Bath Bevy Box offers plenty of luxury with body washes, whipped soaps, shower steamers, sugar scrubs, and other similar items. Both types of boxes usually include between five to seven items per delivery. Each box is built around a fun theme, often designed to match the current season. It’s not just the scents that are seasonal, either: Even the packaging has a colorful, themed twist. You can choose from a monthly or quarterly delivery schedule, or purchase a handful of past boxes separately in the online shop. You can also purchase individual items if you find something you love, but you won’t be able to customize the items in your boxes. Frequently Asked Questions How Should I Pick a Self-Care Subscription Box? Self-care can mean different things to different people, so it’s important to pick a box featuring items that work best for you. You’ll also want to keep more practical considerations in mind, like your budget, how frequently you want to receive boxes, and whether you have any preferences for materials or ingredients. Do Self-Care Subscription Boxes Have Health Benefits? Self-care that actually helps your mind and body rest and recharge can be beneficial to your overall well-being. Some boxes may take this even further and tout specific benefits like journaling prompts based on psychology and therapy tactics, or skin care products utilizing aromatherapy. If you’re seeking specific health benefits from any new practice, it’s always a good idea to check with a medical professional first to make sure you’re on the right track. What’s Included in a Self-Care Subscription Box? Self-care subscription boxes can include a variety of items, depending on the niche and theme of the individual company. A few boxes, like Therabox, might incorporate several different types of items in a single box. Others, like Beautycounter or Bath Bevy, stick to a single niche and provide new and interesting items (often within new monthly themes) within those categories. How Much Should I Spend Every Month on Self-Care? How much you spend on self-care is really up to you. Consider your overall budget and your disposable income, and don’t be afraid to compare prices. Remember, self-care isn’t about how much you spend on items to support it, but rather about finding practices that help you feel more relaxed, centered, and positive. Methodology To determine the best self-care subscription boxes, we researched and reviewed dozens of available services across a dozen categories. We evaluated the cost of each box, what’s included in a shipment, how often boxes are delivered, and the skill level required for craft-specific boxes. We also looked at boxes that gave customers options for customization.