At BBHK we care about what we put into our bodies.  We try to eat well, we try to exercise and we try (but don’t succeed) in not drinking too much, but what about the chemicals we put onto our skin hidden in our beauty products?  One of the most worrying of these chemicals are Phthalates, which are commonly found in nail-varnish, which is linked to fertility issues, problems in developing babies and birth defects.  Would we really be having those regular mani-pedis if we knew it could be harming our future babies?
SpaRitual, vegan based nail lacquers have the answer.  They are free from Formaldehyde, Phythaltes, and Toulene, and any other harmful chemicals that can be found in other varnishes, therefore are completely safe for pregnant woman, and women in general.  If that is not enough to make you sing from the roof, the packaging is created by the designer of Ferrari.  Its all the rage in Hollywood amongst green conscious stars such as Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, and it is now here in The HK.

We visited the Sense of Touch Central store to trial the varnish, and to see if it matched up to our beloved OPI.  As one of the oldest spas in the group,  from the outside it does not look as elegant or spacious as some of its sister properties.  Yet I was surprised how cosy and bright the Arbutnot Road spa was.  Once inside the spa is decorated in hues of cream reds, with a moroccan inspired vibe.  The staff were so friendly, and genuinely close, that it had a real family feel, and I loved it.

The super sweet Kabita &  Netra simultaneously performed my mani/pedi and we all giggled and chatted the way though like old friends.  Now the important part, the Sparitual varnishes.  As I was presented with my colour options, I did feel quite limited.  I am used to the vast spectrum of colours offered by the likes of OPI, but with Sparitual there were only a handful of colours to choose from.  That said, they were all lovely, and the staple colours one would normally choose anyway.  The whole product line was used, ie base coat, main colour, top coat and also foot rubs and moisturisers.  The varnishes did not have an overpowering smell, and my nails looked lovely after.  The top coat was not quite as shiny as the OPI counterpart, yet it was still sparkly and lovely.  The staying power of the products was great, maybe not quite as long as OPI, possibly due to the lack of some chemical, but if i have to choose from the health of my baby, or a day longer of nail polish, I know what I would choose.

Where?

SpaRitual is available in Sense of Touch LKF, Arbuthnot and Discovery Bay, as well as in  Harvey Nichols、Seibu in Admiralty and FACES in Tsim Sha Tsui.

How much?

In the Arbuthnot Road branch a manicure costs $170, pedicure $290

Babies babies babies.  They are everywhere, I personally know at least 6 ladies at any one time who is with child. Needless to say I am fed up with running down to Stanley to buy some little clothes, so I was thrilled to find a quirky and cool new online baby boutique – Hip Little Bubba.

The brainchild of Austrailian born Nicole Darragh found the Hong Kong baby clothes and gifts market lacking, and decided to take matters into her own hands ,“As a mum living in Hong Kong, I found it difficult to find hip clothes for my baby. Looking on-line at shops in Australia, Europe and the US, the range of unique, hip and funky clothes and accessories for little tots was extensive. This is how Hip Little Bubba was born in Hong Kong”

Many of the brands available are exclusive in Asia, and most are so adoreable they are worth having a baby for!  In fact I am desperate for a Cuddle Moo bath towel.  I wonder if they come in my size?

To celebrate the launch of Hip Little Bubba, BBHK customers will receive 10% off all items until end of September 2010. All orders will be dispatched in 24 hours and customers can look forward to receiving their purchases in two to three days

We might be said to “glow”, but sore feet, tense shoulders, achy backs and graunchy hips are just a sample of the litany of aches and pains that inflict pregnant women. If you’re like me, these niggles are compounded by the fact that for around six months lying on your front is something you can only dream about.

At 36 weeks pregnant and in search of some respite from my aches and pains I headed to the Body Conscious Spa in the Centrium building on Wyndham Street in Central. Following a cup of tea and the opportunity to “chill-my-boots” for a moment, I was ushered into a treatment room by my therapist for the session, the lovely Sinita.

The room was clean and pleasantly furnished with most of the space being occupied by a specially designed massage bed. A large bump sized hole in the middle of the bed, criss-crossed by a lattice of stretchy elastic strips, supports your bump no matter how big or small. It was on this bed that for the first time in months I was able to lie down on my front. It was blissfully comfortable and within seconds of donning the spa’s paper panties and lying face down I was ready to fall asleep and only partially capable of responding to Sinita’s questions about where I was feeling tense and what kind of pressure I’d like applied. Following a moment of meditation and three deep breaths, we were off.

During the 60-minute session Sinita used a special blend of oils suitable for pregnancy and massaged pretty much everything including “the bump” – although only after asking my permission. I have to admit that I’m very protective of “the bump” and was initially skeptical, but she was very gentle and as far as any mother-to-be can tell, the bump loved it too as it was very wriggly for the rest of the afternoon. At the end of the session Sinita gave me a synopsis of where I was most tense and what I could do to relieve the tension on my own. All in all I felt like I’d been in very capable and experienced hands throughout.

My only gripe (and it is a relatively small gripe) was that my feet would dearly have loved a little more attention BUT, I did say at the start “it’s my shoulders that are stiff”, so I can’t really complain.

This was definitely my best pregnancy massage yet. Previously I’ve had to lie down on one side and been gently rubbed as opposed to what I would call properly massaged. Not my idea of tension relief. At Body Conscious however, the combination of being able to lie down on my front and a therapist not afraid of using a bit of elbow grease were just divine. I only hope there is time to fit in one more session before it’s all too late………….

X factor
Has to be the brilliant bed (of which the spa has two)

Things you should know
There is plenty of evidence supporting the theory that a relaxed woman is likely to experience less pain during labour than a tense woman. What more incentive do you need?

For those Mums who’ve missed the boat on the pre-natal massage experience, Body Conscious also offer post-natal massages that recognise how the demands of early motherhood stress the body, particularly around the upper neck and back. These sessions are tailored to meet individual needs.

Cost
60 mins – $910
90 mins – $1,155

Where
Body Concious
10/F, The Centrium,
60 Wyndham Street,
Central, Hong Kong

Tel. +852 2524 6171
www.bodyconscioushk.com