Being a baby isn’t all nap time and cuteness. There’s the whole diaper thing and the limited menu, plus strangers constantly getting in your face. It can be rough.

Sometimes babies need a break. Luckily for the local under-age-1 crowd, Miami now has a spa just for them. Seriously.

The Amazing Baby Spa, which recently opened in North Miami Beach, pampers 2-week to 6-month-olds via hydrotherapy and full-body massages complete with grapeseed oil.

If all of this sounds very Miami to you, well, you’re missing the point, owner Vivian Keeler tells New Times. “Someone who doesn’t understand the benefits might think, Oh, this is some bourgeois thing that would happen in Miami,” she says. “This is great for babies in many ways and stimulates their bodies and minds with movement and strength.”

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Francisco Aguila

Keeler, a chiropractor and doula who also teaches hypnobirthing, in which women practice hypnotism to make labor go more smoothly, got the idea after hearing about a similar company in Australia. The Aussie business and its photos of blissful, floating babies grabbed headlines internationally.

The Amazing Baby Spa is one of few in America. Houston's Float Baby, which opened in 2014 to much fanfare, is believed to be the first. Owner Kristi Ison pitched the idea on Shark Tank but was laughed off. "You're serious?!" businessman Kevin O’Leary asked. 

At the North Miami Beach spa, first-time visits cost $125. Babies wear specialized doughnut-shaped flotation devices for about a half-hour of float time in a tub that includes a state-of-the-art filtration system to purify the water. After they finish, the little ones are wrapped in organic towels and treated to a massage given by mom or dad with instruction from a certified trainer.

Subsequent sessions cost $85. Packages of three, six, or ten visits come at discounted prices.

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Francisco Aguila

Some pediatricians have their doubts about the benefits of baby spas. But Keeler says floating and massages improve sleep patterns and encourage muscular coordination. They also promote bonding and attachment, among other benefits.

"The babies love it," she says. "Parents love it too." 

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