Pamper parties for pre-teens
NZ Herald June 22, 2008
Girls as young as 6 are getting facials and fake tans at special pamper parties. At least two New Zealand companies are following worldwide trends by arranging beauty bashes for pre-teens. Tracey Lowe, who runs Enchanted Mobile Hairdressing in Christchurch, offers mini manicures and pedicures, mini facials and mini massages. She started offering the parties _ which start at $30 a girl _ after reading about their popularity overseas. "I haven't even fully advertised them, but I have had a lot of interest from local schools and even mothers at Plunket groups," she said... But she said children didn't need as much makeup as women _ "just a little bit of lip gloss and eye shadow, and they think it's the real deal".

Pampered on Location, another party-planning company, also offers "pre-teen princess pamper parties". Aimed at those who want to host "the best girls' birthday party on the block", the website says under-13s can "sit back and relax while our therapists pamper the girls from head to toe". The firm offers mini manicures, mini pedicures, nail gems _ "gorgeous coloured diamantes for fingers and toes" _ mini massages and an airbrush tan on the face, neck and shoulders. Prices range from $20 for one treatment to $45 for all four.

...A child-only hair and beauty salon in London offers clients as young as 6 dolls to play with and DVDs to watch. Budding fashionistas can flick through a copy of Vogue while they are waiting for newly trimmed nails to dry. In the US, children as young as 2 are reported to have been receiving the occasional beauty treatment in Los Angeles and New York.
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