It’s no secret that just after childbirth, formerly strong and stylish women enter a world of raging hormones, body image issues and a social life that often involves sitting on a gym floor singing “Twinkle, Twinkle.” While motherhood offers you a world of miracles, the rhythms of your pre- and post-baby life are now out of sync. What were once manicured nails now look like broken eggshells; hair that saw coiffing and highlights every five weeks is now pulled into a pony tail; and that lower-back ache that used to be fixed with a massage is now something for aspirin to handle—that is, if you aren’t breastfeeding. In short, becoming a mother requires a 24-hour-a-day focus, but the person you were before the baby doesn’t have to be put on hold.

Thankfully, clever moms and business gurus began to realize that this group of postnatal parents was an untapped resource, one with huge market potential. Maternity designers have understood for some time that women want style, even with a burgeoning belly. Designer carriages and baby cashmere sweaters have multiplied in boutiques faster than you can say, “Charge it.” Spas offering babymoons—romantic retreats for expectant parents—have exploded in popularity. It was only a matter of time before spas catering to mother-and-child began to show up on the radar.

Lately, cities like New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta are seeing simple signature day spas sprout up offering an array of services for mom and baby. In New York, Citibabes, a brainchild of two mothers looking for something more than a simple gym daycare, opened its doors in November 2005. Boasting a 500-family clientele and a waiting list longer than a night with a colicky baby, Citibabes has struck a chord. “Moms still want to look good,” says spokesperson Jennifer Styles. “Here they can relax, have a manicure or a haircut and know that their baby is safe and just around the corner.” Members (who include A-list celebrities looking for a little privacy) can spend a day at the spa while their little one (from three months to five years) takes a class, has a petit manicure or is simply watched by a child care professional. Day spas like Encino, California’s recently opened Skin Spa Baby aim to teach parents how to reduce stress and incorporate their little ones into their own healthy lifestyle. “When a baby is a month old, it’s a luxury to take a shower,” says Rebecca Sprecher at Skin Spa Baby. “Women come here and it’s postpartum paradise.” Offers on their menu include restorative packages, including mom-and-baby yoga, massage and baby sign language.

Destination spas are also opening their doors to the mother and babe revolution. While the idea of spending a week relaxing in the same room as an infant doesn’t really fit the traditional spa image, a growing number of spas understand that these potential clients (that growing percentage of 35- to 45-year-old, disposable-income, first-time mothers) will come—if they build it. European spas have been onto this secret for a while. At Evian-les-Bains, on the shores of Lake Geneva, the French Ministry of Health has endorsed programs offering either mom-and-baby joint massages and water sessions, or providing child care while mom goes to a bust remodeling class or simply enjoys a mineral body scrub. The Greenhouse Spa in Arlington, Texas, was one of the first spas in the U.S. to offer twice-a-year retreats geared at moms and their young offspring. On its menu of services are baby-and-me yoga classes, expert lectures ranging from fashion for moms and babes to nutritional tips, and finally a traditional menu of treatments for mom to enjoy alone.

Babies are truly honored guests at spas these days. Rooms are often geared with a full nursery, including organic baby shampoos, tiny terry cloth robes and cribs fitted with Egyptian hypoallergenic linens. While it’s true that some spas hold to the idea that a spa is still a retreat, a place for serene relaxation and contemplation, more and more spas are offering creative options for a most deserving population.