Until I read an amazing article on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about how the local day spas are the newest hangouts for teens and little girls.
Girls as young as 8 are no longer content with pajama parties. They’re having pedicure parties at the spa.
One 13-year-old girl interviewed gets manicures, pedicures, eyebrow waxings and facials every other week, to the tune of several hundred dollars a month.
Another wellness center said children as young as 6 and 7 are getting massages.
When it comes to rewarding little girls for good grades, “A day of shopping just doesn’t do it anymore,” one parent lamented.
I noticed that the reporter mentioned my favorite spa. And I can tell you right now that I’m out of there—pronto—if it turns into a hang-out for teeny-boppers.
But all you day spa owners: If you’re seeing this trend, too, pitch the story to your local newspapers and TV stations. It’s almost prom season, and that’s the perfect tie-in.
Stories like this spa trend are perfect for spring. As TV producer Shawne Duperon mentioned during the teleseminar I conducted with her on “116 WOW Story Ideas from January through June,” TV stations are always looking for compelling seasonal stories like spa trends, particularly if they lend themselves perfectly to interesting video.
To make the story more enticing, introduce some controversy. The owner of the spa I go to said she’s weighing concerns about age- appropriate body waxing. She knows, however, that she won’t be offering bikini waxes to young teens.
What about old folks like me, who don’t want to have to share a hot tub with a bunch of little girls yacking on their cell phones? Are spa owners enforcing age limits for certain services? What about rules that prohibit people from using their cell phones at the spa? Do patrons ignore the rule?
If I worked as a reporter and somebody pitched ideas like these to me, I’d bite.
I agree that it’s newsworthy right now, but speaking as a spa consultant (I’m also an Advisory Board member of The Day Spa Association) I would like to add that it’s not wise for a day spa to cater to an under 18 clientele.
One of the reasons is the relaxation quality for the adults, but there are many more legal reasons why it’s not a good idea. Can you imagine the bad PR that can result from an underage girl getting a massage from a adult male therapist, for example. Most spa services take place with a semi-naked client in a private room–very few spa owners want to take risks with liability that way.
Beauty salons are another matter, because services are performed in a public environment. Teen mani/pedis, makeup, etc are more of a hit. But for profitabilty reasons, doing PR to attract teens still doesn’t make sense. It’s better to build a core audience of adults who come frequently and shop more.
–> One of my clients has an amazing spa near you, and we recently rebranded it with a new name and many wonderful new services. They do see teens for manicure/pedicure services. I’m wondering if it’s the same spa actually. hmmm.