What’s Actually in a Dancing With the Stars Pro’s Dance Bag? Britt Stewart Spills

Good socks are a dancer essential, but Stewart’s favorite pair is just as useful off the dance floor. “We have to have good socks,” she shares about the DWTS pros. After trying countless pairs, her TNA socks are “top-notch.” As Stewart puts it, they’re distinctly “dancer-coded.”

Long rehearsal days call for serious hydration. Stewart keeps a HydroJug nearby and adds Ultima electrolytes to her water. “It’s one of the cleaner brands of electrolytes that you can use to supplement your water,” she says. Her favorite flavors? Blue Raspberry and Passion Fruit.

If you peeked inside Stewart’s dance bag, you might be surprised to find a lacrosse ball. But this isn’t for practicing her passing skills, it’s one of her favorite recovery tools. “Lacrosse balls are absolutely amazing for muscle rolling,” she says. “It’s really good for your neck, traps, and your shoulders,” and of course, your feet.

A professional dancer’s schedule doesn’t exactly lend itself to leisurely meals. Stewart says she’s often “eating in my car, eating while standing up, or just on a quick little break.” Because of that, she always has digestive enzymes on hand. “Sometimes a girl needs help digesting,” she jokes. And when you’re dancing in a costume, avoiding that post-meal bloat is certainly a bonus.

When she’s heading to rehearsal, a matching workout set is a nonnegotiable for Stewart, and Beyond Yoga is her go-to brand. “The new fabric that they’ve been using is just buttery and so soft,” she says.

When you’re dancing for hours at a time, recovery is just as important as rehearsal. For Stewart, that means keeping a Theragun within reach at all times. “It is a staple. I have one in my dance bag. I have one on the side of my bed. I just kind of have them everywhere in case I need them.”

Stewart’s other recovery go-to is a portable red-light device from Lumebox. “It’s traditional red light, but it’s also infrared red light, so it goes deeper into the skin at a cellular level,” she says. The compact size makes it easy to bring along for busy days on set or on the road.

When asked about the least glamorous part of being a professional dancer, Stewart doesn’t hesitate: “Our feet.” The pros even have mani-pedi dates together, where they remind their technicians not to remove their calluses. Those rough patches are actually essential for preventing blisters. For a little extra TLC, Stewart turns to Aquaphor’s disposable foot masks. “It’s really nourishing and really softening for your skin,” she says.

Toe spacers might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a professional dancer’s wellness routine, but Stewart swears by them. “I’ll wake up in the morning and put my toe spacers on,” she says. “It’s just very grounding.” After dancing professionally since she was 15, she knows a thing or two about taking care of her feet.

Stewart tries to start her mornings on a vibration plate, which she says has become a favorite part of her wellness routine. “You can catch me in the mornings on a vibration plate with my Therabody face wand, a face mask, and then, very weirdly, my cat.” Consider it a full-body morning ritual.

After a long day of dancing, Stewart winds down with Neom’s Magnesium Sleep Butter. “Magnesium is really essential for muscles and recovery, and for anyone that’s active,” she says. For her, the butter is “very relaxing, healing, and just smells delicious.”

Spray tanning is practically synonymous with ballroom dance culture, but as the show’s first and only Black female pro, Stewart approaches bronzing a little differently. She doesn’t spray tan, but she has picked up a glowing trick from her fellow pros: Dolce Glow’s bronzing lotion. “It’s a bronzing glow that just makes your skin shine.” There’s one important caveat for dancers: “We have to use a very specific kind because you can’t be slippery with partner dance.”

Stewart’s drive to the studio doubles as her pre-show reset. She uses the time to reflect on the week, get grounded, and let her eye patches do their thing. Wearing them in the car gives them more time to sink in before she arrives and goes straight into hair and makeup. Her current favorite is YISE Beauty, which has one major selling point: “They don’t slide down.”

Some beauty staples are classics for a reason. “It’s an old-school makeup product, but the NARS Radiant concealer is my go-to concealer,” Stewart says. “It’s brightening, and once you get the right color, it just melts into your skin.”

For her hair, Stewart relies on Cécred’s Thermal Shield Mist. “It is game-changing for textured or curly haired girls,” she says. Her final verdict? “Chef’s kiss.”

A good lip treatment is a backstage essential for Stewart. She rotates between Summer Fridays and Ole Henriksen, but her philosophy is simple: “You always need a good lip mask.” Wherever the day takes her, she keeps one nearby.

Stewart brings her love of aromatherapy everywhere from home to set. “I have one in my dressing room, I have one here at home, and specifically their Goddess blend is just amazing,” she says. Consider it one more way she keeps the energy right before showtime.