Prenatal · Any trimester · 60 or 90 minutes

Everyone says to rest. Here is where.

Prenatal massage in downtown Asheville, and not a separate service. It is Deep Restorative Massage™, the method behind every session in this room, adapted for pregnancy: settle the nervous system first, then the work. On your side, on a pregnancy bolster, at a pace you set and your therapist reads. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is decided for you.

Reserve the 90 How the method adapts
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · 143 reviews Official massage partner of The Restoration Hotel 35 Haywood St · Suite 203
Caffeine-free masala chai poured through a strainer into a terracotta cup
The welcome pour. Caffeine-free, and yours to choose.
I

Arrive

Come a little early. You are welcomed at the door, your coat is taken, and a pour is offered: the house masala chai, which is caffeine-free, or herbal tea, or simply water. If scent is hard to be around right now, say so. The diffuser goes off and the room stays that way for you. Nothing is asked of you yet.

The lounge corner: rattan sofa, brass arc lamp, a philodendron and two leather chairs
The lounge, one flight above Haywood Street.
II

The conversation

Before any hands-on work, a few minutes in the lounge: how far along you are, how you have been sleeping, where the ache has moved to this week, and anything you would rather leave out. If your provider has asked you to avoid something, this is where you tell us. The plan for the table is built here, not assumed.

If your pregnancy is considered high risk, we ask that your provider is comfortable with massage before you reserve.

III

The work, on your side

You lie on your side from the first minutes to the last, turned partway through so both sides get equal time. Pillows and bolsters hold the belly, the knees and the head, and as the weeks go on a purpose-made pregnancy bolster takes over the holding, so you are supported without ever holding yourself up. Deep Restorative Massage™ then adapts region by region: slow, steady work through the low back, hips and shoulders that carry the changing weight; gentle, sweeping strokes through the legs, always; nothing on the belly. Deep here means deeply settled, not deep pressure. You set the ceiling and it is read continuously.

Both thumbs pressed into the arch of a guest's foot
Feet and ankles, gently, for the swelling of later pregnancy
Both hands holding a guest's hand and wrist, the arm raised from the table
Hands and wrists, which often ache from the second trimester on
A flat palm pressed between the shoulder blades through the quilted drape
Upper back and shoulders, as the center of gravity shifts
Arash warming oil between his palms before it touches a fully draped guest
Plain oil, warmed between the palms.
IV

Warmth, gently

Warmth stays in the session and stays gentle. Steamed towels, warm compresses where the back and hips ask for them, and plain oil warmed between the palms, unscented and without arnica. The jade stones are optional in pregnancy; if you would like them, they are kept mild and away from the belly and low back, at your therapist's discretion. Warmth, weight and quiet are the signals a nervous system reads as safety, and each one is offered, never imposed.

V

The close

The last minutes are as still as the first. A few resonant notes close the session, then quiet. You come up slowly, with a hand if you want one, and there is no hurry out the door: water, a moment to sit, the door held. Set aside about two hours for the 90 and about ninety minutes for the 60.

The room, between guests.
Deep Restorative Massage™ · adapted for pregnancy

Not a different massage. The same method, adapted.

Prenatal is not a separate item on the menu here. Every session in this room is Deep Restorative Massage™, Arash's method: settle the nervous system first, then the work. Pregnancy changes what settling asks for, so each of the three steps adapts, and nothing else does.

1

Control the environment

Stays. One private room, one guest, one door that closes. Low, warm light, living plants, the sound of water, a warm table and soft linens.

Adapts. A purpose-made pregnancy bolster is on the table before you arrive. The oil is plain and unscented, without arnica. The diffuser goes off if scent is hard to be around, and the chai is caffeine-free.

2

Let the nervous system arrive

Stays. Nothing hands-on happens first. A pour if you would like one, then a real conversation before the table.

Adapts. What the conversation asks: how far along you are, how you have been sleeping, where the ache has moved this week, and anything your provider has asked you to avoid.

3

Then the work

Stays. Slow, sustained pressure the body meets instead of fighting, read continuously. Warmth to give the calm somewhere to land, and a close in sound and stillness.

Adapts. On your side, turned partway through, never face down. Legs gentle, always. Nothing on the belly. Warmth kept mild and optional. Deep here means deeply settled, not deep pressure.

Same welcome, same conversation, same close. Same method, adapted to you.

Every ritual beyond the massage itself is optional.

The method, in full →

The research

What the science supports, in plain words.

Prenatal massage has been studied in randomized trials for more than twenty years. The findings are modest, consistent and worth reading for yourself, so each one is linked. Where the evidence is thin, this page says so.

01

The worry is common. The trials do not bear it out.

A 2021 review of twelve randomized trials, all starting at twelve weeks or later, found that massage in uncomplicated pregnancies reduced stress, anxiety, low mood and back and leg pain. Only two trials reported side effects, and they were minor and passing; the complications that occurred were judged most likely unrelated to massage. The precautions the authors name are the ones this room follows: on your side, nothing on the belly, no deep work through the legs, no concentrated essential oils.

  • Mueller SM, Grunwald M (2021). Effects, Side Effects and Contraindications of Relaxation Massage during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Clinical Medicine. PubMed
02

Anxiety and low mood ease.

A meta-analysis of eight studies found a moderate reduction in pregnant women's anxiety and depressive symptoms with massage compared with usual care. The authors are careful to say that none of the trials was free of bias, and so is this page.

  • Hall HG, et al. (2020). The effectiveness of massage for reducing pregnant women's anxiety and depression; systematic review and meta-analysis. Midwifery. PubMed
03

Back and pelvic pain, with an honest footnote.

Across ten studies and 1,198 pregnant women, hands-on care reduced low back and pelvic pain compared with usual care and with relaxation alone, but not compared with a sham treatment. That means the setting, the attention and what you expect carry part of the effect. This room is built on exactly that.

  • Hall H, et al. (2016). The effectiveness of complementary manual therapies for pregnancy-related back and pelvic pain: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Medicine. PubMed
04

Sleep, over a course of sessions.

In a small five-week study, both massage and guided relaxation eased anxiety after the first session, but by the last day only the massaged women reported better sleep and less back pain. A later review found massage may be associated with better sleep in pregnancy, and rates the evidence low. The contrast points to a rhythm of sessions rather than one.

  • Field T, et al. (1999). Pregnant women benefit from massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynaecology. PubMed
  • Hollenbach D, et al. (2013). Non-pharmacological interventions for sleep quality and insomnia during pregnancy: A systematic review. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. PubMed
05

Swollen feet and ankles.

In a randomized trial of 80 women in late pregnancy, twenty minutes of foot massage a day for five days measurably reduced the swelling of the lower legs and feet compared with standard care. Gentle work through the feet is part of every prenatal session here.

  • Çoban A, Şirin A (2010). Effect of foot massage to decrease physiological lower leg oedema in late pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial in Turkey. International Journal of Nursing Practice. PubMed
06

Why you lie on your side.

MRI of women at 35 to 38 weeks showed that lying flat on the back lets the uterus press on the large vein returning blood to the heart, cutting its flow sharply and lowering the heart's output by about a sixth compared with lying on the left side. That is the reason for the bolster, and for turning rather than turning over.

  • Humphries A, et al. (2019). The effect of supine positioning on maternal hemodynamics during late pregnancy. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. PubMed
07

Pressure points will not start labor.

A Cochrane review of 22 trials and 3,456 women found no clear effect of acupressure on bringing on labor, including the time from treatment to birth, and the massage trials report nothing of the kind. The legs are kept gentle here for a different reason: pregnancy raises the risk of blood clots, and deep leg work is the one thing the research advises against.

  • Smith CA, Armour M, Dahlen HG (2017). Acupuncture or acupressure for induction of labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. PubMed
What we do not claim

Only what the evidence will carry.

Massage does not make a pregnancy safer, and we promise nothing about your baby. One research group has reported higher birth weights and fewer preterm births after prenatal massage; those results have not been repeated widely enough to build a promise on, so we do not. What the evidence does carry is quieter and real: less anxiety, less back and leg pain, better sleep, less swelling, and ninety minutes in which your body is allowed to stop bracing.

Field T, et al. (2009), Infant Behavior and Development · PubMed

Guest words
"We chatted for a while before a full body massage that was so grounding and relaxing. He is so good at what he does and does an amazing job of creating an environment that feels safe."Wren Ribble · Google · October 2024
"Absolutely amazing therapeutic massage, incredibly intuitive with pressure and areas."jane F · Google · October 2024

Guests' own words, from their public Google reviews. Every body, and every pregnancy, is different.

Sessions

Two ways in. Both adapted to you.

The Signature · The one to reserve if you can

90-Minute Arash Massage

Prenatal · set aside about two hours
  • A personalized wellness consultation over a cup of caffeine-free chai
  • Deep Restorative Massage™, adapted for pregnancy, with extended hands-on time
  • Side-lying on a pregnancy bolster, turned partway through
  • Steamed towels and gentle warmth, plain oil warmed in the palms
  • A closing moment of sound to land the session
Ninety minutes on the table, about two hours in all$225
Reserve the 90
Side-lying takes a little longer to settle into and to turn. The 90 leaves room for all of it.
The Essential

60-Minute Arash Massage

Prenatal · set aside about ninety minutes
  • A personalized wellness consultation over a cup of caffeine-free chai
  • Deep Restorative Massage™, adapted for pregnancy, focused where you need it
  • Side-lying on a pregnancy bolster
  • Steamed towels, scent kept light or off, your choice
  • A closing moment of sound to land the session
Sixty minutes on the table, about ninety in all$160
Reserve the 60
Sixty focused minutes, the same order in a tighter arc.

Reserve either session as you normally would. The intake form asks whether you are pregnant and how far along, and everything on this page follows from your answer. There is nothing else to select.

Questions
Is prenatal a separate service?

No. It is Deep Restorative Massage™, the same method behind the 90 and the 60, adapted for pregnancy. You reserve the 90 or the 60 as anyone would. The intake form asks whether you are pregnant and how far along, and the session is built from there.

Can I come in the first trimester?

Yes. The randomized trials of prenatal massage begin at twelve weeks, so the research is quiet on the first weeks rather than against them, and we have found no study behind the old rule that massage should wait. In the first trimester the work is gentle and nothing touches the belly. If your pregnancy is considered high risk, we ask that your provider is comfortable with massage first.

How will I lie on the table?

On your side, supported by pillows and bolsters at the belly, knees and head. Further along, a purpose-made pregnancy bolster does the holding so you never have to. You are turned partway through so both sides get equal time, and you are never left flat on your back for long.

Is it deep tissue?

Deep Restorative Massage™ adapts. Through the back, hips and shoulders it can be slow and firm if you want it. Through the legs it stays gentle, always, because pregnancy raises the risk of blood clots and deep leg work is the one thing the research advises against. Nothing is done on the belly. Deep here means deeply settled.

Can massage start labor?

No. Trials that set out to start labor with pressure points found no clear effect, and the massage trials report nothing of the kind. The legs are kept gentle for a different reason, explained above.

Is the chai all right in pregnancy?

The house chai is caffeine-free. Herbal tea and water are always on offer, and if scent or taste is difficult right now, the pour is simply skipped and the diffuser goes off.

What do I need to tell you when I reserve?

The intake form asks whether you are pregnant and how far along. That is all we need before the conversation in the lounge. Anything your provider has asked you to avoid, tell us there or in person.

The 60 or the 90?

The 90 if you can. Side-lying takes a few minutes longer to settle into and to turn, and the 90 leaves room for the feet, the hips and the close without anything being cut short. The 60 keeps the same order in a tighter arc.

Rest, on your side, one flight up.

Rated 5.0 on Google across 143 reviews. Reservations online or by phone.

Reserve the 90 Reserve the 60