Spa Kids

By Michele Orecklin

Many hands have been wrung about the plight of overextended kids. In their attempts to become well rounded as individuals and well liked by college admissions officers, youngsters from grammar school to high school barely have time for play, let alone relaxation. But between homework and music lessons, soccer practice and SAT prep, some parents and their kids are scheduling a new set of appointments. These commitments, however, are less likely to be monitored by coaches and instructors than by the aestheticians, masseurs and nutritionists at the growing number of day spas and resorts that cater to young people. "Kids are under such stress now at school with life the way it is," says Marla Rohwer of Highland, N.Y., who recently accompanied her daughter Sarah, 15, to a massage at SPAhhhT, a facility for those 17 and younger at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa outside San Antonio, Texas. "It's a lot of money, but for a special treat for a birthday, or if you're in pain, why not?"

Why not, indeed. Formerly the domain of overstressed or overpampered adults, spas have begun aggressively wooing the under-18 set. Offering specially designed massages, facials, hair braiding and glitter manicures for teens, they are hoping to cash in on adolescents' disposable income and limitless ability to obsess about their appearance. "So much of the media is filled with beautiful girls who have beautiful skin," says Breanna Ellis, 15, who gets a facial at the Belle Visage Day Spa in Studio City, Calif., every six weeks. "Young girls like myself are pressured to be beautiful in society or we don't feel like we belong."

There are currently 33 million teens in this country, and last year, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, they spent a total of almost $20 billion on health-and-beauty products. The nearly 10,000 spas operating in the U.S. are determined not to let all that money be squandered on Clearasil or do-it-yourself hair dye.

Vacation resorts, mindful of the increased desire for family excursions, are also adding services for children and teens. "People used to come alone, but that's really changed since 9/11. Now they want to bring the whole family," says Suzanne Holbrook, executive spa director at the newly opened Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando, Fla., where the spa offers acne-treatment facials, fizzing salt manicures and other teencentric services. "There's been a real boom, and it's being felt throughout the hotel industry." Over Memorial Day weekend, the San Antonio Hyatt Regency opened SPAhhhT after being deluged by requests from parents. Since then, nearly 700 kids have visited, indulging in 25-minute facials at $40 a session and henna tattoos ranging from $4 to $20, depending on the design. As opposed to the Zen-like calm of the resort's adult spa, SPAhhhT's treatment rooms are tricked out in psychedelic colors and play disco music. Hyatt has started similar programs at eight of its other hotels.

When the 10,000-sq.-ft. Loews Coronado Bay Resort opens in San Diego next January, it will feature a spa for teenagers offering temporary hair coloring, body jewelry and fitness classes. If such services prove popular, they will probably be replicated at the chain's other 18 locations. Spa director Michael Santonino says the San Diego resort will sell organic skin-care products created for teens. The amenities have been tailored on the basis of information gleaned from a survey of 9,000 teenagers administered in conjunction with Seventeen magazine.

Seventeen itself has already entered the spa market. Last year it licensed its name to help launch the Seventeen studio.spa.salon www.seventeenspa.com) a day spa in Plano, Texas, which offers facials, massages, waxing and an Internet cafe; additional outlets are planned for other cities. Whereas Seventeen's spa was designed with teens in mind, most day spas have been able to welcome young people without sacrificing a sophisticated aura and clientele; they merely modify the treatments they offer to adolescents. At the Tiffani Kim Institute in Chicago, Hannah Song, 17, is receiving a Growing Pains Relief massage. "I'm stressed," says Song. "I'm in the middle of SATs." At Tiffani Kim, as at many spas that service youngsters, those under 18 must have a parent present during a massage. At Belle Visage, where 30% of the clients are between the ages of 11 and 20, owner Tina Keshishian has created Teen Clean, a 45-minute deep facial, seaweed mask and skin-care education program for $55, which is $25 less than a similar package for adults.

As is the case at most spas, the majority of teens who visit Belle Visage are the daughters and sons (18% of the spa's teen clients are boys seeking help for acne or massage for muscle aches) of longtime clients. Some moms even throw spa parties at which their daughters and friends can spend an afternoon getting manicures, pedicures, minifacials and makeup instruction. "I laugh because it took me until I was 30 to have my first massage, and certainly until I was 40 to have a facial," says Dave Phillips, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country spa. "These kids...it's another era."

Not everyone is heralding this era. "Teens could do a lot better by quitting the fast food and chocolate," says Caren Penland, 23, who visited her first spa in Arlington, Texas, last year. "I think it's teaching them that instead of taking care of yourself, you can have someone do it for you."

Many spas argue that they are trying to teach youngsters how to care for themselves. Says Elaine Sauer, who helped develop a Just for Teens package for the chain of Mario Tricoci spas in the Midwest: "We came up with a very informational facial. We really take the time to educate them about their skin."

The Julian Krinsky Canyon Ranch Young Adult Summer Program takes its educational mission seriously. A joint venture between the ultra-deluxe Canyon Ranch spas in Arizona and Massachusetts and the Krinsky chain of summer camps, the program is in its second summer of operation. Staff members say the camp, located at Bryn Mawr College, outside Philadelphia, is intended to help teenagers learn how to live healthy lifestyles, and so stress-busting classes like Cardio Kickboxing and Pilates are offered, along with nutritional advice that's dispensed in a Hands-On Cooking course. "This camp changes the way you think," says Genna Epstein, 15, who is back for her second summer. "When I left [last year], I was happy with myself. I like who I am." The base fee for a three-week residential stay is $3,900, but the dorm rooms are air-conditioned, and a chef prepares meals from Canyon Ranch--approved recipes. Says owner Tina Krinsky: "Now when these kids are in a restaurant and they see dill sauce on the menu, they'll know what it is, and they'll know enough to say, 'Could you make mine this way instead.'"

Not exactly learning how to make a fire with two sticks, but perhaps just as useful. --Reported by Cathy Booth Thomas/San Antonio, Kristin Kloberdanz/Chicago, Broward Liston/Orlando, Jeanne McDowell/Los Angeles, Adam Pitluk/Dallas and Molly Worthen/Bryn Mawr

With reporting by Cathy Booth Thomas/San Antonio, Kristin Kloberdanz/Chicago, Broward Liston/Orlando, Jeanne McDowell/Los Angeles, Adam Pitluk/Dallas and Molly Worthen/Bryn Mawr