Spas offer beauty services for children in Korea
A beauty spa for children / Courtesy of Hallie Bradley
By Hallie Bradley
One of the hottest trends in Korea right now is to take children to a kids' spa or kids' beauty salon. While it's probably moms and dads that are in need of some pampering, the kids that cause the need are now getting the opportunity to be pampered too! Companies are paving the way for more brands that cater to the young amongst us that are looking to get manicures and pedicures just like the parents they adore and want to mimic.
Children's cafes took the helm of kids' entertainment some time ago by providing coffees for parents and play for children, but now K-beauty brands are looking to cater to the youth market in a big way.
Shu Shu Cosmetics is a pioneer on this front and now operates boutique children's salons across Korea. It started by providing cosmetics suitable for children with their water-soluble nail polishes in a variety of colors, nontoxic lip crayons and organic sheet masks. Their products are toxic-free and use herbal and natural pigments to produce brilliant colors. From kid-friendly bath bombs to shampoos, their products were striking a chord with customers so the company expanded into boutique spas called
in 2013 to meet the growing demand.
The spas, decorated in pink and gold, feature miniature sofas and plenty of cute bunny-shaped pillows for children to play with while they're pampered.
Ahnah Han, a mother of two who often visits Seoul, went to a Shu Shu and Sassy Spa upon a recommendation from a friend. “I was completely blown away by how cute everything was, from the toddler-sized robes to apple juice in champagne glasses,” she said.
Upon entrance, children don pink or blue bathrobes and head wraps with bunny ears to make them as cute and comfortable as possible. A salon specialist takes the excited kiddos over to the sofa where they dip their feet in a warm water bath while they get a foot and calf massage and an organic sheet mask that makes them look like a bunny. After the massage, the sheet mask is removed, and sun cream that comes in a cushion-shaped holder is applied along with some colorful lip crayons. Now they're ready for their manicure and pedicure. Salon specialists take their time to carefully apply, sometimes multiple, colors that the child has chosen and follow with various stickers to put on top. This whole experience costs between W20,000 and W35,000. Moms don't have to be left out though: there's also a set that includes a foot spa for mom too! The beauty parlors also offer hairstyling just for fun or for special events and all of their products are available for purchase.
Shu Shu and Sassy has fast become one of those cute fun places to take children.
Han thought the experience was perfect for her family. “My daughter has always loved playing with her pretend makeup at home, so she was beyond excited to actually put on the products. I wish these products were available when I was a toddler as my grandma used to give me her almost-empty compacts and eyeshadows to play with. I think my husband likes that the products erase easily because my daughter likes to paint his nails too!”
The trend has caught on and children's cafes have even jumped on board. Places that once featured just play areas now have spas as well. Cafe franchises are following suit, like
that features Beauty Spa Salon and
with a beauty parlor. Grand Hyatt Seoul also features a family-friendly package each year now, offering a beauty program especially designed for the young travelers with us.
Hallie Bradley is a writer based in Seoul and also has
.