Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire

Treatment time

I'd opted for the Decleor Moroccan Spice Earth Detox Face and Body, because I'd never had a body wrap and it felt more adventurous than going for the usual massage.

I was led into a small, dimly-lit room where my therapist, Jenny, talked me through the detoxifying benefits of the 135-minute treatment. I then lay down on a heated bed and tried not to nod off as she began with a facial, slathering on some yummy-smelling Decleor cleansing milk and toning lotion followed by a Phyto Peel.

After this was removed, I again fought sleep as she gave me an excellent aromatherapy back massage to the tune of some soporific music (hard to identify but sounded suspiciously like Peruvian pan pipes).

Then it was time for the body wrap, which involved being coated neck to ankle in a warm balm of Moroccan clays and essential oils, and being wrapped up in the plastic sheet I was lying on. I was then enveloped in a heated blanket, like a sticky Christmas present, and I began to feel uncomfortably claustrophobic.

This, combined with the balm's slightly nauseating smell, induced minor panic when Jenny left the room for a few minutes and I stared at the ceiling, trying not to think about the glass of water I desperately wanted but couldn't physically reach, imploring her to come back.

Finally, the door opened and it was with some relief I shook myself free of the plastic sheeting and dived into the shower to rinse it all off. After this, things got back on track and I returned to the bed for a deep, draining face massage. By the time I was done, my small panic attack was forgotten and I wafted out the room feeling pleasantly comotosed and smelling like a fruit harvest.

Removing bad spirits and relaxing

When I met up with my friend, she was in a similar state. She'd gone for the Li'Tya Marta Kodo Massage, an 80-minute Australian Aboriginal treatment designed to re-align energy flow, relieve tension and detoxify. She was asked to select a scented oil from a choice of three with which to coat her body, and after much sniffing, settled on the lavendery, energising option.

Momentarily alarmed by the burning of Aussie tree bark (used by Aborigines in spiritual ceremonies to remove bad spirits) wafting round the room, she soon began to feel the massage's relaxing benefits as she was kneaded, prodded and rubbed.

The excitement of the treatments left us, again, desperately hungry, and we were overjoyed to be confronted by a huge buffet of salads, fish and healthy meat curries in the restaurant.

So it was with full stomachs, satin-smooth skin and stress-free heads that we bundled back into the car for the drive back to the city. Our detox was over. Now it was time to party!

Need to know

Ragdale Hall Health Hydro
Ragdale Village
Melton Mowbray
Leicestershire, LE14 3PB
Tel: 01664 434 831
www.ragdalehall.co.uk

From £309 per person for a two-night weekend stay, sharing an economy room, inclusive of all meals, use of facilities, plus a 50-minute body massage or facial. For the same package midweek (for two nights per person), prices start from £249.