Spas Go All Out To Give Kids The Treatment

The next time you’re at a spa and the robe-clad guest next to you looks awfully young, it may not be the anti-aging treatments. She may actually still be in junior high.

That is because more spas are luring the kid and teen set. They are offering everything from teen packages with grown-up treatments like massages and body scrubs to kid-friendly services such as ice-cream pedicures (complete with a cone to eat).

Spas say they are responding to increasing demand among parents, especially from Moms who themselves enjoy spa pampering and want to share the experience with their daughters. Spas also clearly see an opportunity with the kiddie market: Hooking kids on pricey pedicures and facials when they are young can lead to decades of repeat business. Tapping these new markets is particular crucial these days, as the spa industry is seeing revenue slip: Revenue in the U.S. spa industry fell to $9.4 billion in 2006, from $9.7 billion in 2005, according to the International SPA Association, an industry trade group.

We have to admit we did feel a bit absurd spending so much cash on pampering treatments for kids who were still in braces. The kids, however, were more than game, and we were curious about the hype, so we tried out five different spas around the country. The spas generally required that a parent (or other adult) be present and sign a consent form. Most spas had policies restricting some — or all — treatments to certain ages. But we found that those rules were often flouted. The policy at one spa, Scooops Kids Spa, stated that only those 13 and over could get a massage. But, during our visit, a therapist said he recently gave a massage to a 4-year-old boy. “He was pretty squirmy,” the therapist said. Another spa, Bliss Spa, said that parents sometimes lie about their kids’ ages to get them in anyway. (None of our kid testers were carded.) Most spas welcome both girls and boys, but boys seemed to be a rare sight.

At the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Los Angeles, our 11-year-old tester, Maya, tried the “Green Teen Spa Package,” which included a 30-minute massage, body scrub and pedicure, in the hotel spa. (The price tag was $150.) Loews requires an adult to accompany kids under 16. While the hotel’s Web site says parents need to sign a release form, we were never given one.

The spa wasn’t particularly kid-friendly — there were no other young girls in sight during our visit and Maya was swamped by the adult-sized robe. Still, she loved her massage — her first. She kept her bathing suit on during the treatment and the therapist said she would go light on the pressure. She was also automatically given female therapists. During the pedicure, Maya got an added touch of little flowers painted on her big toes. The experience was certainly a hit for Maya, who exclaimed when Mom tucked her into bed several hours later, “I had the greatest day.”
BONDING WITH MOM OR OVER-THE-TOP PAMPERING?
What do you make of the trend towards kid-friendly spa treatments? Is it a good way for mothers and daughters to connect or an over-the-top indulgence? Join a discussion on The Juggle, WSJ.com’s work and family blog.

Scooops Kids Spa at the Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun, Pa., was — no surprise — the most kid-friendly spot we visited. The spa revolves around an ice-cream theme: The pedicure chair is a big plastic sundae and the lotions and scrubs are chocolate, vanilla and strawberry-scented. The entire lodge is devoted to the pint-sized: The main draw is the huge indoor-outdoor water park. Madison, Wis.-based Great Wolf Resorts has opened Scooops spas in 10 of its lodges in the past year. The demand has been so great that the company is already in the midst of doubling the size of the spas at some of its locations, says Kim Schaefer, Great Wolf Resorts’ chief operating officer. Kids of any age can get manicures and pedicures at the Scooops spas. Teens 13 and older are welcome at the adult-oriented Elements spa for massages and other treatments, Ms. Schaefer said. The antsy 4-year-old we heard about was an exception, she said.

Our 15-year-old tester, Caitlin, tried both spas. She wasn’t wowed by the teen express massage at the Elements spa. “There wasn’t enough pressure,” she said. “It was really weak.” She also found the New-Agey music a bit irritating: “It was like space disco,” she said. She was happier with her Mini Ice Cream pedicure, done in a plush room with big leather massage chairs (also at Elements). But the spa forgot to give her the promised (edible) ice cream cone.

Later, Caitlin had a manicure at Scooops. The aesthetician was warm and friendly, asking questions about school and camp while she scrubbed and moisturized Caitlin’s hands. In the next chair over, a very poised 4-year-old was also getting a manicure. Her mother said she gets one (with Mom) every week. After her manicure, Caitlin was given a voucher for a free ice cream cone in the cafe nearby. When we told them Caitlin didn’t get one during her pedicure earlier, she was given an extra voucher.

We also visited the Mario Tricoci, Hawthorne Center in Vernon Hills, Ill., near Chicago, an outpost of a Midwestern chain. Our 14-year-old tester, Aishling, tried the $193 “Just for Teens” package that included a facial, manicure, pedicure, haircut and make-up application. Aishling, who had never been to a day spa before, had a great time — and she learned a lot, too. She appreciated the advice on how to take care of her skin and the lesson on applying make-up. Aishling raved about the pedicure, particularly the foot Jacuzzi. Mom, however, was left at loose ends. The spa was missing a relaxation area where she could wait.

Maya also checked out the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, an ultra-exclusive hotel located in a residential neighborhood in Beverly Hills. The hotel’s spa offers an “Ice Cream Pedicure” for young girls, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. The treatment is offered indoors in a private suite equipped with an oversized massage chair or outdoors in a private cabana by the pool.

The pedicure starts with a soaking “scoop” of ice cream infused with essential oils. The papaya-nectar flavor of ME! Bath looked just like real ice cream, and when the pedicurist dropped it into Maya’s tub, it erupted into a soup of fizzy soda. Sipping a berry smoothie and savoring being spoiled, it was clear Maya could easily do this again and again. Mom, however, suffered major sticker shock: The treatment cost $130, more than double the price of a typical pedicure.

We also headed to Bliss Soho, part of a chic chain of nine day spas owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Our tester, Caitlin, initially wanted a massage, but when we tried to make the appointment by phone, we were told that teens 14 to 16 could only have a facial, a manicure or a pedicure. So we booked the “Dew” Diligence facial. But when we arrived for our appointment, the clerk said Caitlin, 15, could get a massage. We stuck with the facial, which Caitlin said was “great,” though she did say part of the cleansing process hurt.

It turns out that both representatives were wrong about the spa’s kid policy. As of last month, kids under 16 can have only manicures and pedicures. Teens 16 and 17 can have a basic facial or massage — if they have a signed consent form.

Susan Grey, Bliss Spa’s regional spa operations director, said it made the change as more parents began bringing ever younger children. (She said the company is in the process of educating staff about the new policy, thus our conflicting instructions when booking — and our success in scheduling a facial for Caitlin.) These kids were also demanding more sophisticated services, making spa staffers uncomfortable. “Is microdermabrasion or bikini waxing essential for a minor?” says Ms. Grey. “Our feeling is ‘no’.”

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