During pregnancy, a girl has a really good excuse to indulge in some serious pampering. As your body is working seriously hard, it deserves all the kindness you can lavish upon it. A good pregnancy treatment raises your spirits and is thought to help the body recover more quickly. And if it makes you feel happy, the chances are that the small person lounging in your womb feels good too.
However, you need to be careful: you cannot use heat treatments, saunas, steamrooms and jacuzzis: there is a risk of raising your body temperature above the recommended level, which can be dangerous for the baby.
You may also wish to avoid aromatherapy oils, whose effect on the unborn child is not yet fully researched. Furthermore, lying on your back is extremely uncomfortable during the advanced stages of pregnancy. So what you need is a spa treatment that is both safe and makes you feel that the pregnancy is a unique and gloriously feminine experience. Here is our definitive guide to which spas deliver.
The Sanctuary
12 Floral Street, London, WC2E 7DH
Tel: 0870 770 3350
Baby bliss day: £120, from 9.30am to 6pm
The Sanctuary were very friendly and discreet, but happily treated pregnancy as a wonderful part of being a woman rather than an illness. The extensive facilities allow for swimming in the glorious Atrium pool, relaxing in the Koi Carp lounge and guided meditation in the Colour Relaxation studio. Because the package lasts a whole day, it gives you the chance to really wind down.
The package features a hydrotherm massage, during which you lie on a warm gel pad so that the therapist can reach your back. Our nine-month-pregnant tester found it comfortable, though others may not. The treatment also includes a pedicure (vital by the third trimester, when you usually can't reach your own feet!), and a two-course lunch.
One Spa
8 Conference Square, Edinburgh, EH3 8AN
Tel: 0131 221 7777
E'spa pre-natal treatment for new beginnings: £75
Pregnant women cannot use the jewel in One Spa's crown, the extraordinary hydropool with its indoor and outdoor areas and views over Edinburgh - although at least you can enjoy the swimming pool. Our tester had a full E'spa body massage with calendula infused oil and various muds, and was wrapped up in foil for 15 minutes, with quiet time afterwards on a couch.
Many spas use the E'spa prenatal treatment, which is designed to be safe and relaxing, and avoids the use of essential oils - there has not yet been clear research into the effects of aromatherapy oils on the unborn child.
The experience was very pleasant and very professional, but also very urban. You are continually aware that you are in the city - even the treatment room has slatted blinds through which you can see people rushing about their business.
Whittlebury Hall
Whittlebury, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8QH
Tel: 01327 857 857
E'spa prenatal treatment for new beginnings: £60
The spa is built in a neo-classical style with a large pool set amongst mock Greek ruins (this sounds naff but the effect works). The masseuse was very friendly and pleasant, using the same E'spa treatment. Again, our pregnant tester spent much of the time lying on her back.
Elemis
2-3 Lancashire Court, London, W1 SEX
Tel: 020 8909 5060
Nurturing massage for mother-to-be: £90
Oh rapture! This expert massage was the turning point in this writer's pregnancy, releasing enough endorphins into my system to turn my experience of pregnancy from misery to happiness. The exotic Mayfair spa has its own range of nurturing cosmetics and views pregnancy as a "wonderful and profoundly feminine journey".
For the massage you lie on your side on a specially designed beanbag amid gently flickering candles and uplifting aromatherapy scents. My only small quibble was that the waiting room before and after, where you sit cheek-by-jowl with stressed-out executives bellowing into their mobile phones.
Apotheke Spa
300-302 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 1NP
Tel: 020 8995 2293
Jurlique mother-to-be pampering package: £119.50
Although they do not offer spa facilities such as a pool, Jurlique offered the most complete package for pregnancy, and the therapist had a real enthusiasm and understanding of what makes pregnancy treatments so special: when you give a pregnant woman a massage, you are also massaging her unborn baby.
The 2h 45min hour pregnancy pampering package started with a 25 minutes flotation experience, followed by an aromatherapy massage on your side and a pedicure. And as if that weren't enough, the session ended with a facial, all using Jurlique's wonderful organic products. Both baby and seven-month-pregnant tester thoroughly approved.
Combe Grove Manor
Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7HS
Tel: 01225 834 644
Aromatherapy Associates Massage: £46
Our tester found that the spa staff listened to her and what she wanted, with the result that she received a very luxurious full body massage using a nourishing rose aromatherapy formulation, designed to ease discomfort and nourish the skin. There is also the added bonus of a large pool.
Champneys
Branches throughout the country
Tel: 08703 300 300
Sculptural mother-to-be Decleor pregnancy treatment: £65 for 1h 25min
Champneys offers a fantastically relaxing experience, with plenty of restrooms and the option to wander in the grounds or visit the arts and crafts room. The package however was more suited to someone in the second trimester of pregnancy than to our eight-and-a-half-months-gone tester.
She was on her back for much of the treatment, the massage felt rushed, whilst the special face pack that was supposed to be for her bump did not cover the entire area. The massage was supposed to last 1h 25min, but only lasted an hour.
