Prenatal massage in Palo Alto, and what we ask before you book

Moderate means firm enough to reach the glutes and the side of the hip, and light enough that you are not bracing against it. Prenatal is the one service where we may not go as deep as you ask. If the request lands somewhere we keep light, your therapist will say so at the time.

The couples room takes two tables and two therapists at once, and 60 minutes there is $180 for both people. Say when you book that one of the two needs the prenatal setup, so the room is made up with bolsters on one table before you arrive.

Ask your obstetric provider before you book. We cannot tell from the front desk who should wait — it comes down to your history. Ask first if your pregnancy has been flagged as high risk, or if you have had bleeding, preeclampsia or raised blood pressure, preterm labor, or a known clotting problem.

MedlinePlus groups bleeding, high blood pressure, preeclampsia and preterm labor together as the health problems in pregnancy that change what is sensible from one month to the next. A green light in month four does not carry over to month eight without a second conversation.

Separately, the NCCIH overview of massage therapy names bleeding disorders, low platelet counts and blood-thinning medication among the things to raise with a clinician before any massage at all, pregnant or not. None of that is specific to pregnancy, and all of it deserves a line at your next appointment.

No, and we do not ask for one. We only ask that you have had the conversation. A note would tell us nothing your provider has not already told you, and chasing one would delay a booking most people can make freely.

If something has changed since you booked, call your provider instead of coming in. That includes new swelling in one leg, a headache that will not shift, reduced movement, or anything else that worries you. Rescheduling costs you a phone call.

Trials of massage in pregnancy tend to be small, and that is the honest frame for anything you read about it. The studies reporting a benefit generally measure self-rated anxiety, mood and back pain across a course of several sessions with participant numbers in the dozens, so they can describe a pattern without promising you an outcome. NICHD's pregnancy pages are a better place to read about back pain and swelling in general than any spa website, this one included.

No. You lie on your side with a bolster between the knees, a pillow supporting the belly and another under your head, and we turn you over partway through so both sides get the same work. The cut-out cushions that let a pregnant client lie face down are not part of how we set up a room.

Those cushions put the weight of the abdomen onto the lower back, and the fit changes every few weeks while you do not stop changing. Side-lying asks nothing of the belly, gives a therapist clean access to the glutes and the outside of the hip where most third-trimester ache sits, and takes about a minute to build.

Early on, while lying flat still feels fine, part of the session may happen on your back. A wedge under the right hip takes the weight off the large vein that runs up that side of the spine. Say something the moment a position stops feeling right; nothing on this table has to be endured.

Second and third trimester is when most prenatal bookings land, ours included. Some providers prefer their patients wait until the first trimester is behind them and others have no such preference, and that spread reflects clinical caution rather than a settled finding. Whoever is caring for you gets the last word on it.

The second trimester is when most people first feel the point of it. The early tiredness has usually lifted by then, the lower back has started to complain, and lying on one side is still a novelty rather than the only position available. Third trimester bookings tend to be repeat bookings for exactly that reason.

We will take the booking, and we will ask that you have cleared it with your provider beforehand. Early pregnancy is the window where caution runs highest and published evidence runs thinnest, so the sensible order is to ask them first and book second.

Right up to the due date is normal for prenatal massage. The practical limits are your own comfort and the trip in: holding one position for 90 minutes at 38 weeks suits some people and defeats others, and the hour is the easier commitment if you are unsure. You can always book the longer session next time.

Lower back, hips, glutes, legs and feet take most of the hour, because that is where the load moves as your center of gravity shifts forward. Shoulders and neck usually get the last stretch. Ask and your therapist will work the forearms and hands too — desk work leaves more tension there than most people expect.

Sciatic-type pain down one leg is one of the most common reasons people book, and side-lying happens to be a good position for reaching the glute muscles that refer pain down the back of the thigh. Round-ligament twinges at the front of the hip are different; we work around them rather than into them, and they usually respond better to a change of position than to pressure.

Shoulders, neck and the muscles between the shoulder blades get more attention late in pregnancy than most people expect. Posture shifts to balance the weight at the front, and the upper back takes the strain. The band of muscle under the bust responds to gentle work as well, though we stay off the front of the ribs entirely.

Mild swelling late in pregnancy is common, and gentle work up the calf and around the ankle tends to make feet feel better for a while afterwards. Swelling in one leg only, or swelling with pain, redness or warmth, means a call to your provider rather than a booking with us. Clinicians want to see that pattern promptly.

We do not work the abdomen. Pressure on the inner thigh and the back of the calf stays light as a precaution around clot risk, not a judgement anyone can make on the table. The same caution applies to the deep points near the ankle and in the web of the hand that some traditions associate with labor. Published evidence on those points is thin in both directions, and keeping the pressure off them costs you nothing.

Tell us how far along you are, and tell us anything your provider has flagged. Everything below that is comfort information. None of it takes more than a line in the booking notes or thirty seconds on the phone, and each item saves your therapist a guess.

Wear whatever you will be comfortable changing out of. You undress to your own comfort level, you are draped the whole time, and only the area being worked is uncovered. Most people keep underwear on. Bring a hair tie, and plan on a bathroom stop before you lie down rather than fifteen minutes into the hour.

Give yourself a few extra minutes at the start. Getting comfortable on your side takes longer than lying face down ever did. Better to spend that time before the session starts than halfway through, with a therapist rebuilding the pillows around you.

Organic Day Spa is at 200 California Avenue, Suite 180, Palo Alto, and the phone is (650) 567-8886. The California Avenue Caltrain station sits one block along the same street, about a five minute walk, which is the easy option late in pregnancy when parallel parking has lost its appeal.

Driving in, there are meters along California Avenue and public lots immediately behind it. Allow about 10 to 12 minutes from downtown Menlo Park, about 12 to 15 from Mountain View or Los Altos, and about 8 to 10 from the Stanford campus. We are open seven days a week, 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM, and from 10:30 AM on Mondays.

Book online through Square or call and we will take it over the phone. A little notice helps on prenatal bookings, because it means the room is made up with the bolsters before you arrive rather than while you stand in the doorway.