Going beyond a simple mother-daughter manicure, the spa industry has opened its doors to young girls in an interesting fashion. By “young girls,” I mean those starting at age three. Children who have not experienced their first pimple now can receive facials and relax in mud baths. Although the special treatment appears innocent, businesses targeting this demographic can trigger anxieties concerning young girls’ physical appearance.

“It sounds ridiculous for children to go to day spas. If I were a parent, I would not want my kid to get involved in anything like that. I would feel like they were either too spoiled or too invested in how they look,” sophomore Brendan Cotter said.

The International Spa Association (ISPA), which tracks industry trends, mentioned a 25 percent increase in the number of spas offering services to preteens and children.

Some of these new businesses focus exclusively on children, but many adult spas extended their services to children too.

While researching various children’s spas, I found a commercial for Sundae Spa located in Connecticut. The commercial features a girl and her friends at the spa. After the experience, the other girls bombard her with compliments about how amazing she looks, commenting on her manicured nails, blue-streaked hair, and glittery makeup.

Although seemingly harmless, the video serves as a disturbing reminder that the beauty industry pressures young girls to focus solely on their appearance. Girls learn to overvalue beauty as they reach adolescence, which weighs heavily on their self-esteem.

This industry also markets their spas as a healthy way for children to relax and rejuvenate. Since when does a four year-old need to unwind and relieve stress? Most parents can not get them to stay still during a movie much less an eight hour spa day. Also, dying children’s hair, rubbing chemicals into their skin, and covering their faces in large amounts of makeup proves unhealthy.

These spas teach young kids that society expects them to obsess over their appearance. Children need to learn self-worth, but this sends the message that outward appearance determines your impression on others.

The beauty industry has cast our children’s well-being aside. They have changed childhood from a sacred experience to a faux adulthood, causing kids to grow up much faster than necessary— and we allow it. It’s time for a change (one that does not need cosmetics to make the industry better).