Charlotte questions whether the Verbena Spa in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, is friend or foe to pregnant ladies!

For my Mum’s Christmas present last year, I bought a voucher for two girly days to the Verbena Spa in Helmsley (part of the Feversham Arms Hotel).

Unfortunately, I purchased the voucher before I found out I was pregnant! With pregnant women warned away from using saunas, steam rooms, Jacuzzis, and so on, I emailed the spa to ask if I could delay the expiry date of our voucher so that we could go after the baby was born at a time when all the facilities would be available to me.

I got a reply from the spa saying that they wouldn’t be able to extend the expiry date, but reassured me that although I would need to avoid the saunas, steam rooms, and Jacuzzis, I would nevertheless be able to make use of “all the other heat treatments available”. I wasn’t quite sure what these would turn out to be, and to be honest was a bit let down by the inflexible attitude of the spa, but was still excited when our girly day came around earlier this month!

As it turned out after a tour of the spa from a very friendly receptionist, the only heat experience I was able to use was the foot spa, so I made sure that I got my money’s worth out of that; my feet have never been treated so well!

The main lounge at the Verbena Spa is filled with plush sofas, comfy armchairs, cushions, and footstools, making it the ideal place to unwind and chill in between treatments. The stash of magazines was also a nice touch.

I was quite happy to chill out here while my Mum tried out the sauna, steam room, and Jacuzzi. She also braved the outdoor pool, but I couldn’t be tempted outside in the rain!

The highlight of the day, for me, was undoubtedly the facial I had. I’ve been to a fair few spas now with my Mum and have had various facials and massage treatments, but this was beyond doubt the best I’ve had. It lasted for 75 minutes, meaning that there was time to really relax and get into the mood for calm, and it also included a hand massage and scalp massage in between face mask applications.

I felt very relaxed afterwards and it really made up for the fact I had to miss out on the heat treatments.

As for lunch, the food was great. I went for a minted lamb burger with fries and, although it wasn’t exactly the healthiest option on the menu, it really hit the spot! The burger was exactly how it should be: difficult to eat whilst retaining dignity and packed full of flavour. My Mum went for lobster and crab lasagna, which looked really nice as well.

Taking into account the quality of the treatment, the food at lunch, and the relaxing atmosphere of the lounge, I would recommend the Verbena Spa in Helmsley for a day retreat during pregnancy. Yes, you have to miss out on the sauna and Jacuzzi etc, which is a shame and I feel like they could be more understanding of things like pregnancies during the booking process, but it’s still ultimately really nice to feel pampered for a day in such a beautiful setting!