LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER MORE SPAS CATERING TO A YOUNGER SET FOR PARTIES OF PAMPERING, FACIALS, PEDICURES AND MORE.

Byline: Semhar Debessai

Staff Writer

Little girls just wanna have fun. What they don't want are dry cuticles, split ends or a chip in their glitter manicures.

At least that's the sentiment at Spa Di Da, a new kids-only spa in West Hollywood where Cupcake Pedicures run $40, Chocolate Kiss Facials are $60, and "Stick Straight" flat-iron hairstyles start at $30.

Pink robes hang next to feather boas in the waiting area. Storybook images cover the walls and an airbrush tattooing chair sits next to a seemingly unlimited supply of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.

"This is a perfect place for girls," says one Studio City mom whose daughter, Christine, is participating in a birthday party at Spa Di Da.

This isn't Christine's first time getting the luxury spa treatment. Flipping through a recent issue of CosmoGirl with a fresh coat of polish drying on her toes, the 9-year-old doesn't miss a beat choosing her next treatment: a Chocolate Kiss Facial.

"You get to do stuff that maybe you wouldn't get to do (every day)," she says.

Indeed, pampering is no longer the domain of moms (and dads) seeking some indulgent "me" time. These days younger and younger girls are lining up for mini-facials, pint-size pedicures and Swarovski crystal temporary tattoos.

A 2006 International Spa Association Study reported that among U.S. spa-goers, the number of teens (ages 13 to 19) has reached nearly 4 million. Growth in a younger set of spa-goers has yet to be analyzed.

Sharona Saltzman, owner of The Spa Loft in Woodland Hills, has noticed a growing trend in spa-based parties for girls as young as 11. And she's open to catering to even younger clients at her 2-year-old business -- with parents present, of course.

"We've always done (spa treatments for kids)," she says, "But not at the frequency we're doing it now."

Special treatment

Parties at The Spa Loft can be customized to fit a child's tastes. Chocolate-covered strawberries? Check. The Cheetah Girls soundtrack on the sound system? No problem. Lavender paraffin hand treatments for all, including the family chihuahua? Negotiable.

Spa Di Da's party packages boast a day of "glamorous" treatments for toddlers to tweens. For $125 a head, party-goers can enjoy a day of manicures, pedicures, hair styling, facials and a tiara for the guest of honor. The Spa Loft's customized packages vary in price depending on how "decadent" the experience, Saltzman says.

Such luxury may seem a bit overboard for young girls fresh off the "Blue's Clues" bandwagon. But spas offering these services insist it's all in fun and that the birthday party industry is in need of a "fun" revival.

"It's another way to have a birthday party," says Saltzman. "Everything (else) is 'been there, done that.' "

Calabasas mom Leslie Kurtz will tell you the same thing. Her youngest daughter, Megan, turned 12 this month and held a party at Spa Loft last weekend.

"It's a challenge (to be different) in our neighborhood," Kurtz says. "A lot of people do a lot of nice things, and there's peer pressure." Peer pressure among the parents, that is.

Though happy with the outcome -- "The kids loved it!" -- Kurtz admits the cost was relatively high. For now, though, she's found solace in the fact that Megan's party was the first in-spa birthday bash among her friends.

In addition to the fun factor, both local spas emphasize the educational component.

Body conscious

Spa Di Da technicians show parents the proper way to cut an infant's nails and how to keep diminutive digits clean and healthy. The Spa Loft, meanwhile, makes mention of the importance of sunscreen use, nightly face washing and safe makeup application (depending on age).

"It's important to give knowledge," says Saltzman. "Even if they don't do anything about it (now), it's there for them to retrieve later."

Christine's mom agrees: "I see it as teaching them early grooming."

Face value

Still, not all reactions to this growing trend have been so positive. In a city where appearance is rewarded as much as actual achievement, there is debate over what we're teaching our children to value more.

"A spa may create, for children, a greater emphasis on superficial kinds of self-esteem," says Dr. Dee Shepherd-Look, a clinical psychologist specializing in Child Development at CSUN.

Though no research shows that participation in activities such as spa treatments -- activities once reserved for adults -- will negatively affect a child's self-image, Shepherd-Look is cautious.

"I would suspect it would make them feel good about themselves in terms of getting the attention. ... But it wouldn't really increase their core self-esteem," she says, adding that a child's self-esteem is strengthened by achievements and relationships, two things she identifies as unrelated to the spa experience.

But moms -- including Spa Di Da owner Maria Botham, who has two young daughters -- disagree with such insinuations of mommy malpractice.

Another mom at the Spa Di Da party describes the experience as a chance for valuable mother-daughter bonding.

"It's a treat to see her face. It's a treat for moms (to see their daughters) so excited," she says.

Despite varying opinions on the matter, the business of catering spa treatments to kids is growing across the country.

Mobile businesses like SPARTY! have long offered services for youngsters, but recently the national company created packages for kids as young as 6. And then there's the famous SPAhhhT youth spa at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas.

Forget Sweet 16 -- try Epicurean 11.

Standing among young girls with feet submerged in colorful, scented water, Botham describes her plans to expand Spa Di Da to the Valley and Santa Monica.

"Kids need to be educated about their skin," she says. "Kids have self-esteem issues, and skin problems are (an issue). Spa Di Da is here to help."

Besides, "Kids today are very sophisticated, they want what their parents have," she says. "Little girls are all about glamorizing themselves."

Spa Di Da is at 8250 W. Third St., Suite 203, West Hollywood, [phone]. The Spa Loft is at 5441 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, [phone].

Semhar Debessai, [phone]

[e-mail]

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7 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) FACE time

Spa treatments target the preteen set

(2 -- 6 -- color) At Spa Di Da, girls can be treated to pedicures (above and left), facials (top left and top right) and manicures (center right and bottom right). Spa Di Da owner Maria Botham says, "Kids need to be educated about their skin. Kids have self-esteem issues, and skin problems are (an issue). Spa Di Da is here to help." Besides, "Kids today are very sophisticated, they want what their parents have," she says. "Little girls are all about glamorizing themselves."

Amanda Brooks

(7 -- color) Megan, above, at The Spa Loft in Woodland Hills