There comes a time when every girl needs a little beauty call to make it through the week. However, when said girl is close to being nine months pregnant, that beauty call better be close by (hint, hint for the upcoming holiday season).
Fortunately for me, Chicagoland's premiere 3D|4D Ultrasound and Maternity Spa, Stork Snapshots, is just a stone's throw from home and close to tony downtown Naperville, making it accessible to gals on the road to mommyhood from a number of expressways, highways and byways.
As the only spa of its kind in the western suburbs, Stork Snapshots offers a range of sumptuous services for moms-to-be including maternity massages, fabulous facials and stretch mark soothers with lighthearted, indulgent names like Lighten Up, Free Your Mind, The Yummy Tummy and The Smoothie just to name a few.
And, if that weren't enough, Stork Snapshots also uses luxurious lotions and potions from acclaimed brands like maternity body spa line Mama Mio, 100% natural facial line OSEA while also making sure to fully stock the reception area with goodies to make any mama in the making go gaga from baby boutiques like Kee-Ka, Goody Goody and more ... all meant to pamper pint-sizers in the making.
I was invited to recapture the serene with a maternity massage, and like any cramped, sore, watermelony mama, I jumped (well, mentally anyway) at the chance, particularly since this whole body massage utilizes specific prenatal techniques to increase
circulation, alleviate tired muscles and reduce water retention.
The spa itself was a little hard to find at first, since it's in somewhat nondescript building near a 7-11 and Dominoes Pizza off of 75th St. and Washington Ave. However, once I parked in the ample lot, found the door and checked in, a sense of calm immediately started to set in since everyone around me was pleasant and quiet. Unfortunately, I couldn't do more than perch on the edge of one of the chairs in the waiting area, since one, I'm that big, and two, they were a little hard, but as luck would have it, my personable, also thisclose to popping masseuse, Laura, came to greet me, and in just a few short minutes I was escorted down a well appointed hallway to a dimly lit, warm and comfy room, complete with a soothing sound machine, minimalist interior, and a massage table featuring recessions to accommodate pregnant bellies and even buxom busts - I'd never seen the latter before, which was a welcome plus.
As I heaved myself up on the table (a small step stool of some kind would have been most helpful since I'm short and extra clumsy and awkward what with a herniated bellybutton) I took in the fresh, clean smell of the super-soft linens, took a few deep breaths as I let soft rainforest sounds clear my mind and let myself sink into a sense of relaxation, which as any mom to a toddler will tell you, hardly ever happens.
The next hour was absolute heaven as maternity massage-certified Laura smoothed, tugged and rubbed the tension out of my back, shoulders, legs and arms. I was impressed to find that the lubricant used was a lotion-oil combination meant to moisturize without leaving any kind of residue. I've had other massages that leave you feeling like an oil slick, so this was fabulous.
Although I initially had some trouble getting comfortable, since as I mentioned earlier, I'm a short girl, and my face didn't quite reach the soft face-cradling donut at the top of the table without smushing my bust up against the rim of the breast recessions, but frankly, I didn't care once everything got underway. To my surprise, I even managed to drift off into a nice, light sleep, which probably won't happen again any time soon since baby No. 2 is expected to arrive in less than two weeks.