Spa Party -9yr- Make Soap Activity

For my daughter's 9th birthday, we decided to have a Deluxe Spa Party.  I sent out invitations I created with my Printshop asking everyone to wear/bring a robe or PJs to wear during the party.  We set my entire house and back porch up as a spa for the 10 girls attending. 

DECORATIONS:  We made a sign __________'s Spa" for the front door.  Also we hung a list of services offered as they entered so they could get the overview.  We used the colors purple and white throughout the house for a clean look.  Tablecloths were white but I accented with the purple (plates streamers balloons etc) to add some color.  Each station was set up in a different location in and around my house.  There was a sign at each station indicating what it was.  I had a tabletop fountain going along with a relaxing candle for ambiance.   

ACTIVITIES:  Upon arrival the girls were given a small basket(I picked up at the dollar store) to take with them around to the stations.  Each station had a gift for them to take home.  Each basket had a white washcloth in it so they could use throughout the party just in case.  Every station was attended by an adult and the girls could go to whichever station she wanted at her leisure although a few needed to be done before the others.  There were 10 stations total.  They were:

PARAFIN HAND STATION-using a parafin wax machine of mine each girl waxed (wax bag and peeled their hands) to make them soft(gift was a bottle of lotion ).

MANICURE STATION-they received a hand massage and manicure by a manicurist friend of mine.  I had tons of colors and nail art for them to choose from (gift was 2 bottles of nail polish).

FOOTBATH STATION-they soaked in one of five footbaths I had set up on the back porch.  After they soaked an adult massaged their feet with peppermint foot lotion (gift was a pair of terry flip flops bought at the dollar store which they wore the rest of the party). 

PEDICURE STATION-ran by my manicurist friend as well.  After the footbath the girls received a professional pedicure (gift was the toe seperator). 

FACE PEEL/FACIAL STATION-they had cucumber face peel lotion applied and 2 slices of cucumber for their eyes.  They laid on the couch until it dried and had it peeled off.  Then we followed it up with a warm white cloth to clean their face a mini-facial massage and some face lotion (gift was a hairband to hold their hair back during the peel). 

TATTOO STATION-they choose a tattoo or multiples and had them applied (gift was body powder with a brush wand). 

MAKE-UP STATION-each girl had make-up put on to her liking (gift was 2 lipglosses and an eyeshadow).

MASSAGE STATION-set up in a room by itself.  We had a relaxation CD going along with relaxation candles.  I set up a table in the middle of the room and covered it with a thick blanket and covered that with a white sheet for comfort.  Each girl received a 10-15 minute massage to their backs and legs using massage oils (gift was an eye mask used during the massage). 

MAKE A SOAP STATION-used a soap making kit I found at a local craft store and each girl made a soap using their choosen scent shape and colors (gift was the soap).  HAIR STATION-we used straighteners curlers hair color and pieces to style their hair. (this was pretty much the last station for most so the gift was a necklace/earring set my daughter picked out for each girl).   

FOOD:  There was popcorn chips and a vegetable tray to eat throughout the party.  We also served pizza and coke about 1/2 way through the party. 

FOR DESSERT:  My daughter doesn't like cake and REALLY wanted a chocolate fondue for her birthday.  So in lieu of cake we did the fondue.  Fortunately my mom had a very nice professional fondue fountain.  I ordered some better chocolate online (chocoley.com -it was not cheap but I was able to put the chocolate on and not have to worry about it getting to hard or soft so it was well worth it to me and it tasted great).  I made several trays of fruits and snacks for dipping:  cherries strawberries pineapple apple banana marshmallow pound cake frozen cookie dough mini oreos mini nutter butters teddy grahams potato chips and pretzels.  They used bamboo skewers for their food (we had to use tongs for the smaller cookies).  The fondue was a HUGE hit!  It was NOT cheap but I justified it by skimping on the pizza. 

PARTY FAVORS:  Obviously they had a basket FULL of gifts they had received at each station.  Most of the items I was able to get at the dollar store.  My daughter's birthday is only a month after Christmas so I was able to pick up the lip glosses body powders lotions necklace sets etc after Christmas for 50-75% off.  Actually I was able to pick up a footbath the makeup nail polishes and nail art to use during the party a lot cheaper during the after Christmas clearance as well.

THANK YOU:  I always send pixs along with thank you cards.  I usually get a pix of my daughter and each girl add a frame using photoshop and caption it with the title of the party ("_______'s Spa Party) and the date".  I like group shots normally but it was hard with this kind of party.  I also got one "fun" shot as well of each child to send-the cucumber peel with cucumbers on the eyes or the footbath pixs were good ones.   

THINGS I MIGHT DO DIFFERENT:  I planned 3 hours for this party however it was NOT enough time for all the stations.  I ended up calling most of the parents midway through and asking for another hour.  This party was a LOT of work and required a lot of prep.  We have a local company that will come to your house and do a spa party.  It would have been a lot easier to have them do it.  However for the same money my girls were able to have 7 more stations about 80% more party favors(and better quality ones) 2 more hours and they didn't have to stand in line for anything.  The party ran very smoothly with no lag time or boredom (my biggest fear at this age).  It was a huge success and is still talked about at school months later.  "