Spas for 7-Year Olds

(Photo: Erin Hull/New York Times)

A mother of 2 daughters expressed the need like this:

“They do deserve something special,” said Ms. Ehresman, who paid about $400 for the party. Paige and her 8-year-old sister, Makayla, had begged for beauty treatments, but Ms. Ehresman had found her own adult spa to be inappropriate for them.

“I don’t want them to feel that my saying ‘no’ means that I don’t love them,” she said.

Adult women in the United States often enjoy a day at the spa. Increasingly, so do young girls. Sweet and Sassy, a national chain of spas catering to children, is the market response. Julie Turkewitz describes the trend in an article in the New York Times. She met Paige, a 7-year old client at a Sweet and Sassy spa. Paige had a great time:

After the beauty treatments, Paige and her guests walked down a red carpet and disappeared into a hot pink limousine, which took the squealing children on a spin around the parking lot. One 6-year-old guest documented the revelry in a series of selfies.

Sweet and Sassy isn't for everyone, though. Some young spa clients want more than it can offer. There are more upscale establishments available to cater to their needs:

At one New York-area chain, Seriously Spoiled Salon and Spa, parties cost $500 to $3,000, and options include a “bath-bakery” experience, with lotions that smell like edible treats. (Tag line: “Where the main ingredient is you.”)

Lisa Gadzinski, 48, and her sister opened Seriously Spoiled on Long Island in 2008. The business, based in Patchogue, N.Y., has not only weathered the recession, but thrived, expanding to two more locations. Several clients are single fathers, lost in the world of girl-care, who bring in their daughters, Ms. Gadzinski said.

“Don’t we all want to spoil our children?” she asked.

-via Marginal Revolution