Some public places definitely aren't suitable for kids. Strip joints, sex shops, nightclubs… Anyone taking a kid somewhere like that needs a serious reality check (and possibly a visit from CPS). But there's definitely a gray area — those service providers that really aren't designed for children, like a spa.
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Some spas allow kids, some don't, as Sacha DeWolfe found out recently. She claims she was told by staff at an Avalon SalonSpa that she couldn't bring her 5-month-old son inside while she had her eyebrows waxed — both for his own safety and for the "comfort of other guests." DeWolfe, 37, says she was discriminated against and wants changes to New Brunswick's Human Rights Act to bring it in line with all other provinces, which do include family status as a grounds of discrimination.
We can't imagine there's a mom out there who says, "When I have some me time and can head to the spa for a little pampering, I just love taking my child with me." I mean, we treasure our kids and all, but they're not exactly conducive to relaxing spa time. So when we step foot into a spa with a child in tow, you can rest assured it's out of necessity and not because we can't bear to be parted from the little darlings.
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It's true that many people go to a spa to get away from children and don't want a crying baby to be the soundtrack to their head massage.
But moms of young kids go to spas too, and not all of them have child care they can rely on. So spas need to do all they can to support those customers and not reject them simply because they have kids. It's not rocket science. If you really can't have an open-door policy for kids, designate certain times of the day when children are admitted, and give moms first refusal on those appointments. Service moms accompanied by kids in a separate room to limit the disruption to other clients.
Of course, kids should be kept under control when they're in a spa (or a hair salon or wherever), and it's the mom's job to do that. But they're just little humans, not dogs.
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