Play date or spa date? At Ma Me, it can be both
Reclined on a love seat at Redondo Beach’s Ma Me Spa, Stephanie Carpenter is ready for her mani-pedi and stumbling over her words. “I needed this so badly, I can’t even think straight,” says the 42-year-old Palos Verdes mom. But the herbal wrap hugging her neck can take only partial credit for her bliss: Carpenter is mostly relaxed because her two young sons play in the next room under the watchful eye of a sitter.
The name says it all: Ma Me Spa -- a mom-pampering mecca (though dads are also welcome to partake in treatments) bathed in bright citrus colors and radiating family friendliness. Before mom checks in, attendants trained in CPR and early childhood education welcome the kids into the child-care room complete with cubbyholes stocked with books and toys and a changing table for babies. And while mom unwinds in the waiting room, she can keep tabs on the kids via a monitor.
The spa menu consists of manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing and massage -- many of which are tailored to prenatal and postpartum needs. Issues such as blotchy skin brought on by post-pregnancy hormones and swollen feet are handled with aplomb using organic, paraben-free products. “Your body is totally vulnerable during and after pregnancy,” says co-owner Gail Pekelis. “Areas of stress and strain are different and those need to be addressed.”
Pekelis, 56, worked in women’s physical therapy for 20 years before teaming up with partner Margaret Futerer, 41, a businesswoman who specialized in orthopedic and obstetric support products.
Inspired by their professional and personal experiences (Pekelis has four children; Futerer has two), as well as the input of female friends and women’s support groups, they opened Ma Me Spa early this month in the busy pedestrian thoroughfare Riviera Village.
“I was one of those moms who had too much on my plate and couldn’t find a minute to myself because what do you do with the kids?” says Futerer. “This spa really gives women the chance to be the mom they want to be and to have the break they need as well.”
The spa has also been a popular venue for birthday parties, baby showers and play dates. And every first Friday of the month is date night, which allows parents to come in, enjoy a treatment and then leave the kids in child care while they go out on the town.
A spa menu for kids and teenagers is also in the works -- an idea that pleases Futerer’s 5-year-old daughter, Jacqueline: “My favorite thing is the fingernail paints,” she says, splaying her fingers on each side of her beaming face.
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-- Enid.Portuguez@latimes.com
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MA ME SPA
WHERE: 1729 S. Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach
WHEN: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun.
PRICE: Manicures and pedicures, $20-$45; massage, $50-$80; facials, $50-$80; wax, $10-$65. Sitter services are $5 per child per hour.
INFO: (310) 375-6263; www.mamespa.com