Hosting a party requires a lot of decision making, from where the party is held to what kind of hot, savory gravy goes in the piñata. Call in the professionals with this Groupon.
$125 for a 90-Minute Spa Party for Up to Eight Girls ($250 Value)
All Dolled Up's owner Becky Young and her assistant arrive 30 minutes before party time to prepare the pedicure station, turn up fun tunes, and adorn the space with fuchsia lanterns and sparkly boas. As guests arrive, each little lady dons a plush robe and spa wrap for a day of pampering, which includes manicures, pedicures, and cucumber facials. Nails pop with fun designs, glittery accents, and decals. Group activities vary based on the size of the group and any ideas the parents have, but generally, girls make crafts, such as pens and pencils topped with feathers and ribbons or funky flip-flops festooned with bows.
A toast of juice, sparking punch, or the birthday girl's favorite beverage adds to the merriment before guests glam up with feather boas, necklaces, and sunglasses for a group photo that's later emailed to the host or hostess. After the group photo, the pair will clean up and head out without distracting the girls, who the host and hostess leave to eating cake, opening presents, or writing birthday haikus to the guest of honor.
All Dolled Up
As the mom of four kids, Becky Young scientifically estimates she's hosted "a gazillion birthday parties." But as she attended parties with her young daughter, who she calls "completely girly," she started to dream about opening a spa where young girls could feel special and pampered. Instead of opening a brick-and-mortar store, she started All Dolled Up to bring the pampering to them in playful party form.
She and her assistants arrive at the guest's house to set up parties for girls aged 5 and up—though Becky says she's also gotten requests for everything from bachelorette to jury-duty-reunion parties. They set the scene to a background of lively tunes as girls snuggle into robes and spa wraps for fun nail art, cucumber facials, and craft activities, and then pose for group dress-up photos. Becky and her team aren't licensed cosmetologists, so all the spa-themed activities are just for fun, with no cutting, trimming, or scrubbing involved. Packages vary and can accommodate ideas and requests from parents or teddy bears who know the guest of honor well.
Becky says it's fun to see some of the shyer partygoers "come out of their shell" as the day progresses. "It's fun to see them open up and be their own, individual person," she says. For months after she threw an All Dolled Up party for her own daughter—who she calls her very willing "guinea pig"—her friends told her how much they loved it. "They're still talking about it," she says.
In addition to being fun for the girls, All Dolled Up's parties relieve parents from the stress of throwing an epic bash. "We'll bring the party to you," Becky says. "We have the decorations, we have the music, we keep them entertained. [The parents] aren't rushed … it's very nice for them to be able to relax, also." If Mom wants her toes done, too, they're happy to oblige.