There are many new mommies that may need a pick-me-up, a day away from the frantic stresses involving the care of a new little bundle of joy.  And they rightly deserve a soak in a bubble filled tub or a soothing massage aimed at working out all of the cramps occupying necks and backs.  This shouldn’t mean though that primped up moms need to drag their tiny toddlers to and from dozens of different day spas.  Children generally don’t like day spas.  They are frightfully boring and quiet and certainly don’t have enough loudly colored walls.  Some new mothers and day spa addicts do not seem to understand that their mini-me is not interested in the same pastimes.

While working at an upscale spa in San Francisco I watched as a woman dragged her screaming three year old through the door, plopped the distressed toddler on the counter and announced she had arrived for her massage treatment, albeit 30 minutes late.  Oh and could someone be a dear and watch little “Johnny” for her.  Needless to say the woman and little “Johnny” never returned to our place of business.  This was mostly because we had already booked her forfeited appointment to someone who had been waiting patiently, but also slightly because she realized that we didn’t double as a babysitting service.  Although I would have been tempted to look after the tot had she offered more than my $14 an hour, I figured I probably wouldn’t have been welcome back either.

People who can afford to go to the spa can afford a babysitter.  It is not only a service to themselves but to also their child and to every other spa patron who is trying to enjoy a peaceful experience away from kids, pets, husbands and overbearing bosses.  For those moms who are in fact too stubborn to give up their weekly spa appointment or are too obsessively anxious to leave their child in the care of another for an hour there are spas specifically designed to cater to families.  Though in the latter two cases, it might be better suited for these women to come to the realization that life must adjust with the arrival of a baby.  Not only that, but they must understand that the child will not be tethered to their hips until he turns 18.