This at home unicorn spa birthday party was magical to plan! It included a manicure station, pedicure station, facial station and braid bar. If you are searching for birthday party ideas for girls, a spa party is so much fun and the birthday girl will love every second of it! Check out our Unicorn Glitter Slime and Unicorn Big Girl Room Makeover.
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My daughter has been hoping for a unicorn spa birthday party for a few years and we finally made her wish come true! Both of our kids have summer birthdays only a couple weeks apart, so we’ve been milking the joint party thing. We’ve done a superhero birthday party, an art party, a Finding Dory party, a baseball party and a mermaid shark party. This was the first year that we hosted separate birthday parties and because it was also the first year that my daughter got a party of her very own, we went all in and splurged on a few things! Keep on reading for all the unicorn spa birthday party details and tips.
HOW MANY KIDS SHOULD I INVITE TO A UNICORN SPA BIRTHDAY PARTY?
I read somewhere that a good rule of thumb is to match the invites to however old the child is turning. If your child is turning 6, you’d invite 5 kids + the birthday girl or boy. That can get tricky with cousins and siblings, but I really like the idea of keeping the party small and less overwhelming. With a spa theme, a small intimate party is the best way to go unless if you have a ton of help or hire everything out. We kept our guest list to 5 preschool friends + the birthday girl, so 6 girls in total. We had 3 helpers, so 2 for each girl and that seemed manageable.
WHAT SHOULD MY GUESTS DO WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT OUR SPA BIRTHDAY PARTY?
I like to plan an arrival activity that early guests can do to fill time until everyone arrives. Coloring or a simple craft would be a great activity to fill this time. We found flip flops or “spa shoes” on clearance and had the girls decorate them with sticker gems. I recommend trying out the sticker gems beforehand, just to make sure that they are easy to use. You might also want to have the hot glue gun on standby to really secure the gems on during the party. We made sure to send the extra gem sheets with the girls, for more sparkly fun at home.
WHAT SHOULD GUESTS WEAR TO A UNICORN SPA BIRTHDAY PARTY?
Like a real spa, guests should dress casual and comfy. It’s all about relaxation! I crafted up “unicorn vibe” tank tops for the girls and we gifted them embroidered robes. I found someone local to do the unicorn and name embroidery for me. The robes I purchased are out of stock, but any of these unicorn robes would be super cute and make for great photo opts! We hung all of the robes on my daughter’s play clothing rack and placed it right by the front door. The girls were all so excited about their personalized spa robes!
WHAT ACTIVITIES SHOULD WE DO AT A UNICORN SPA BIRTHDAY PARTY?
In a 2 hour time slot, we were able to do 4 mini spa treatments. Mini manicure, face masks, mini pedicure and hair. The girls soaked their hands in a mini dish filled with gems before getting a polish change and lotion massage. I stocked up on polish at the Dollar Store and I pre-filled mini plastic containers with lotion before the party and placed them at each table setting for easy usage. After the mini manicures, the girls did purple face sheet masks. I found ours at Justice, but these unicorn face sheet masks would also work! I also cute up cucumbers to place on the eyes. This was a party favorite for the girls! After facials, we moved the girls to the pedicure station and they got their hair done throughout the party.
HOW DO I CREATE A KID FRIENDLY PEDICURE STATION FOR A SPA PARTY?
We had the girls sit on kid-friendly chairs that I found at IKEA and filled Dollar Store buckets with water and color changing tablets. I made sure to have towels available in little baskets (also a Dollar Store find) at each station with a pumice stone, nail brush, toe separators and lotion. I couldn’t resist the sequin heart pillows, which the girls enjoyed playing with during their pedicures. This activity can get messy and slippery, so make sure to have a rug underneath the girls or extra towels on hand.
HOW MANY HELPERS SHOULD I HAVE AT AN AT HOME SPA PARTY?
Recruit at least 1 helper per 2 girls or hire it out! We had a 2:1 helper ratio, but there were down times that we needed to clean up an activity and transition to the next. I was so glad that I decided to splurge on professionals to run the braid bar! We sent girls to get their hair done throughout the party and that seemed to fill any down time. Plus, the girls enjoyed being pampered and all looked adorable in their braids! It was the highlight of the party. Call around to your local salons and blow dry bars to see if they will offer a mobile braid bar for your at home spa party.
HOW SHOULD I DECORATE FOR A UNICORN SPA BIRTHDAY PARTY?
Unicorns might have been our primary theme, but sparkly was definitely our secondary theme. The more glitter and sparkle, the better! I placed heart table mirrors and gold chargers at every place setting, along with all the spa necessities. I personalized Dollar Store Brushes and added names using my Cricut machine. These worked as fun place cards and the girls got to take them home with them. For our centerpiece, I added a flower bouquet with a gold number balloon and a light up unicorn marquee on top of a sequin turquoise tablecloth. Our fabulous unicorn cake was also displayed as a centerpiece to the table. The unicorn face backdrop is super cute (I did one on our front door), but overdone and I wanted to do something different. I using gold letter balloons to spell out the birthday girl’s name and made a balloon garland to go around it.
WHAT FOOD AND DESSERTS SHOULD I HAVE AT A SPA PARTY?
Can’t have a unicorn party without a unicorn cake! I’ll let you in on a little party secret. I had a plain 3 tiered cake decorated with purple flowers at a local grocery store, skipped their plastic unicorn decorations and added my own unicorn cake toppers and glitter card stock eyelashes. Grandma made the amazing unicorn sleep mask cookies! Like at a spa, I knew I wanted little bites to eat that the girls could grab in between stations. Tea sandwiches, pickles, fresh fruit, rice krispies treats and pretzels were placed on 3 tiered serving trays. I also made fruit infused water and cucumber water, along with lime infused lemonade. I recommend planning a spa party in between meals and serving snack foods or allowing an extra 30 minutes for eating, because the girls will be too busy to eat a full meal. Your little spa guests might also like unicorn popcorn to munch on during the party.
WHAT ARE GOOD PARTY FAVORS FOR A UNICORN SPA PARTY?
I filled little baskets with the unicorn sleep mask cookies, “unicorn bath dust”, unicorn bath bombs, unicorn sleep masks, purple loofahs and unicorn popcorn. I clipped a sequin unicorn hair clip to the top of the popcorn. The spa girls also received a sequin unicorn headband at the braid bar. I went a tad overboard with party favors, but those that know me know that gift giving is my love language. The robes and headbands were more than sufficient, but I couldn’t help myself! Unicorn stuff is everywhere and so much fun!
ANY OTHER CHILD SPA PARTY TIPS THAT I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
I recommend shopping your house for decor and using what you already have. I picked the color scheme based on what I already had linens for and thankfully one of my daughter’s favorite colors is purple. My daughter received a fancy teepee tent and unicorn dream catcher as early birthday gifts, so we used those too for her “relaxation tent station”. All of the throw pillows and even the rug came from her room. I also plan well in advance and typically have next year’s theme solidified 6 months in advance, so I have time to shop clearance and sales. After holiday sales are my favorite time to shop for party favors, I found the purple baskets the day after Easter. The Dollar Store is also a great place to look for party favors, that’s where the loofahs and bath bombs came from.
Happy unicorn spa birthday party planning! Make sure to send us photos of your unicorn spa party!
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