My son has been very anti-bath lately. Also anti-shower and basically anti-water. I got tired of fighting about bath time and decided I was going to make it the best bath time ever and have some fun myself. That’s when I came up with the idea to create a Spa Bath Experience at home, and make it sound like a fun time to a four-year-old.

How to Turn Your Child’s Bath Time into Spa Time

Step 1) Make it Sound Fun

First, I got him interested by telling him we were doing a special “Spa Bath Time”, and he would get to dump things in the bath, light fantasy candles on fire and paint mommy’s face with gooey green stuff. How could he turn that down? He was officially interested.

Step 2) Prepare the Spa Scene

I got everything ready in advance with the candle, bath salts, essential oils, spa music playing on my phone, supplies set out and bath full of water. I also poured myself a glass of wine and made a plate of cheese to nibble. I recommend using a relaxing essential oil like lavender or a nice soothing blend like Zen. You can also use a scented bath salt, but I prefer the unscented plain Amazon brand Solimo Espom Salt Soak. You can also check out a place like Discount Pool Supply for a variety of spa needs and items to spruce up your spa time.

Step 3) Let Them Help Set Everything Up

First, I let him help light the candles. Then we sprinkled bath salts in the tub and played with the grainy salts until they dissolved. Then he got to drip essential oils in the bath. I told him we had to get in before we painted mommy’s face though! He eagerly hopped in the bath without a fight for the first time in months.

Step 4) Apply Your Mask

We got in and started playing with the mask stuff. You want to apply it right away so it has time to dry. I went with the Aveeno Positively Radiant Peel-Off Mask because there’s the added bonus of him getting to peel it off later. Also it’s gooey and green so it looks like fun. This was his favorite part because he got to paint it all over my face.

* Just a side note to mention I did hop in the tub while wearing underwear and a sports bra top. It was essentially his bath time, not mine and I knew I’d be hopping in and out of the tub, so I went the conservative route on bath sharing time. 

Step 5) Take a Moment to Relax

You’ve set the scene and your face is prepped with the mask. Now tell them you need to relax and let it dry. This is where you lie back and try to concentrate on the spa sounds while blocking out the noises of “bad guys vs the bath monsters” and pretend small cars are not being driven up and down your legs. Just pretend it’s some sort of avant-garde massage technique.

Step 6) Wash the Kid

Once you’ve taken a moment to reflect on how much life has changed and how you used to take quiet moments in the bath for granted, it’s time to get down to business and wash the kid. I told him I was going to give him a spa scalp massage and conditioning treatment. He was not impressed. He did perk up when I gave him big cotton swabs to stick in his ears. He hates water in his ears most of all.

Step 7) Wrap It Up and Take Off the Mask

At the end you can either have them help you wash off the mask, or peel it off. My son thought this was pretty great and had a lot of fun peeling the mask off my face. There was only a little screaming, this time from me, because some of the mask had gone into my hairline and I did lose a few hairs in the process.

So in the end, Spa Bath Time was a total success. We both enjoyed ourselves, nobody complained about anything, and I got to treat myself to a little skin pampering. I know it’s not going to work every time, but I’m glad I can add this to my bag of tricks!