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Last Updated on December 6, 2020

This is a partnered conversation

This weekend I planned a surprise date night with my husband. I wanted him to feel loved because sharing quality time seems to be far and few between these days. It had to be amazing, and it had to show him how much I love him.

So what special surprise did I have in store for him? Massage Date Night! I coupled it with a chocolate martini that was such a delicious treat (secret – cocktail recipe is below).

When was the last time you did something simple to make your spouse smile? Below is a bucket list of date ideas that I go to when I need inspiration and want to spice things up.

Date Night Bucket List Ideas

Try to get creative and think up fun date night ideas that the two of you have never done before.

Here are some ideas to spark your imagination:

Make dinner together
Surprise her with eternity roses and special homemade chocolates.
Create your own sundae bar or pizza station
Go bowling or putt-putt golfing
Ride bikes or go hiking
Check out new exhibits at the zoo or a museum
Play board games or card games
Play video games
Have a movie marathon
Create a photo shoot
Read to each other over a glass of wine
Ask each other 20 random, off-the-wall questions to learn more about each other
Go on a picnic
Plan a road trip or vacation together
Give each other massages

A Good Massage and a Good Cocktail

I enjoy having date nights at home after my son goes to bed. We don’t have to worry about getting dressed up, finding a sitter and being out too late. It’s also more affordable to stay at home.

For me, my date night bucket list consists of: a good drink, a massage and a good action movie (I love action movies made for pre-teen boys for when my son watches with us).

My husband and I LOVE massages. Like, seriously. So I searched for some massage videos to learn how to do it and came across the Melt: Massage for Couples video series by Denis and Emma Merkas.

Denis Merkas, who is from Australia, is a professional massage therapist with over 15 years experience. He has some big names under his belt, or rather his hands, that have felt wonder from his techniques, including Pierce Brosnan, James Earl Jones, Jared Leto, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains, along with a few sports stars and even royalty.

So, of course my interest was piqued and I had to give these videos a try. I always thought learning how to massage correctly would be too hard, but these videos really break down the how-to’s of massage without being too sexy (if you know what I mean).

At first I was a bit skeptical, thinking these videos would be really cheesy or a little too risqué, making it awkward with my husband, but we were pleasantly surprised. The videos were beautifully filmed without any nudity so we didn’t have to worry about any awkward moments.

The video clips are short so you don’t have to commit to hours of massaging. They show couples how to use their hands properly so they don’t tire out or get sore, which is a problem we’ve both had in the past.

But what I found the most enjoyable about our date night, aside from the wonderful massages, is the time I got to spend with my husband. It allowed us the quality, quiet time we needed together. We didn’t have to talk about any issues, like bill payments, our son, or pressures from work. In fact, we didn’t even need to talk!

There were times it was just pure silence, our breathing, and our connection. It was beautiful! We shared a wonderful new experience and learned something new in the process.

Melt: Massage For Couples

After a lovely, sensual evening with my husband, I highly recommend this video series. I know we will definitely have more date nights like this one and work on perfecting our massage techniques.

There are three different types of series:

The Basic Series – This series starts with correcting some of the most common massage mistakes and showing you the foundations of your massage with long, sweeping strokes. You watch the short videos with a technique or tip in each and it ends with a five-minute follow-along massage routine.

The Highlights Series – This is where things start to get really good! You learn to look for the sore spots on each other’s bodies and how to work them out. The neck, shoulders, lower back, arms, head… you’ll find places you didn’t even know that were sore! After you learn the nine techniques from this series, there’s a 15-minute massage routine to follow along to. Your hands still won’t hurt!

The Deep Tissue Series – So many people, myself included, love deep tissue stuff but it shouldn’t be overemphasized. Denis leaves these tips to the very end for good reason, but they are such good techniques. It ends with an epic 30-minute follow-along massage routine.

If you’re ready to get your massage on and spend quality time with your spouse, the Melt Video Series is on Sale until October 12, 2015. Get 20% off the bundled courses – only $79 (usually $147 in total).

This special promo is for our A Girl Worth Saving community, with 20% off the retail price for LIFETIME video access to these incredible massage techniques. Visit MELT: Massage for Couples.

These are great for cheap stay-at-home date nights, which works out to around $26 a date night if you split it over three nights or even less to $6.50 a night if you set up a massage date idea once a month!

You can also gift vouchers at the promotional price now and use them whenever – they never expire! That means you can stash them away for birthdays, Christmas or even wedding presents and gift them along with a beautiful massage oil and a scented candle for a unique, awesome point of difference!

After our massages, we worked up quite the thirst, so we headed to the kitchen to make Chocolate Martini’s. It was refreshing and exactly what we needed. You can try it for yourself:

Chocolate Martini

Name: Chocolate Martini
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 cup of chocolate coconut water like Zico; 1/4 cup vodka