Health spas

A health spa combines the indulgence of a normal spa with medical, nutritional, fitness and general health expertise, making it the perfect place for a full-body MOT. Sometimes also called day spas or health farms, health spas are the perfect place to preen and refresh your body and achieve that zen-like calm for your mind. Some of the most famous health spas include Chelsea Harbour Club in London, Alexandra House in Huddersfield and KuBu Spa in Oxfordshire.

Health spas can be found anywhere from big country-seat mansions to boutique department store spas. The facilities they offer will vary depending on their individual approach to health; some will focus on the specific health-giving treatments and will have limited area for relaxation, while others will take a more holistic approach to health and wellbeing with facilities like a fully-equipped gym, indoor or outdoor swimming pools, quiet relaxation room, class studio, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, Turkish hammam, hydrotherapy pools and even floatation tanks as well as the usual treatment and consultation rooms. The health spa you choose may well depend on how much time you have to relax and indulge.

So why would you go to a health spa? The treatments on offer at health spas can vary enormously, not only due to the different facilities available, but also the particular skills and expertise of the therapists and professionals working at the spa. If the health spa you choose has practitioners of alternative medicine such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, or therapies such as acupuncture and reiki, there will be an impressive number of health conditions that can be treated. Similarly, many health spas will have qualified dermatologists, nutritionists or life coaches on hand to get you the best results from your chosen course of treatment or therapy.

When it comes to topping up your health tanks you'll be able to choose from beauty and skincare treatments, stress relieving massages and often a whole variety of alternative therapies. Feeling a bit blue? Try acupuncture, reflexology or maybe just a silky-smooth Swedish massage. Got the odd spot? Try a facial, body wrap or exfoliating treatment to zap the zits. Muscles tied in knots? Book yourself in for a deep-tissue massage, a yoga class or a hot stone massage. In other words, there are more health spa treatments than you can shake a well-manicured finger at.

Once you've pampered yourself pretty, soothed your stress and generally polished your health-halo, most health spas have a relaxation area where you can top your treatments off with a coffee, afternoon tea or maybe even some sweet treats.