One Spa to rule them all with face and body massage

The treatment

A Spring in Your Step Spa Day, £135pp, at One Spa, Edinburgh. It includes an ESPA Intensive Facial and a Full Body Essential Massage (1 hour 50 minute treatment time), plus use of Escape at One for up to three hours. Available from 1 March until 29 April, Monday to Friday.

Why go?

Because after winter, you’re like a dehydrated packet soup. To reconstitute, just add lots of water (the Thermal Suite here, with rooftop hydropool, swimming pool, hot rock sauna, hammams, steam room and all the trimmings, should do the job), then stir (using your favourite therapist).

Our spy says

“Ah, I like to call that technique ‘don’t tickle me or break me’” says my therapist, Ishbel, after I ask for medium to firm massage pressure on my visit to this spa.

And, she delivers. My spine is stretched, knots are smoothed and tired and stringy muscles along the side of my ribs are gently kneaded. “Breathe through the tight areas,” she instructs, and I inhale when the side of my legs and my lower back are rubbed. It feels as if I was in a corset, but my laces are being slowly loosened.

When I turn onto my back, the eucalyptus and peppermint in the ESPA Body Oil opens my airways, while Ishbel massages my arms, shoulders and the front of my legs.

The experience moves seamlessly onto the facial. When I say seamlessly, I mean apart from the bit when you look at your skin under an ultraviolet light, while holding a hand mirror. I resemble the lovechild of Violet Beauregarde and a giraffe, with purple splatters on my cheeks. I’m not surprised, as my skin has barely limped through winter, with dry patches all over the place and more new wrinkles than a shar pei puppy. Ishbel gets to work repairing the damage. I lose count of the deliciously scented unguents that she rubs into my face, which include an oil based cleanser, very gentle exfoliant, a spritz of Spa Fresh toner, Cellular Hydration Intense Serum and Mandarin Lip Balm.

There’s also a head rub with ESPA’s hero product, Pink Hair and Scalp Mud, thrown in for good measure.

The results

As promised, I have a spring in my step, but there’s also a bounce to my previously dessicated skin. Winter’s over as far as I’m concerned.