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Stress-busting at the Runnymede Hotel and Spa

If you're feeling stressed, or want to treat a girlfriend, mother or daughter to a totally relaxing and indulgent day out, head to the Runnymede Hotel and Spa near Windsor for their great Stress-Buster Package

I was really looking forward to a day of chilling and had arranged to meet my friend Sarah at the hotel. My day started somewhat earlier than I'd have liked with my friend, Bruce, ringing at four in the morning to say his wife was in labour and they needed someone to look after their two-year-old!

Luckily for me, Mitzi didn't hang about and delivered her son almost as soon as they arrived at the hospital, and the proud dad came back home to relieve me and explain to his daughter why mummy wasn't around when she woke up.

I arrived at the hotel, tired from my early start and a bit stressed from negotiating the M25 in rush hour (and getting confused on the A308 and heading off in completely the wrong direction!) and joined Sarah in the Garden Room for coffee and homemade pastries. We then had a quick tour of the facilities, before changing into our fluffy white robes and being led down to the Aquitaine spa.

Hot stone massage
For history buffs, the spa takes its name from Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Henry II and mother of Richard the Lionheart and King John, who reluctantly signed the Magna Carta on the Runnymede meadows, which are directly opposite the hotel. Usually, I like a bit of history, but I must confess I was much more interested in the prospect of the full body aromatherapy massage with hot stones we'd booked as part of the package.

Sarah and I were led through the private relaxation area with its comfy sofas and huge plasma TV, to a separate treatment room where our therapists explained the treatment and invited us to choose which aromatherapy oils we'd like. We were soon settled on the treatment beds and the therapists set to work on the knots in my tired muscles.

My first impression of the stones was that they were almost painfully hot, but the pleasure of them melting all my tension quickly dispelled any doubts and I found myself greedily wanting more as they cooled. The massage is beautifully relaxing and concentrates on the vital energy centres (charkas) along the spine, hands, feet and scalp to restore balance and harmony. In my case, I relaxed so much that I dozed off and had to be gently roused when it was time to turn over.

The treatment ends with a scalp massage, after which we peeled ourselves off the tables and wandered back to the relaxation room. Sipping glasses of cold water, we compared notes about our experiences and were both thoroughly impressed with the treatment. Any residual tension from my morning had definitely been pummelled away and I was deliciously chilled and ready for lunch.

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