Alongside ‘the glow’ that everyone refers to during pregnancy, comes back pain, swelling, and emotional highs and lows. So, if there’s ever a time to indulge in a bit of pampering and self-care, it’s when you’re pregnant. Here are our favourite pre-natal massages in London.
When considering a pre-natal massage – and after you are safely past your first trimester – it’s important to select a venue with specialised therapists who are familiar with pregnancy massages. That includes the requirement to avoid certain pressure points, beds that allow you to sit slightly higher or accommodate you lying on your side, and the use of the right kind of oils. You also want to feel listened to by your therapist. It’s your changing body after all.
So you can be confident about getting a pregnancy-safe massage – be it for yourself or to treat an expectant friend – we’ve rounded up some of our favourite places to visit in the capital that know what’s best for a mama-to-be.
Consider this your guide to the top spots for pre-natal massages in London: your ticket to some true relaxation, in your second and third trimesters before baby arrives.
The Lanesborough Club & Spa
With its enviable location, straddling prestigious Knightsbridge, Belgravia, and Mayfair, The Lanesborough Club & Spa has long been considered one of the world’s most luxurious hotels. But it’s The Lanesborough’s spa that has us all a flutter, and for mums-to-be, the star of the show is the Rose Pregnancy Massage. This body massage, specifically designed for expecting mothers, nourishes and nurtures from head-to-toe, and will leave you feeling perfectly rosy. While you lie on one side, the therapist will use heated poultices, gently rolling them over pressure points on your body for a warming and stimulating massage. Specific movements will also be used to drain fluid (water retention often becomes something to address later in pregnancy). This is then followed by a salt scrub and the application of nourishing oils to give the appearance of fresher-looking limbs and to help prevent stretch marks. We say opt for 90 minutes, it’s just the right amount of time to let you relax… completely!
Pan Pacific
For city workers needing to rest their weary feet – especially pregnant ones – Pan Pacific is an ideal escape. Relish in a pre-natal full body massage to help improve circulation, reduce tension, and soothe aches and pains. They perfectly cater for your massage with adjustments to the bed to make you feel comfortable, with a long pillow to wrap your leg around as you lay on your side, and safe natural oils to massage you into total relaxation. Pre- and post-massage, don’t leave without a dip in the 18.5 metre infinity pool, an utterly calming experience as you watch city workers dash about town through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. As far as zen-like indulgence goes, Pan Pacific is a genuinely serene haven, in an impeccably-crafted space which offers one of London’s most carefully considered and comprehensive luxury spa experiences.
Neal's Yard Remedies
During pregnancy your body goes through significant changes which can affect its emotional, hormonal, and physiological balance. In good news though, it is believed that reflexology helps balance the hormonal and emotional rollercoaster that pregnancy can create, easing anxiety-inducing symptoms. Alongside the emotional benefits, it can also help with many of the physical effects of pregnancy, such as morning sickness, digestive problems, heartburn, anaemia, and aches and pains. As for where to go, the brilliant therapists at Neal’s Yard expertly apply pressure to a range of points (hands, face, and feet) which correspond with specific organs (glands, tissues, and muscles in your body) and encourage energy to flow freely. It’s a brilliant way to bring back a sense of balance and wellbeing, while also being incredibly relaxing, too. If you’re closer to your due date, reflexology is also an excellent treatment to get to encourage the readiness of the baby with particular feet and ankle pressure points.
Bamford Wellness Spa
The Bamford Wellness Spa in South Kensington is just as wonderful as its renowned Cotswolds outpost. A holistic space designed to recharge, restore and nourish your body, mind and spirit, it successfully brings the calm sanctuary of the countryside to an urban setting, allowing you a sense of calm in the centre of London. Alongside a series of wellness classes, their treatment menu features a dedicated 60-minute pregnancy massage, primarily focused on relieving tension and tightness in the neck and back, but also covering the full body with some much-needed attention placed on the feet and legs. Following a calming pillow spray, you settle yourself on the bed, making yourself comfortable on one side, before turning half way to the other. Gentle yoga-inspired stretches are incorporated to really stretch out tight limbs, along with options that your baby may enjoy, including safe, soft and rhythmic movements across the abdomen. Hot towels wrapped around the feet are on hand to aid circulation, and plentiful props ensure optimum comfort throughout, with the use of warm oil providing a peaceful and gently uplifting experience.
Montcalm East
For mums-to-be looking to take a little extra time out – or friends and family seeking the perfect gift for someone who is pregnant – the specialised Yummy Mummy To Be package at Montcalm East’s Bokeh spa is our top-pick for 130 minutes of pure indulgence. The spa’s name comes from a term that refers to the soft focus of an image, particularly apt for this relaxing oasis of a space (and the photography programming within the hotel as a whole). As for the restorative pregnancy experience, it focuses on both your body and face, incorporating instant relief for tired, overworked legs and feet within a longer-than-ever 75-minute massage, plus a 55-minute-long revitalising facial topped off with a wake up scalp massage. You never know, your little bambino might enjoy the sense of calm too!
Beaumont Hotel
Head downstairs from the lobby at the Beaumont Hotel and you’ll find a quaint spa that goes beyond the norm in the capital. Not only does the space have a hammam for authentic and tailored body treatments, the therapists are also specialised in treatments as diverse as Hot Stone Therapies to Akwaterra, so take note to return for a pampering treat when you’ve had your baby too. Before then, choose from a 60-minute pregnancy massage to a two-hour maternity treat. Opt for the latter and you’re in for a perfect respite to release the stresses of body and mind. Ease up with a comforting massage focusing on the tense areas brought on by pregnancy, followed by a recuperative facial to meet the needs of changing skin. Top tip? If you’re busy getting the nursery ready, book this at the end of a hectic shopping day to leave all your stresses behind.
Masaj
With two locations, Shoreditch and Marylebone, the team at boutique massage studio Masaj are bodywork experts, meaning they don’t just give brilliant massages, they work with acupressure points to bring about a feeling of calm and wellbeing too. (Just what you need while pregnant, in our opinion). For mums-to-be, the space offers a nurturing treatment for when you are in your second and third trimesters, and all pregnancy treatments are conducted by highly trained specialists (they do postnatal massages too). At a time when your body is changing and adapting so dramatically, these massages are exactly what you need to feel calmer in both body and mind, and they are brilliant at alleviating many of the stresses and strains you’re probably feeling right now.
Aveda
Small but perfectly formed, the Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa was our fashion features director’s favourite calming sanctuary when she was pregnant with her son. The Holborn-based spa offers a tailored pregnancy massage, which is not only relaxing for your body and mind – the sort of pampering every mum-to-be needs – but is also a practical indulgence. That’s because it works to solve all the little niggles and aches you get as your body changes, including the use of massage techniques that improve circulation to decrease swelling and discomfort. There’s the nice touch of a calming foot bath at the beginning of the experience too. Most of all, the well-trained staff really listen to your concerns, working with you to get the most out of the 60 minutes.
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Lead image: Bamford
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