Don’t let a quarantine kill the romance–here are some of the best Valentine’s date ideas using technology.
Set the Mood With a Smart Candle
If you’re worried about using real candles (or you can’t due to building regulations), you can still capture the ambience with a smart candle. The Yeelight Candela is a connected light that gives off a 1600k color temperature–same as a candlelight. You can activate “Flicker” mode that makes the light dance like a flame.Thanks to its mesh technology, you can connect up to 30,000 of these candles together (although if you have that many, congratulations–you’ve already won Valentine’s date night.) The battery will last for eight hours on a single charge.
Have a Movie Night Under the Stars
A lot of experts might discourage a movie for date night, but it’s been more than a year since many of us sat in a theatre. Recreate that experience at home under the stars with a portable projector. The Vankyo Leisure 3 supports up to 1080 resolution and can create a screen up to 170 inches. Pair the projector with your smartphone to stream content directly. Sure, projecting against the wall of your home outside might be a bit chilly in February, but that’s all the more reason to curl up together under a blanket with a warm drink.
Bring the Night Sky Indoors With a Star Projector
If it’s too cold to spend any time outdoors, you can still have a romantic Valentine’s dinner date beneath the stars with the help of a star projector. A device like the LBell Galaxy Projector can project stars up to 200 square meters, filling the room with the sky itself.Choose between different colors and enjoy a rotating night sky that will definitely set the mood better than any dimly-lit restaurant ever could. Best of all, when Valentine’s Day is over, this projector can be a great way to host your own in-home rave.
Create a Calming Atmosphere With Scented Oils
Aroma therapy is more than just a hippie version of scented candles. Your mood can be impacted in big ways by scents; for example, the smell of lavender can provide a soothing effect on your nerves. You can use the right kind of scents to create a romantic atmosphere in your home.The Pure Daily Care Ultimate Aromatherapy Diffuser includes ten different essential oils and makes it easy to fill your home with the scent of your choice. Just make sure it doesn’t overpower the smell of a home cooked dinner.
Cook a Delicious Dinner With a Sous Vide
Maybe your favorite restaurant isn’t open for Valentine’s Day or you don’t think the food would be tasty if delivered. If you want to try your hand at cooking but you lack confidence in the kitchen, a sous vide can help. These cookers allow you to make delicious meals at home and are forgiving to mistakes.The Yedi Infinity Sous Vide is a budget-friendly place to start. It allows up to 100 hours of cook time and provides more even heat distribution through the water. You can cook almost any type of food without worry of overcooking anything. Best of all, there’s a two-year warranty included with the purchase.
Have a Dance Night to Romantic Music
Everyone knows the first blooms of romance, where you take your lover in your arms and dance the night away. As relationships go on, going out to dance become less common–especially in the midst of a pandemic. Use a smart speaker like the 4th-Generation Echo to recapture that feeling.
Spend the Evening Gaming Together
No one can deny that video games have become a huge part of mainstream culture. For many couples, a quiet night spent racing each other in Mario Kart can be just as romantic as going out to fine French cuisine. Now you can even race each other in-person with the Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit set. Clear out a space on the floor and set up the karts, download the software to your Nintendo Switch, and spend the evening challenging one another to the best times, all while watching it play out in real-life with replica karts.
Have a Spa Night at Home With Smart Massagers
It’s not always possible to go out, especially during a lockdown–but you can recreate the feeling of going to a spa right in your own living room with smart massagers. These devices fit around your neck and target pressure points to loosen your muscles and relax you. Place one of the massagers around your neck, put on your favorite robe, and kick back with your special someone and let the technology send you both into a state of total relaxation. Combine this with a scent diffuser and some soft music and you’ll forget that you aren’t actually at the spa.
Making Valentine’s Day Special
You don’t have to leave your home to make Valentine’s Day one of the most romantic nights of the year. Just put together a combination of the devices shown above to recreate a night out and keep the love alive, even if you aren’t able to leave your home.