May means springtime, flowers, shedding heavy winter clothes, and...

(Sunday May 11th 2008)

Most of us can look back with much gratitude for all that our mothers did for us as we were growing up, and many of us have wonderful mothers-in-law or life partner's moms we want to honor as well. Gift certificates or pre-paid appointments and secret maneuvers into a spa for surprise treatments are always appreciated. Mother-Daughter and Mother-Son time is what Mom really loves! Available throughout the month of May we've created a variety of special treats (for one, or two, or more) for the Moms in your life, and of course we'll customize a dream day for your mom around your time and financial budget.

2 x 2 Mini Suite. 60 min $190

A combination of Aromatherapy Massage, Mini Facial and/or Reflexology.

2 x 2 Midi Suite. 90 min $280

A full body Aromatherapy Massage and Mini Facial or Reflexology.

2 x 2 Maxi Suite. 120 min $360

A full body Aromatherapy Massage and Classic Spa Facial.

2 x 2 Reflexology. 45 min $150

Foot relief with steamy peppermint and fennel fragranced towels and unbelievably relaxing gentle acupressure massage that will benefit you for days.

2 x 2 Heads Up or Top & Toe. 60 min $180

Fully clothed or not - an entire hour of delectable face, neck shoulder and scalp massage, or split your Pampertherapy time between your head and your feet.

When it comes time to select a truly appreciated Mother's Day gift, think Spa Gift Certificate!

Giving a spa gift certificate is always a big hit! You can stop by our Front Desk and purchase a Gift Certificate for a service, package, product or specified value; order your gift by phone, fax or e-mail, and have the certificate mailed to you or directly to Mom.

Surprise!

Surprise Mom with an appointment for a massage, facial, body or foot treatment; perhaps after a great breakfast in bed, brunch at one of our local eateries or picking her up at home and sweeping her off for a day of delight... All you need to do is make the appointment ahead of time, deliver Mom - and we'll take care of the rest.

But do you want to know what Mom's favorite gift of all is?.

What Mom loves in addition to all the special pampering is to spend time with her children, and her perfect Mother's Day gift is sharing time, enjoyment and experience with her daughters (and sons).

More Mother's Day Ideas:

• Visit Mom in person

• Tuck a personal handwritten letter, story or poem inside Mom’s Mother’s Day card.

• Plant some bulbs for Mom, so early next spring they'll delight and remind her how much you love her.

The Story of Mother's Day

People in many ancient cultures celebrated holidays honoring motherhood personified as a goddess. The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods; ancient Romans celebrated a holiday in March to honor Cybele, a mother goddess (the celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome); in the British Isles and Celtic Europe, the goddess Brigid, and later her successor St. Brigid, were honored with a spring Mother's Day, connected with the first milk of the ewes.

During the 1600's, England honored their mothers by celebrating "Mothering Sunday" on the 4th Sunday of Lent. During this time many people worked as servants living in quarters provided by their employers, sometimes far away from home. On Mothering Sunday the servants were encouraged to go home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the Mothering Cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church". Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration and people began honoring the church as well as their mothers.

In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass every year. In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day and by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium, which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

Mother's Day Statistics

• About 96% of American consumers take part in some way in Mother's Day (source: Hallmark)

• Mother's Day is widely reported as the peak day of the year for long distance telephone calls

• Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for many restaurants

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." -- Tenneva Jordan

"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"If a man gives his mother a gift certificate for a flu shot, dump him." -- Erma Bombeck

"Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers, and sisters, aunts and cousins, but only one mother in the whole world." -- Kate Douglas Wiggin

The Body Suite Day Spa, 550 Wave Street, Suite # 7, Monterey,  CA   93940.