Relaxing Spa at Home with Kids?

I decided to share a spa like experience at home with my daughter. I knew I could create a relaxing atmosphere with a four-year-old.

Okay, I love sharing adventures with my daughter, but in all honesty, I just did not have the time or money to spend the afternoon at the spa.

After cleaning two years worth of dust off the foot bath, we filled it with warm water and put in our feet. Pumpkin, "Ahhhh, this feels so good." What four-year-old does not have tired feet in need of a whirlpool?

Pumpkin insisted we put our feet in together. I wanted to take a picture of this cute mother/daughter moment, but my feet in a footbath on the internet. No way!

We dried our feet. Put on lotion, and painted our toenails. I persuaded Pumkin to let me paint my own nails. Next, we did a hand treatment, which consisted of applying a scrub and gel, washing it off, and putting on lotion.

Pumpkin ran to show her Daddy her newly painted toenails. She told him, "Feel my hands. They've never been so soft." Coloring is hard on the hands.

As Pumpkin's bedtime drew near, her portion of the experience ended. After she's asleep, the real relaxation begins, so I thought.

Oh, the warm steam facial sauna... I pour in the water and turn it on. A few moments later I hear the machine gurgling. I don't remember it making this sound. Luckily, I jumped out of the way before being covered with hot water and black goop.

Determined to complete my spa experience, I cleaned up the mess spewed across the room and attempted to flush out the machine two more times. If I could just get only steam to come out, it would be fine.

After pouring in water for the third time, I sat with a flashlight shining into the machine to see if the steam might turn to goop, perched like a cat ready to leap.

What could be more relaxing than cleaning a bathroom and sitting on edge to get a facial. Maybe I should use the devices more than every couple years. If I don't, Pumpkin probably will.