The soft rhythms of Miles Davis filled the room. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. The massage therapist was melting away the tension in my neck and shoulders. I envisioned stress draining out of my toes. I was so relaxed that the vague fluttering in my abdomen registered as an aberration. Was that the movement of tiny arms and legs? Could that be my baby kicking?

While not every visit I have made to a spa has been as awe inspiring as my first feeling of fetal movement, it nevertheless can be a special experience for any pregnant woman.

While going to a spa for exercise or relaxation seems to have recently gained in popularity, spas have actually been around for thousands of years and across the world.

Classical writers describe the ancient Greeks as indulging in social baths. In Japan the first hot spring opened near Izumo in 737 AD. The Europeans, too, have a history of spa going. Saunas appeared in Finland as early as the year 1000 AD. In the United States, another hot springs location, Saratoga, N.Y., emerged as a retreat for the fashionable in the mid-19th century.

Today the range of services offered by day and destination spas includes many that are pregnancy specific. While some services are cosmetic in nature, spas are increasingly filling in the gaps left by traditional medicine. Prenatal massage, facials and pedicures can provide stress relief and help address physical changes. Nutrition counseling, exercise classes and personal training are also available at many spas and can help you learn more about the best ways to take care of yourself.

Good nutrition is an optimum concern for you and your baby when you are pregnant. A balanced diet can help reduce the risk of some births defects; it can also improve brain development and increase the chances of a normal birth weight. A spa nutritionist can help you increase your caloric intake slightly while navigating around such challenges as nausea, indigestion and extreme food cravings.

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