A tranquil spa break in the New Forest

I chose the Sen Fusion Signature Massage, an hour and a half of pure luxury. My Thai masseuse, Pao, combined traditional Thai, Shiatsu, Ayurvedic, Swedish and aromatherapy techniques to work out any post-Christmas tensions left in my shoulders. Using her hands and elbows, she kneaded and pummelled me, focusing on the energy lines (or Sen) of my body. The combination of hot towels and a delicious cocktail of macadamia, bergamot, jojoba and lime oils soon had me calm, and the gentle stretching with which she finished off left me refreshed and feeling a little taller (always a good thing when you're just shy of five foot).

It's always lovely to rest after a treatment and there are quiet rooms in the spa area where you can sit and read a magazine or doze gently on the Thai beds. There's Thai green tea on tap, so you can just kick back and while away an hour or two very pleasantly.

Also included in the cost of your spa break is a Mind and Body class. Ours was a Body Conditioning class, which was a mixture of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga designed to stretch and tone your body. I'm hopelessly uncoordinated, so was out of time with all the other participants, but it must have done some good as my tummy muscles certainly felt stretched the following day.

Going green
In January 2007, Careys Manor launched its 'Green Team', a group of employees working together to make the hotel and spa more environmentally friendly. So far, they have installed more efficient loft insulation, are replacing lights with energy-saving bulbs, use electricity generated from wind farms and conserve water by installing butts. They also use local, organic and free-range produce in all of their three restaurants, so you can feel virtuous as you enjoy your pampering.

All the food we ate was absolutely delicious. In the spa itself, there's the Zen Garden restaurant which serves Thai food. This haven of tranquillity is heavily influenced by Thai culture, with its bamboo ceiling and full-length windows that open on to a courtyard with water features. It's open all day, so if you fancy a fresh fruit smoothie after one of your treatments, or even a cream tea if you're not on a health kick, this is the place to hang out. In the evening we ate at the Manor Restaurant, where there was a good choice from the set menu, and an impressive wine list to complement the food.

For more information about the hotel and spa breaks visit www.careysmanor.com or www.senspa.co.uk

SenSpa is at:
Careys Manor Hotel,
Brockenhurst,
New Forest,
Hampshire, SO42 7RH
Tel: 08707 512307