***Congratulations to Michelle L.  She is the winner of a Spa Week Gift Card!***

I rarely have time to take a shower uninterrupted so for me, taking time out of my schedule and away from my family to pamper myself at the spa is not something that routinely happens. As a mom, it’s really easy to forget to take care of your own needs though and that that can pave the way for all kinds of health problems and an overabundance of stress.

I’ve been seeing the effects that stress is having on my life over the past few months. I don’t sleep well. I have constant headaches. I seriously think I’ve been sick since Thanksgiving. I get that something has to change and since I highly doubt life is going to suddenly because this stress-free, easy thing, it’s obvious to me that I’m going to have to start by changing my habits.

That’s why when I was contacted by the great people behind Spa Week, a campaign that aims to bring the spa lifestyle to women everywhere by offering $50 treatments for one week, I said yes faster than I’ve said yes to anything in a long time. I have only been to a spa a handful of times and every time I go I wonder why I don’t take the time to do it more often.

I had such a great time during my spa mini-getaway that it got me thinking. What holds me back from pampering myself more often. In this economy, money is always an issue but Spa Week brings a spa treatment within reach for most of us. Time holds me back. That’s the point where I need to remind myself to adjust my priorities and give myself a chance to recharge every once in a while or I won’t be productive at all.

I realized that the biggest thing holding me back from pampering myself more often is I don’t really know what to do in a spa setting. I’m always stressing about who and how much I tip. I never know what to bring or how to behave – because let’s face it, I’m much more comfortable in yoga pants on my couch than I am in a high end spa. Spa Week takes away this obstacle as well by providing a great spa ettiquite guide and a spa glossary so you can figure out exactly what that treatment you’re getting actually is.

So that’s how I ended up ditching my kids with my husband and taking off in the middle of the day for the Catamaran Spa in Mission Bay, San Diego to get a Kiwi Pinapple Wrap. I’d had a wrap once before, and I have to admit, going in the first time not knowing what to expect was a bit of a strange experience. I was able to enjoy it a lot more the second time because I knew what was coming and I spent less time worrying about the fact that I was being wrapped in plastic and more time clearing my mind and trying to relax.

The treatment itself was amazing, but I honestly would have been thrilled to death just to hang out in the relaxation room and that bathroom for a while. After my treatment I took a long, uninterrupted shower and the relaxing music was a far cry from my bathroom at home where there would either be tiny fingers sticking under the door, kids bath toys under my feet, or both. I wish I would have though to bring my makeup with me but everything was fully stocked so I had everything I needed, including lemon cucumber water to rehydrate afterwards.

Enter to Win

Spa Week runs from April 11-17th and spas all over the country will be featuring full service treatments for only $50!

We have one $50 Spa Week gift card to give away and the good news is that while you can use the gift cards during Spa Week, they are redeemable year round and they never expire (but don’t use that as an excuse to procrastinate pampering yourself). Click here to see where you can redeem the Spa Week gift card.

To enter, comment on this post and tell us what your favorite way to pamper yourself is.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and will end on  April 11, 2011

In compliance with the FTC Guidelines, please note that this is a sponsored post.  I was given a Kiwi Pineapple Wrap at the Catamaran Spa free of charge, however, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own. Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

Additional Giveaway Entries

Earn additional giveaway entries by doing one or all of the following. Comment on this post to let us know each time you earn an additional entry.

• Vote for Busy Mommy Media in the Mom Central Grant Program (Once a day)
• Follow Busy Mommy Media on Twitter
• Follow @SpaWeek on Twitter
• Become a Fan of Busy Mommy Media on Facebook
• Tweet this giveaway by clicking on the box in the upper right hand side of this post or copying and pasting the following into twitter:

It’s almost @SPAWEEK, April 11-17! I just entered to win a $50 Spa Week Gift Card from @busymommymedia http://bit.ly/elPg9M

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