Mommy Daughter Spa Date at Glama Gals Tween Spa!

Katrina has been talking about wanting to go to a spa with me someday. She's mentioned it quite a few times over the last year, so when her birthday got closer, I started thinking about Glama Gals Tween Spa. I knew they had a special package that could be used for mothers and daughters (the VIP & Me package) and it seemed like the perfect place for her first spa experience!

I surprised her on her birthday with a card that told her we'd be going to Glama Gal Tween Spa together! This is a photo I took just after she finished reading her card. She's in the middle of saying thank you and I think you can see how happy she was! ;)

On our special day I picked her up early from school and we drove to the Vaughan Glama Gal Spa. We left early because driving into the Toronto area can be unpredictable and sure enough, we needed that extra time! There are 9 different Glama Gal Spa locations in southern Ontario, all started by two sisters who began with a travelling spa birthday party service! We documented our excitement with a selfie in the car, in the school parking lot. :)

Here we are at the spa, taking another selfie in the parking lot!

When we entered the spa, we were excited right away by the fun pink decor! We were welcomed and given pink flip flops to wear, then we were led to a special little lounge area where some treats were waiting for us!

What could be better than cupcakes and pink lemonade with sparkly sugar around the rims of fancy glasses?! We were left alone for a few minutes to enjoy our treat together and share in the excitement of finally being at the spa together. :)

Next up, we got to wear special spa robes and prepare for our spa services! With the VIP & Me package, you can choose 2 of 3 options (Manicure, Pedicure, or Facial). Katrina chose manicure and facial.

First, we got to smell several different bath bomb scents and choose one to soak our fingers in, in preparation for our manicures. Katrina chose birthday cake and I chose Tutti Fruitti.

We chose our nail polish colours (including a sparkle top coat, for a "party nail"). 

We sat down under the "Be You Mani Ave." sign (an example of the positive messaging that abounds at Glama Gal Spas). Their slogan is "Be Confident! Be Positive! Be You!").  There is a whole wall in the spa, covered with quotes about positivity and self-esteem. I love that they have that focus on encouraging young girls to be happy being themselves. As my girls get older, I am really seeing the importance of that.

As we enjoyed our manicure, we had a nice conversation with the "spa ladies" who asked Katrina questions about Christmas plans, her likes and dislikes, and even offered to turn her favourite song on. I was impressed with that- they could've just let their playlist play, but they took the time to make it special for her- I loved that! I caught a little video clip of her happily singing along to one of her song choices in this video.

They obviously made Katrina feel welcome and comfortable because when they asked her what her favourite show was, she gave me a quick glance (which I knew meant, "Should I tell them?"), I gave her a nod, and she went right ahead and told them it was My Little Pony. We had an incident recently where some kids were teasing her for still liking My Little Pony and I know she's a little protective about that information- unsure of whether people will think badly of her, or think she likes something "little kid-ish". It made me happy when the "spa ladies" didn't skip a beat, and continued the conversation, asking her for more details about the ponies. 

When our manicures were complete, it was time for our facials. They helped us put headbands on, to keep our hair out of the way (so we wouldn't ruin our fresh manicures). The masks were pink and they smelled like pineapple!

To Katrina's delight, we got to wear cucumber slices over our eyes! I think that really made the facial for her.  They also spritzed our faces with cucumber mist. Katrina was pretty excited when they told us we could keep our headbands!

After our treatments, we took a little tour of the spa (including the party room at the back). It made us pretty excited to return for a certain sister's birthday party in the new year! When we said goodbye, we each got a little goodie bag with our nail file, buffer, head band, and a photo of the two of us at the spa.

What a fun and memorable outing this was for both of us! As much fun as it is to open up and play with a tangible gift, I think the little card Katrina read on her birthday (and this special day that it represented) will be the most memorable thing she received for her birthday this year!


Disclosure: We partnered with Glama Gal Tween Spa to share our experience with you. All opinions shared are, as always, my own.

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