Prenatal Massage

We just returned from a long weekend in Arizona. Mark's parents live 30 minutes east of Scottsdale so we try to get down there a couple times a year. I had two main goals for the trip: Goal#1: Get some natural highlights back in my hair!
And #2: Get a prenatal massage! I successfully achieved both. A spa day was top on the list. And it just so happens that back in November I read about a spa in Paradise Valley where a certain famous couple spent Thanksgiving. Some people research travel sites, some research gossip magazines. But did I really choose this spa just because Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn stayed there over Thanksgiving...what kind of gawker do you think I am? Okay, okay so maybe that had something (a lot) to do with it. But, hey, I figure if it's good enough for Jen, it's good enough for me. And don't forget about the baby.........I can't have some amateur close to my belly. After confirming that they offered a "Motherhood" massage and finding out that, with a treatment, I would get full access to all facilities for the day (i.e. sipping fruit smoothies by the pool), I booked it! A prenatal massage for me and a sports massage for the husband. I could hardly sleep the night before. Like an 8yr old at Christmas, I was up at the crack of dawn and ready to go.

The only appointments available were at 8:15am so we had planned on being there by 7:45am. We pulled into the parking lot at exactly 7:45am (after convincing Mark that there was no time for Starbucks or leisurely drive up the mountain). The courtyard entrance is like walking into a rain forest with tall bamboo plants everywhere letting just the right amount of light in. Zen mode: CHECK!

The massage therapist was amazing and very experienced. And she had two children, so she could relate to my position. She gave me the choice of a stomach (on a special pillow with a cut out for the belly) or side massage. Since I have gotten used to the idea of sleeping on my side, I decided to get with that. Plus, in the back of my mind, I had remembered reading that the stomach massage puts some pressure on the baby. But either choice is probably fine. The hour-long experience was 100% relaxing. I hadn’t realized how tight my lower back had gotten. She used just the right amount of pressure to relieve all the tension.

We then proceeded to have breakfast by the pool, Mark swam laps, and we lounged out on rafts in their huge infinity pool. We did the whole shower routine again and had lunch. A perfect spa day!

I plan on getting a few more massages throughout the rest of my pregnancy. I heard they will help with labor…okay, so I heard this from a massage therapist, but I don’t care because they sure to ease the mind and soothe the soul!