Young travelers discover a brave new world: a spa

Forget that souvenir T-shirt or stuffed animal. These days, savvy young travelers would rather splurge on a facial, a massage or a foot soak.

“Parents see spa-going as a new activity they can share with the kids on vacation,” says Suzanne Johnston, who oversees the spa at the Westin Resort & Spa in Whistler, British Columbia, and has seen parents book massages for children as young as 6. “Money isn’t the issue; it’s the experience.”

Susie Ellis, vice president for industry development at Spa Finder, the leading spa-industry travel agent, has witnessed a surge of interest in spa treatments for kids.

Spa Finder magazine recently devoted an article to kid-friendly spas, and the company’s Web site, www.spafinder.com, offers a list of the best spas for families. (Call Spa Finder at [800] ALL-SPAS [255-7727].)

“We’re getting 50 calls a week asking about teen programs, double what we got a year ago,” Ellis said. “People don’t see spas as places for pampered women anymore. They’re about wellness and fitness.”

And that apparently applies to kids as well as adults. Parents want their teens to focus on fitness and healthy lifestyles. That’s part of the reason destination spas such as the Lake Austin Spa Resort in Texas and Canyon Ranch in Arizona and Massachusetts offer popular parent-teen packages that admit teens for half the price.

“Vacations aren’t just about lying on the beach,” said Roxanne Housley, vice president of sales for Canyon Ranch.

Lake Austin Spa offers special mother-daughter weeks, with sessions on communication, self-esteem and body image. Call (800) 847-5637 or visit www.lakeaustin.com. Canyon Ranch launched a similar camp for teens last summer; call (800) 742-9000 or visit www.canyonranch.com.

Boys can be as enthusiastic as girls about spa-going, says Charlotte Gottesman, a New Orleans grandmother who gathered her children and grandchildren at Lake Austin Spa last Christmas rather than at a traditional resort. Her grandsons loved the massages.

“We’d gone to all kinds of resorts together,” says the 74-year-old Gottesman. “This was healthy for everyone and completely relaxing. There weren’t even complaints about the spa food.”

As the popularity of resort spas continues to grow -- the International Spa Assn. reports that there are 1,150 around the country, more than double the number two years ago -- kids are making their presence felt at even the fanciest.

At the Wyndham Peaks Resort and Golden Door Spa at Telluride, Colo., one of ski country’s biggest spas, children can take yoga classes and families can book massages together. Call (800) 789-2220 or visit www.thepeaksresort.com.

The spa at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, Colo., sold about 160 teen facials -- at $110 a pop -- last winter, while Hawaii’s Grand Wailea on Maui sells even more. Call the Park Hyatt at (800) 55-HYATT (554-9288) or visit www.beavercreek.hyatt.com; call the Grand Wailea at (800) 888-6100 or visit www.grandwailea.com.

“With society the way it is these days and kids under so much pressure, they need to learn how to handle stress constructively,” says Christie Ford, who spearheaded the recently opened kids’ spa at the Homestead resort in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains. Call (800) 838-1766 or visit www.thehomestead.com.

Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys will offer an array of “teen escape” treatments in a special area when its new spa opens in December. Call (888) 443-6393 or visit www.hawkscay.com. Raoul Sudre, a spa consultant and designer who serves on the board of directors of the International Spa Assn., expects the family spa trend to continue. “We’re going to see more of this,” he says.

Adults don’t seem to mind having kids around, especially when it’s at a kid-friendly resort.

“We haven’t had anyone complain,” says Mary Gunderson of the Beaver Creek Hyatt. “People seem to look at it with amusement.”

If you’re planning to take your family to a spa, make sure the resort you choose will permit children. If the spa has junior programs or is in a kid-friendly resort, chances are it will welcome your brood.

Consider a trial run at a less expensive day spa. Estee Lauder spas have special teen treatments, and others host birthday parties or offer “teen nights.”

Sylvi Munts, a Virginia mother of four, is convinced that massages have tremendous therapeutic value for kids and are worth the cost.

“Going to the spa does the same thing for the kids as it does for me,” she says. “They walk out feeling better.”

*

Eileen Ogintz’s column runs twice a month. E-mail her at eileen@takingthekids.com.