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Spa review: Champneys Health Farm, Tring

Walking up the sweeping driveway of Champney's Health Farm in Tring, I feel as though I've been transported back in time to a Jane Austen novel. Set in 170 acre grounds, this sprawling stately home - a former Rothschild mansion - makes the perfect backdrop for those looking to fully immerse themselves in the soothing powers of this grandiose oasis of calm

Champneys Health Resort, Tring
Wigginton,
Tring,
Hertfordshire, HP23 6HY, UK
Tel: 08703 300 300
Web: www.champneys.com

Inside the main mansion, housing the guest rooms, the restaurant and the drawing room, the rooms are all decorated in Regency style. My treatments are not due to start until the afternoon, so there is ample time to read the papers in the very ornate 'Drawing Room', where I curl up on a sofa sipping herbal tea in front of a roaring, hypnotic fire.

While I relax, I try to spot some celebrity Champney-lovers - who include the likes of Cilla Black, Naomi Campbell and David Beckham. My only spot is a fleeting Frank Bruno, but he'll do. I chat to a 35-year-old advertising executive who is here with her boyfriend for a weekend of pampering - he is opting for the sports massage. He smiles politely but I think is perhaps a little uncomfortable in his robe which is threatening to reveal his modesty - he is 6ft 2, and it barely skims his thighs.

A long corridor from the main mansion takes you through to the spa reception and treatment rooms. Here, the decor is muted and stylish, much quieter and less fussy than the striking style of rest of the mansion. Your skin, if ancient wisdom is to be believed, is the window to your true health - and mine was in need of some serious attention, so I decided to start with a Pure Balance Facial.

Ushered by a reassuringly radiant-skinned young woman into a candlelit room, I was de-robed and asked to lie down on a comfortable treatment table. Gentle meditation music was playing quietly (thankfully, not a birthing whale in earshot), and warm towels were placed along my body. My therapist, Sarah, asked me a few general questions about the state of my skin, before applying a gentle exfoliant, followed by an invigorating facial massage. Next she applied a white china clay mask which removes surface impurities by absorbing excess oils, and also refines the skin pores.

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