Review of Baby Spa, London
When you tell people that you’ve been to a baby spa the usual response is ‘ahhh how nice, someone looks after the little one while you get spoilt’. This presumption that the mother (you know the one that hasn’t had a full nights sleep for however long and the body full of aches and pains) gets some RnR is unsurprising but utterly false. Nope, The Baby Spa is exactly what it says on the tin… it’s a spa experience, for babies. Needless to say, it’s in Kensington and is more than a little posh.
Scepticism aside, The Baby Spa is a very pleasant experience. Lovely, soft, and welcoming. I don’t easily coo at babies but this place got me. For starters, the small three room set up feels completely safe and warm - always a relieve when karting around a newborn. As is the fact that everything is provided, so no need to think or plan ahead. And then there are the big smiles from the baby ‘masseurs’ and Laura, who owns the spa and has a wealth of experience in dealing with babies in water.
After an introduction to the spa room and some play time, your baby is gently lowered into a neonatal pod (think big kitchen sink) or a larger pool depending on their age. An around the neck floatation device allows, probably for the first and only time, your baby to be completely independent. For the next 10 to 30 minutes you can enjoy watching your baby bobbing around in warm water and whether they’re looking smiley, confused or serene, lots of coooos and ahhhhs are guaranteed.
Once your baby is showing signs of having enough (and you’ve exhausted photo taking), he/ she is lifted out, wrapped in warm towels and given a massage. My little one’s ‘masseur’ was a maternity nurse, which had the added bonus of being a useful brain to pick about my never ending list of baby questions. Like all good spas, once your baby is dressed and smelling delicious you can take them to the chill out room for a feed or a lounge around in the ‘cot-pods’.
Laura’s vision behind the spa is twofold - to help babies get used to water from birth and use water and massage to develop the muscles and ease out any tension. Most clients go back several times and lots come from all over the world. At the moment, this is the world’s first baby spa and a second is due to open one in South Africa later in the year.
A Baby Spa session costs £60 or you can make a saving by booking a course. For more information go to http://yourbabyspa.com
Published on Kodomo 18th March 2014. For the full article go to http://kodomo.com/the-worlds-first-baby-spa/
