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 cowers under a body full of aches and pains) gets some R ‘n R is unsurprising, but utterly false. Nope, Baby Spa is exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a spa experience for babies.
Scepticism aside, Baby Spa is a very pleasant experience, lovely, soft, and welcoming. I don’t easily coo, but this place got me. For starters, the small, three room set up feels completely safe and warm – always a relief when karting around a newborn. As is the fact that everything is provided, so there is absolutely no need to think or plan ahead with bulky bags of gear. And then there are the big smiles from the baby ‘masseurs’ and Laura Sevenus, who owns the spa and has a wealth of experience in dealing with babies in the water.
After an introduction to the spa room and some play time, your baby is gently lowered into a neonatal pod (think of a 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 without being able to swim. For the next 10 to 30 minutes (that’s up to you) 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 had enough (and you’ve exhausted the photo taking), he or she is lifted out, wrapped in fluffy towels and given a massage. My little one’s ‘masseur’ was a maternity nurse, which I found useful as someone to target with my never-ending list of baby questions. As with 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. She wants to help babies get used to the water from birth while using water and massage to develop the muscles and ease out any tension. Most clients go back time and again and many travel from all over the world to see her. At the moment, this is the world’s first baby spa with a second due to open in South Africa later in the year. So if you’re travelling to London with a baby or are simply in need of a new novelty baby activity, head to Kensington and take a camera.
A Baby Spa session costs £60 and you can make a saving by booking a full course. For more information go to http://yourbabyspa.com
6 Lancer Square, Kensington, W8
020 7937 3747