One of the best, most simple pleasures in life is to have a group of friends that you’re in sync with. You don’t have to be clones of one another. Preferably you won’t be. It may be best if you think of the Spice Girls. I know they mostly ended up hating one another, but you all have your role. Nothing as binary as “I’m the funny one, she’s the sarcastic one, you’re the sweet one”, but they define themselves.

Friendship groups like this work because you can hang out as pairs. Everyone might have their OTP, but you can call any one of them and know you can talk. And you can talk to different friends about different things. Relationship problems? That’s Sandra. Workplace issues? That’s Rita. Forgotten the capital of Finland? Ask Pamela. (Yes, I’ve taken the names of the imaginary group of friends from Mambo No. 5. And it’s Helsinki.)

With friends like this, you can call and hang out pretty much any time. But it’s also vital, for the sake of team spirit, to have a planned meetup every once in a while. You set the world to rights and plan other things – girly holidays, nights out, even weddings. And one of the best ways to spend a day with friends is an at-home pampering stint.

The Venue

Well, it’s at one of your houses, obviously. It’s up to you to decide whose. Maybe one of you has a bigger house. Maybe one of you is located more conveniently for travel purposes. Maybe one of you has family who are in and out all the time. Avoid that one, this is a team event. Maybe you just do it on a rotation basis. There’s not a specific set of rules here, you can’t codify friendship. That much.

The Essentials

You wouldn’t play tennis without racquets, you wouldn’t go skiing without alarming dayglo bodysacks. And you don’t have a pampering day without the essentials. You need food – takeaway and sweet treats are essential here, pampering has no place for cooking. Something to drink is vital – whatever each of you is into, make sure there’s a supply. And pampering isn’t right without big bathrobes – Richard Haworth hotel linens are among the best options.

The Time

Any decent gathering of friends has within it the potential to take on a life of its own. It can go on for some time, including into the early hours. So it’s best to plan it for public holidays or times when you’ve all got freedom from work. But we all have busy lives, so it is important to take time where you can find it. It’s not always easy, but it is so worthwhile.

Whenever you have a friendship group like this, you know there will be trials and tribulations. There may be fallings out, there may be shouting rows. And as you get older, your interests may go in different directions. But as long as there is that thread of friendship, you can be a team for decades. You just have to make sure you nurture the connections. Time with good friends is so very, very precious.