Spa Review: Chocolate skin indulgence at Sanook

Once the dungeon of a former London courthouse, the snug, dimly lit Sanook Spa might now seem more like a white-collar version of solitary confinement. It's housed in a former London high court, the Kempinski Courthouse Hotel, where big names like Mick Jagger and Oscar Wilde once stood on trial. Upstairs, they have preserved many of the original features. In the bar, former cells serve as intimate drinking booths - and in the restaurant, parties can chose to dine in the docks, or on the judges bench!

Downstairs in the basement, the spa is small, unfussy and minimalist, with soft lighting, pale surfaces and a hint of Thailand in the subtle gold and black trimmings. There's nothing I hate more than going to a spa for a relaxing few hours and entering a brightly lit room that puts all my cellulite and body flaws on dramatic display. But I was pleased that my treatment room at Sanook had dim lighting and unobtrusive mirrors that already had me relaxed in my skin and surroundings as I slipped out of work clothes and into the prerequisite fluffy robe.

Sanook feature the relatively new Karin Herzog chocolate products, which smell delicious and not only infuse your skin with oxygen, vitamins and minerals, but also act on the brain to release feel good hormones - endorphines. Starting with my pedicure, the therapist washed my feet, smothered them in chocolate lotion like profiteroles and then wrapped them up in cling-film to absorb the moisture and scent. After about five minutes, she rinsed off the goo and finished with a standard pedicure. The chocolate part, while possibly a bit gimmicky, made Sanook worth a recommendation over a more basic salon; my feet were left feeling and looking smooth, refreshed and elegant - a great remedy for a hard days pavement pounding round the shops.

I'm inclined to feel that one good facial is as enjoyable as the next, but what set Sanook's chocolate facial apart was, not only the use (again) of the Karin Herzog products, but the added little 'extras'. I feel cheated if I don't, at the very least, get a neck rub along with all the potions and creams they're ladling onto my face. In that respect, this was the jackpot of facials.

Not only did I get a neck rub, my back and arms were also treated to a vigorous massage. I was slightly alarmed when they popped a cling-film mask over my face, but there were breathing holes. While I drifted in and out of sleep with my mask setting, the therapist gave me a hand massage. By the end, I felt as irresistible as a chocolate eclair!

The spa - located across from Liberty and just off Oxford Street - is conveniently placed for a post-shopping refresher or for a middle-of-the-day treatment when your in-tray is looking the other way. It has two treatment rooms, one that is big enough for couples and another that is perfect for exhibitionists: a glass room that overlooks the womblike pool, big enough to do a few idle breast strokes in or relax beside nibbling on the complementary fresh fruit and swigging mineral water.

If shopping is your crime, then take a break from the temptations on Oxford Street, and do your time at the Kempinski Courthouse Sanook spa, where repeat offenders are more than welcome!

Courthouse Hotel
19-21 Great Marlborough street
London W1F 7HL

Tel: 020 7297 5555
www.urbanpath.com