The face behind Caresse Babyspa

Mandy Gast was born in Eindhoven in 1990 and has been the proud owner of Caresse Babyspa since 12 December 2020. When Mandy was born, her parents gave her the baptismal name “Caresse”, which means caress. So she did not have to think long about the baby spa’s name, because affection is exactly what it is all about at the baby spa: quality time with your baby!

From the age of 15, Mandy has always enjoyed making others happy and believes it is important to take care of people and help them have a wonderful time. During her HAVO education, she was chair of the student council and mentored first-year students at secondary school. Mandy also helped make the school parties and graduation gala possible.

After completing secondary school, she decided to study Hotel and Event Management, in which she worked for more than 10 years. When COVID-19 brought this industry to a standstill, Mandy decided to change direction and focus on her other passion: the wellness industry!

Her godchild’s mother told her about the limited choice of activities to do with a baby and how happy she was to have discovered a baby spa in Antwerp (!). Mandy joined her one day and saw how much the baby enjoyed being able to move freely in warm water. It reminded her of her own rehabilitation after a serious car accident, when she had to learn to walk again through hydrotherapy. Mandy researched the baby spa concept and soon concluded that it was exactly what she was looking for.

She retrained as a baby massage instructor, became a Dunstan Baby Language trainer, obtained her first aid certificate and completed various courses and training in anatomy and physiology. Mandy is also the director and owner of Dunstan Baby Language Netherlands and actively contributes to a working group on hydrotherapy for babies.

Mandy loves what she does, and it shows! Hospitality, expertise and personal attention come first.

“In this way, we ensure that not only the babies but also the parents can relax. They strengthen their bond and, in a relaxed way, the sessions contribute to their mental and physical development.”