| Spa ponies | |
|---|---|
 Aloe (left) and Lotus (right) love to help ponies to look and feel their very best. | |
| Other names | Spa twins, Aloe and Lotus |
| Kind | Earth pony |
| Sex | Female |
The spa ponies, Aloe (pink coat, blue mane) and Lotus (blue coat, pink mane), are twin sister earth ponies who run the La Te Da Spa in Ponyville. The spa is introduced in Bridle Gossip, where Lotus attends to the mane 6 during an herbal bath in the spa's large communal bath tub. Aloe is introduced during Green Isn't Your Color, where both sisters service Rarity and Fluttershy at the spa. Lotus has had a speaking role, where she asks Zecora for her herbal bath recipe, and speaks with a feminine Eastern European accent.
Personalities[]
Lotus and Aloe greet their customers with a smile
Much of the popular fanon for Aloe and Lotus's personalities originated from the Ask Spa Ponies Tumblr page. The twins are generally depicted as having a yin and yang dynamic with contrasting, but complimentary personalities, with Aloe representing Yin and Lotus representing Yang. Lotus is usually shown as taking her job seriously and trying to be professional, while also being the more innocent and vulnerable of the two. Aloe is popularly depicted as being flirtatious and outgoing, and lets herself enjoy her work by making it fun (sometimes at the expense of behaving professionally). Some works have Aloe taking pleasure in teasing Lotus for being shy, and she likes to embarrass her by flirting with their patrons (or in some instances, with Lotus herself).
They are shown both in the show and in fan works to make the relaxation and comfort of their patrons a priority, offering a wide range of treatments including saunas, baths, skin and hair treatments, and massages. It's a widely held belief that the twins love each other very much, sharing a close bond in spite of their differences. Numerous pieces of fan art and fan fiction depict them giving each other spa treatments after hours.
Relationships[]
Since Rarity is a frequent patron of the spa in the TV series, fan works generally run with the notion that she is good friends with Aloe and Lotus, and often times so is Fluttershy by extension. Aloe and Lotus are very familiar with what Rarity likes due to her frequent patronage, and most fanfiction involving the twins state that Rarity is their favorite customer, with some even suggesting that they give her special treatment due to their high regard for her.
In the episode Ponyville Confidential, Rainbow Dash is shown to be very hesitant about getting treated at the spa, and gets fidgety and nervous when Lotus tries to give her a pedicure. Image macros and fan art have extrapolated this into Rainbow Dash being shy about letting other ponies touch her, and use it as a source of humor at her expense in context to the spa.
Vera[]
Vera, the "third spa pony."
Vera is a third Spa pony who shares Aloe and Lotus's character design, but not their color palette. She is considered by fans to be the twins' cousin, who works for them at the spa. Her first appearance was in The Show Stoppers, when the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to start a hair styling service, and Vera was their first customer. They ruined her mane, leaving her with a rainbow-colored afro, causing her to run out of Carousel Boutique crying. She looks similar to Aloe and Lotus, however her coat is cream colored and her mane is purple.
Meaning of Names[]
Lotus is a kind of flower that originates from Asia, and is often used as a decoration in spas around the world (the Twins and Vera all have lotus blossoms as their cutie marks). The names "Aloe" and "Vera" are derived from the Aloe Vera plant, which is cultivated for its supposedly therapeutic properties. The plants produce a gel that can be extracted and used for a wide variety of remedies and products, including massage lotion.
Behind the Scenes[]
Aloe and Lotus share the same coloring as the G1 "surprise twins" toys, and in some fanon Aloe and Lotus are considered to be the adult versions of the twins.
See also[]
- Spa ponies on the FiM Wiki