The land of leeks, dragons and Tom Jones, has sumptuous spas ideal for visitors and locals. From high end to budget, idyllic to quirky, you'll find something for every budget. So go on, treat yourself!

• Posh
• Trendy
• Classic
• Budget

The scene
When you first set eyes on Tre-Ysgawen Hall, gazing up that wooded drive toward the stately mansion, you'll be in no doubt that you're in for a seriously top-notch day out. In fact, as you ascend the stone steps, to be greeted by the oh-so-polite staff, the whole aristocratic experience is so flawless that you could easily be forgiven for wondering whether you'd just inherited half of Anglesey. There are gilded portraits on the walls, enormous chandeliers and never-ending curtains hanging at each vast window. And over in the converted Victorian stables adjoining the hotel, the health suite is equally palatial, with an 18m pool, sauna, steam room and whirlpool. Admittedly, it's got relatively few facilities compared to some other spas, but what it lacks in extras it definitely makes up for in grandeur. Six treatment rooms serve up a full menu including mud wraps, hot stone massage and specialist facials.

Star treatments
The most popular treatment here, is the salt glow massage. A simple salt body scrub followed by a half-hour massage, a perfect combination of stimulation and sedation, cleverly designed to leave you glowing and relaxed.

The cost
Half-day packages start at £65 and include full use of the facilities, a two-course lunch and an hour's treatment. A full-day package is £105 and includes a further hour's treatment and a gift at the end of the day.

Celtic Manor Resort
Coldra Woods
The Usk Valley
South Wales
NP18 1HQ
01633 413000
www.celtic-manor.co

The scene
Looming over the M4, this concrete fortress looks more like an army barracks than a five-star retreat. But the moment the valet steps out eagerly to greet you, a first-class experience unravels with an air of international exclusivity that'll make you forget which hemisphere you're in.

Golf club, hotel, conference centre and health club in one, the resort's so huge, even the staff confess to getting lost. But once you've found your way to the Forum Spa, you won't want to explore much else. Enter through an immaculate changing area with its own facilities - sauna, steam room, hot tub, plunge pool - or wander out onto the impressive poolside with star-studded ceiling, enormous walk-in sauna and Jacuzzi overlooking lush gardens and Usk Valley parkland.

Star treatments
Lurking behind one of the many wooden doors was the exotic-sounding Rasul Mud Ceremony. Entering a twinkling, fairy-lit mosaic chamber with a large dome-shaped chimney in the middle, we weren't quite sure what was going to happen. Classical music clashed with the eastern promise, but we followed orders and smeared ourselves with three different types of mud (for hair, body and face). Steam billowed from the flue as we sat there giggling. Twenty minutes later, a sudden shower of warm water cascaded from the ceiling and washed the lot off. We emerged suitably impressed, with silky hair and baby-soft skin.

Cost
Use of the Forum Spa is free to hotel residents. Day packages with two treatments start from £85.

Trendy

St David's Marine Spa
Havannah Street
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
South Wales
CF10 5SD
02920 454 045
www.thestdavidshotel.com

The scene
Enticingly situated overlooking Cardiff Bay, St David's Hotel and Spa is about as slick as they come. Cleanly and simply designed, the health suite has a sauna, fully-equipped gym, spacious relaxation room, saltwater hydrotherapy pool and 15m overflowing pool with sweeping views of the bay and sea beyond. And that's just for starters. The menu's crammed with goodies including thalassotherapy and hydrotherapy treatments where you're blasted with a jet shower, dipped in and out of the hydrotherapy pool and smothered from head to toe in marine-made goodies. Because of its central location, the spa pulls in an assortment of urbanites and travellers, from polished businessmen escaping their suits to upmarket hens in for pruning parties. One day in this ultra-cool minimalist environment should be enough to smooth out any glitches you've got in your system.

Star treatments
The spa's philosophy is all about giving everyone a tailor-made experience, so you may want to sit back and leave your choice of treatments to the experts. One luxury not to be missed however, is the Chantecaille Flower Facial - the combination of acupressure techniques, lymphatic drainage and products with an exceptionally high concentration of botanicals (up to 99.9 per cent) make this a winner. The penultimate mask of the facial is decorated with rose petals, and will leave you smelling sweeter than your granny's garden.

The cost
The Chantecaille Flower Facial costs £75 for an hour. Other facials start from £50 and body treatments from £55. Day packages are available from £95.

Classic

Bodelwyddan Castle
Bodelwyddan
Denbighshire
LL18 5YA
North Wales
01745 585 088
www.warnerholidaysonline.co.uk

The scene
You can't help feeling as though you've just stepped onto the set of a Merchant Ivory production when you arrive at Bodelwyddan Castle. It's got all the history and character that you'd expect from such a fairy-tale setting. In 250 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and parkland, this 19th-century castle with ivy-clad turrets, walled gardens and sweeping lawns is so darned picturesque that you'll probably be torn between wanting to lap up the gorgeous surroundings and getting stuck into the treats inside. The 12m hexagonal pool comes hand-in-hand with a spa pool, sauna, steam room, Tropicarium, plunge pool, gym and solarium. Add to that list practically every treatment that Decleor ever dreamed up and a hairdressing salon too, and you're almost up to speed on Bodelwyddan's daytime delights.

Star treatments
The Spa emphasises the Tropicarium. a cross between a sauna and a warm steam room with aromatherapy. The spa manager also recommended their Decleor facial - with this luxurious treatment, your face, back, neck, shoulders and hands will all get a massage, not to mention a dousing of lotions and potions.

The cost
Facials range from £25 and £42. Day use of the spa facilities is £10. Spa day packages including either a facial or full body massage start from £65.

The Vale
Hensol Park
Hensol
Nr. Cardiff
Vale of Glamorgan
CF72 8JY
South Wales
01443 667800
www.vale-hotel.com

The scene
Set up five years ago under the guiding wing of The Sanctuary, the Vale's Spa now calls itself the 'largest in Wales'. With 19 treatment rooms, 50 different treatments, 20m pool, sauna, whirlpool, steam room, hydrotherapy bath, gym and fitness studios, it could well be the biggest, but it certainly isn't the most impressive. There's nothing wrong with the facilities here - in fact you'll be spoilt for choice on a half- or full-day package - but there's definitely something more leisure centre than luxurious spa about what the Vale has to offer that makes it feel a bit like you're not worth the whole ten yards. Settle down to a treatment though, and it's a different story altogether - forget any misgivings about the décor or design, and choose from a whole catalogue of fantastic treatments. And with two treatment rooms for couples, you can indulge in any of the treatments with your loved one or girlfriend lying right by your side.

Star treatments
A pretty jam-packed firmament to pick just one star treatment from. We reckoned that Elemis's Exotic Coconut Rub and Milk Ritual (in which a warm milk bath is poured all over your body) and for something fruity and floral, pick their Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap (blended from Tahitian flowers). Another treatment worth writing home about is the dry flotation. Cocooned in a warm water blanket (a bit like a watery sleeping bag) you get to experience weightlessness in much the same way as you would in a floatation tank. This is supposed to induce intense relaxation and send you drifting off to fairyland.

The cost
A half-day package starts from £65 and includes 3 treatments. Full-day packages start from £120 including 3 treatments and lunch.

Budget

The West Usk Lighthouse
St Brides
Wentloog
Newport
South Wales NP10 8SF
01633 810126
www.westusklighthouse.co.uk

The scene
Even if the spa experience here was just a hose-down on the beach, this 19th-century lighthouse would still be worth a visit. But add in a whole host of holistic spoils and this jewel in Wales's crown is one you won't want to miss. The fantastic backdrop delivers more atmosphere than a Hardy novel, but it's the lighthouse itself, lovingly restored by Frank and Danielle Sheahan, that's the real inspiration here. Looking rather like a two-tiered wedding cake, perched furtively at the shore edge, it's just out of reach of high tide. And in case the surroundings themselves aren't enough to have you smitten with the place, Frank & Daneille will conjure up just about any experience you fancy. Drift off in the floatation tank, watch the sun rise or set (or both) in the hot tub, host your own barbecue lunch, enjoy a Rolls Royce ride to the local restaurant or choose from a whole raft-load of healing therapies.

Star treatments
As a qualified hypnotherapist Danielle can help you with anything from stress, depression, phobias and Irritable Bowel Syndrome to smoking cessation. The lighthouse is also the place to go for all sorts of more unusual healing techniques including past life regression and chakra cleansing. In fact you could refrain from taking any treatments at all! Just spend a day here and you'd be hard-pushed not to find some tonic for the soul. If you'd rather stick to more traditional forms of relaxation however, there's hot stone massage, Indian head massage, reiki, shiatsu, Thai massage and lots more.

The cost
All treatments cost between £35 and £60. Prices for bespoke packages on application.