There is no doubt about it; we live in a hectic society that does not show any signs of slowing pace any time soon. To relive some of the stress associated with always being on the go, many people have turned to spas to help them melt away the worries of the world. But what if you dont have thousands of dollars and a full week to devote to becoming one with yourself and nature? The answer could be as simple as day spas.

Day spas are a relatively new phenomenon. In the early 80s, there were only a handful of day spas scattered across the United States. In those days, if you wanted spa luxury, you had to foot the bill and make the time commitment. As you can imagine, this severely limited the spa customer base to the privileged.

Today, there are thousands of day spas, and you can find one in almost every community. Day spas are different from their luxury spa counterparts in that customers have the option of visiting for an entire day, a half day or just an hour or two. There are no overnight stays and no week-long package commitments. In a day spa, you can get premium services just like those found in the traditional spas, but for a lot less time and money.

So, what types of services can you get in a day spa? Virtually everything from facials, massage, body wraps, sunless tanning, pedicures, manicures, electrolysis, hair services, make-up applications, hair color, lunch... you name it.

Heres a brief look at some popular day spa packages:

* $125 to $175 will get you three-hour classic salon/spa experience including manicure with paraffin treatment, pedicure, scalp treatment, shampoo and styling, massage or mini-facial.

* $75 to $100 will get you a two-hour body treatment with exfoliation, massage and steam bath

* For $300 to $500, you can get pampered for the whole day and choose from a host of services. You will also be served meals during your day-long stay.

And dont think that day spas skimp on luxury. Many spas offer limousine services and treat their clients like they are royalty no matter what walk of life they come from. For this reason, day spa gift certificates have become extremely popular gifts. When you give a day spa gift certificate, you are giving a luxurious gift of indulgence to your loved one. What better way is there to say that theyve worked hard and deserve a little bit of the finer things in life?

When choosing a day spa, keep in mind that different spas offer different services. In many cases, day spas are ran in conjunction with a full-service beauty salon. That means that you can choose from a wide variety of services. Other day spas, though, may only offer massage and skin-care services without offering hair and nail services. You should also shop around. Prices from spa to spa can vary considerably.

So, if you want to be pampered but have little money and even less time, perhaps a day spa is the perfect compromise that youve been looking for. But be forewarned, day spas can be addictive.