This delicious sounding and very unusual treatment can be found at Cotton Bay Village in the Casuarina Spa, St Lucia. You don't get to eat any of it though, and it does get very messy!

The treatment: Banana, Yoghurt and Nutmeg Wrap
Cost: $95.00
Duration: 50 minutes
The spa: Cotton Bay Village, St Lucia

The lowdown

Once inside the Casuarina spa, I'm lead to my treatment room. I'm left to lie down on a clear plastic sheet which covers the treatment table, with fresh banana leaves laid over the sheet.

My modesty is preserved at all times, by the excellent practitioner Joyce, who makes sure she covers-up parts of your body with towels when she isn't working-on that area.

Elemis products are used during this treatment, and we begin with a body-brush; using Tea Tree SOS spray which has anti-bacterial properties.

Brushing improves the circulation and removes any dead skin cells. This was not too rough or uncomfortable in any way. Next the body is drizzled with locally-sourced coconut oil, with Joyce using a sweeping hand movement up and down my legs to aid circulation. Banana, yoghurt and nutmeg mixed together to form a paste is added to the body, and massaged into the skin.

These natural ingredients have excellent health benefits; bananas for their potassium content, yoghurt as a natural moisturiser and natural skin soother, and nutmeg is an anti-inflammatory, and aids the cardiovascular system while reducing swelling in the joints. It's perfect for jet-lagged bodies, and skins which have perhaps had too much exposure to sunlight during the first day or two!

The plastic sheet is wrapped up around you as the room temperature increases. This amplifies the removal of toxins through sweating.

An Elemis facial is completed while you relax and sweat it out.

The Casuarina spa at Cotton Bay has some fantastic features, one of which is the showers. With large shower heads, and various water pressures coming-out in one go, I'm left to wash-off the now messy leaves, yoghurt and banana mixture.

I'm taken back to my room, which had now been cleaned up, and warm comforting towels have been placed on the treatment table. A soothing massage is done using locally-sourced Lemongrass oils, which is also excellent for tired, achy and jet-lagged muscles.

Results

I felt very 'clean' after this treatment, and Joyce is a very enthusiastic and confidant practitioner. She explains the whole process in a step-by-step manner, and encourages each client to continue with 'after-care' practices.

Email: casurinaspa@cottonbaystlucia.com (open to guests staying at both Cotton Bay Village and BodyHoliday at Le Sport.

Kuoni Travel (01306 747001) or www.kuoniworldclass.co.uk offers 7 nights at Cotton Bay St Lucia in a tamarind suite on room only basis, including flights with Virgin from Gatwick with private transfers in resort. Prices for September 2008 from £1317 per person based on two sharing.