Gurnee spa gives kids a taste of pampering
Kids are discovering you're never too young for a little pampering.
In case they need a break from all the splashing around and fun at the indoor water park at KeyLime Cove in Gurnee, kids can now opt for a visit to a specialized spa just for them.
Enchanted Lagoon, which opened this winter for children ages 3 to 13, is an offshoot of the resort's Paradise Mist Spa, tucked away in a quiet area far from the action of the hotel's arcade, water park and other family-friendly attractions.
“We had a lot of parents that wanted to bring their kids down here,” said spa director Renee Mallari. “We thought if we had a separate area for kids to get introduced to manicures and pedicures and taking care of themselves, the adults could still have a sanctuary here.”
Located in a former retail space across from the Leapin' Lizards drop-in crafts area, the Enchanted Lagoon does manicures, pedicures, hair styling and makeup applications for $15 to $25. Treatments, which are done by licensed cosmetologists, run between 15 and 35 minutes.
“We try to keep them short because of the kids' attention spans,” Mallari said.
The pillow-strewn area is decorated with an underwater theme, complete with bubble fish tanks. The space features pedicure, manicure and hair stations. Mallari said that pedicures have been popular with boys, and girls enjoy getting intricate up-dos and having their hair styled with sparkling tinsel and bright-colored reusable clip-on hair extensions.
“Anything that's funky, glittery and glitzy works well here,” Mallari said.
Walk-ins are welcome, but there might be a wait since the spa has been attracting big crowds and lots of birthday parties. Parental supervision is required and Mallari said moms often visit Paradise Mist to get treatments like facials or a massage, while dads watch the kids at the Enchanted Lagoon.
In addition to treatments, kids can design their own spa products to take home for $9.95. Lotion makers choose a scent like cotton candy or grape and can mix it with glitter.
At the lip gloss station, kids choose a base flavor and add color and sparkles. They can also make sugar scrubs to use in the bathtub, creating ice cream sundae-like creations with scoops of chocolate-, vanilla- and strawberry-scented products topped with bath salts.
Mallari said it is fun to see the kids make decisions about their creations and treatments.
“The children like the interaction,” she said. “They get to choose their scent, their lotion, their nail decals, their glitters, so they really can mix and match and be inventive.”
The spa also has a large gift shop selling spa products to take home including slippers, make-your-own spa kits and bright-colored robes that have proved so popular they're considering letting kids wear them while they get treatments.
The Enchanted Lagoon at KeyLime Cove
The Enchanted Lagoon
1700 Nations Drive, Gurnee, (224) 656-8685, paradisemist spa.com