How to Book a Mother's Day Facial

A facial can be a luxurious yet affordable Mother's Day present. You can choose a full European facial or an herbal facial if your mother is a breezy, no-makeup sort of woman. Whichever you choose, your mother will be delighted with your thoughtfulness, and booking a Mother's Day facial is almost as easy as picking up the phone.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Credit card
• Mother's Day card

1. Distinguish between a beauty salon and a hair salon. Beauty salons and spas offer facials, body wraps, aromatherapy, massage and other personal treatments. Hair salons offer treatments for hair.

2. Decide how long you think your mother will submit to a treatment. Some women love to be pampered endlessly while others prefer an in-and-out venue. Simple treatments, like a steaming hot towel followed by a wrinkle-reducing formula, take about 1/2 hour.

3. Evaluate the benefits of a full European facial, including blackhead extraction and analysis of the skin with bright light and magnification. This is followed by a facial massage and a specially formulated cleanser.

4. Realize that facials are best given at the beginning of a season, when facial skin is under the most stress. This makes Mother's Day an ideal time for a facial.

5. Weigh the costs involved. Mini-facials are inexpensive and European facials are considerably more costly. Prices will be higher at elite salons.

6. Make an appointment 2 weeks in advance, and book it during the week after Mother's Day to keep the element of surprise in your gift. Book using a credit card.

7. Book a facial at a day spa if you can afford it and your area offers one, as salons can be crowded, busy and impersonal. Day spas provide elegant surroundings and individualized services. You can find day spas on online directories like SpaFinder.com (see Resources below).

8. Ask the salon or spa to send you a gift certificate indicating the date and time of the appointment. You can include it with your Mother's Day card as well as a map to the location.

Tips & Warnings

• Create a mood of total luxury by having your mother chauffeured to and from her appointment. Nothing spoils the mood more than fighting traffic to an unknown destination.
• If you want to offer a gratuity, give the person who performs the facial a 15 percent tip.
• Inform the staff beforehand if your mother has allergies. The technician can then select hypoallergenic ingredients.

Resources

• Find a day spa at SpaFinder.com