Spa Party of the Month: ...Every Now & Zen Baby Sprinkle - The Spa Party Blog

3.11.2010

Spa Party of the Month: ...Every Now & Zen Baby Sprinkle

Spring is finally on it's way and one thing that Spring is good for is tea parties. For this month's Spa Party of the Month, I figured I'd share some ideas for an Asian/tea themed baby shower (Because even mommies deserve a bit of pampering Every Now & Zen). I think this shower is perfect for a mom who already has at least one kid under the belt. Opinions vary on whether to hold baby showers after the first baby, but I say go for it! I think that these type of showers or "sprinkles" are the perfect opportunity to focus less on the gifts and more on having a nice event for the mom-to-be to celebrate the impending addition to her family, and an excuse to get together with women who will encourage and support mom through this additional chapter in her life.

Getting Comfy

In many Asian cultures it is traditional not to wear shoes inside the home. Taking off ones' shoes also helps you get comfy and in a spa-like mood. Wouldn't it be fun to have an assortment of Japanese tabi socks available for guest to slip on upon entering.

Photo: Sock Dreams

If you really want to get into the theme, ask guests to bring a kimono robe to change into once they arrive.

Treatment

2010 is the Year of the Tiger so this baby may be one that the ladies can't wait to "get their paws on". Since mothers of newborns are often concerned about germs, washing/sanitizing ones hands before even winking at the baby is Rule #1. Therfore, manicures should be the treatment of the day.

I'd suggest DIYing it with help. Look for a eco-friendly nail technician who is willing to come out and walk guests through "greening" thier nail care routine. She can introduce a variety of eco-friendly products that allow moms-to-be to pamper themselves without feeling their are going to pass out from the noxious fumes regularly associated with nail care. For tips on what types of products are appropriate, see my Green Manicure for Earth Day post from last year.

Give your manicures a some Asian flair by having guests soak thier fingers in tea cups filled partially with bath tea, which can be poured warm from a kettle. Follow the soak with an exfoliating scrub like the Bamboo & Black Sesame Body Rub from Bella Lucce's Asian Indulgences collection, kumquat scented solid sugar cubes by Naid (love these!) or create a scrub of your own using this recipe from Bella Sugar:

Chinese Sesame Ginger Scrub

1. Chop about an inch of fresh ginger root into pieces, use a coffee grinder to chop it finely.
2. In a bowl, add in 1 tbsp. of ginseng powder, one-and-a-half tbsp. of sugar, four tbsp. of sesame oil, 1 tbsp. of rose-hip oil, five drops of myrrh, and five drops of mandarin essential oil. Mix it together with the ground ginger. (Myrrh is not reccommended for use by pregnant women)

For a nice "twist" offer mandarin scented oshibori towels for guest to use when removing their scrubs. What is oshibori you ask??
An oshibori (おしぼり or お絞り?) or hot towel in English is a wet hand towel offered to customers in places such as restaurants or bars in Japan and in Japanese restaurants worldwide. -wikipedia
Kick your oshibori up a notch by trying out some "origami".

Photo: Oshiboriart.com


Presents/Activities

Though gifts may not be the central focus of a "sprinkle", the mom-to-be will inevitably recieve some gifts. Encourage guest to wrap their gifts using the Japanese art of Furoshiki, known as Bojagi in Korea. No need to buy a special cloth, try wrapping the gifts in a baby blanket. Here is an example from YouTube of how this wrapping style works.

For more tutorials visit bobowrap.com, or check out this guide produced by Japan's Ministry of the Environment.

In addition to reducing the wrapping paper waste, these cloths can lend themselves to some fun shower games, like a Baby-Gami (swaddling) relay, or a Furoshiki fashion show. There are some great videos on how to make furoshiki handbags here, here and here.

In the next post in the series, I'll be sharing what food works well for this theme.


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1 comments:

Radical Selfie March 12, 2010 at 11:45 AM  

LOVE this post! I'm considering hiring you to inspire the theme/vibe for my next Execumama party :) (Just kidding, sort of)

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