
Spa WarS
The most relaxing spa
treatments for a busy mum
Can't remember the last time you had a full night's sleep? Or when you last managed to finish a hot drink? One word pretty much sums it up: "motherhood". It's a wonderful and rewarding adventure being a mum, but wow – sometimes a bit of peace and quiet is needed.
But how stressful is your life as a mum? Give our quiz a go, and we'll give you a stress score so you can share it with anyone who needs a not-so-subtle hint this Mother's Day.
How stressful is your life as a mum? Give our quiz a go, and we'll give you a stress score so you can share it with anyone who needs a not-so-subtle hint this Mother's Day.
Home life vs. spa life
When we found out that two-thirds of mums in the UK are sleep deprived, and 77% miss having time to relax, we knew we needed to do something about it¹. That's why we asked a group of mums to help us see how stressful everyday ‘mum moments' are, and then to see how well they recovered from that stress by experiencing one of the nation's ten favourite spa treatments.
Our #SpaWars squad of mummy bloggers have been measuring their stress levels through a leading heart rate variability app, whilst doing everything from "helping" with homework to sitting in a sauna. From home life to spa life, we've crunched the numbers, and found which treatments are truly the most relaxing for mum...
Time for mummy time out?
If you don't have time to visit a spa this week, try some of these tips for a quick time out. (And remember, many of our spa vouchers can be used at a later date, something worth mentioning to your family!)
- A walk in the fresh air can banish those feelings of cabin fever you get after watching CBeebies for what feels like eight hours straight
- All the advice is to nap when baby naps, and we think this applies to toddlers and young children too
- A hot bath full of bubbles can feel like a little slice of luxury, especially if you bring a book and a cup of tea with you
- Essential oils are used in aromatherapy massages but you can use them at home too; we think lavender is one of the best
- When you're feeling stressed, why not write it down? Starting a journal or a blog can feel almost therapeutic as you unbottle your thoughts
Top 10 most relaxing treatments for mum
In the battle of spa treatments, which ones are truly the most relaxing? We've put them to the test so you can make Mother's Day extra special this year:
- Neck and shoulder massage
- Wash, cut and blow dry
- Deep tissue massage
- Steam and sauna
- Swedish full body massage
- Pedicure
- Facial
- Hot stone massage
- Indian head massage
- Manicure
The science behind the top 10
¹Buyagift.co.uk surveyed 2,000 UK mums in February 2019, to learn more about modern life as a mother. 77% of respondents claimed they miss relaxation and pamper time, and nearly two thirds claimed they get at least one hour less than the recommended 7 hours sleep on an average night. Three quarters of mums claim to want a relaxing spa day or experience for Mother's Day, yet 4 in 5 also think their families are likely to be put off getting them one. Most mums believe this is because their families don't know their availability, the treatment names or because there's too much choice.
Buyagift have simplified the choice of options ahead of Mother's Day, by using a scientific test to rank spa treatments by the amount they reduce stress levels. HRV4Training is the first validated app able to measure heart rate and heart rate variability reliably; this app was used by a group of our #SpaWars mums during stressful moments at home, as well as immediately after a spa treatment they tested. Our top 10 most relaxing treatments were ordered based on the analysis of these stress readings.