One of the best ways to de-stress after a long work week is to visit a spa for a well-deserved exfoliation, sauna soak, or facial. However, these relaxing excursions can be difficult once you’ve got kids. Finding a sitter or getting the day off can be difficult to do, and if the sitter falls through, then are you just supposed to cancel your visit? So, what are some things to keep in mind if you have children but still want to visit the spa?
To start this article off, we have some bad news: many spas in the United States (and indeed, much of the Western world) do not allow children under the age of 16 inside their premises. This can be due to a number of reasons, with the main one being that children are not typically associated with relaxation. This is due to a number of reasons that we don’t feel a particular need to explain to parents, but we’ll give it a shot – children can be loud, messy, and hazardous to their general surroundings.
Since spas are centers of relaxation, it’s only natural that adults trying to soak out their stress after a long work week wouldn’t want their calmness interrupted by a tribe of screaming 4-year-olds. However, after the effects of the pandemic on the spa industry as a whole, some places of business are relaxing these rules in an effort to attract new business. With this in mind, let’s get into some tips to help make your family visit to the spa a success.
Keep Things Low-Key
If you bring your children to the spa, do your best to ensure that they know what they’re getting into and what sort of behavior is to be expected. Make it clear that they should turn on their inside voices, but don’t try to ruin the vibe – you’re there to enjoy yourselves, obviously. If parents can prove that their children can be well-behaved in spas, then it could lead to rule changes down the road for the vast majority of these relaxation centers.
Plus, if your child can prove that they can behave themselves, then you can let them know that this might be something you’ll do together more often if they like the spa experience. This could mean family mani-pedis, facials, seaweed wraps, and more being down the road!
Plan Your Trip
Before you actually head out to a spa, try to identify what sort of activities your child is interested in. If the idea of a sauna is scary to them, then maybe scratch it off your list of activities beforehand. In other words, explain what sort of things go on at a spa. While you as an adult understand the benefits of a facial and will enjoy the process immensely, to a young child, such a process might be perceived as simply terrifying: “Mommy, why are your eyes suddenly so green and round?”
Respect Your Child’s Boundaries
Going down the same line as step one, try not to push your children into doing something that they aren’t comfortable with. A spa trip is supposed to be a relaxing experience that soothes nerves and makes anxieties melt away. If your child is uncomfortable with a stranger touching their feet or hands for a mani/pedi, then don’t force them into it. Doing so might only discourage them from wanting to join you on future trips!
Make Any Allergies Known to Staff
This one is a no-brainer, but make sure to make any allergies your child might have known to spa staff so that any unpleasant scenarios can be avoided. It’s hard for us to think of something more stressful than having to deal with a case of anaphylactic shock at the spa due to a skin exfoliant containing traces of something your child is allergic to.
Since skincare and skin routines are getting infused with more and more exotic ingredients these days, it might not be a bad idea to have your child undergo an allergy test before trying any particularly adventurous spa procedures. Or, at the very least, have an Epi-pen on hand!
Make It Clear What the Goal Is
At the end of the day, visiting a spa is about enjoying yourself with the ones you love. Make it clear to your children that while spas might have rules, that they’re there to have a good time and enjoy themselves.
Sometimes, the high-class environment can be a bit off-putting to children, so explaining to them that no matter what happens they’re supposed to be enjoying themselves might make them a bit more relaxed, which will, in turn, make you more relaxed and make every activity you engage in that much better.
