USP A short walk from the hustle and bustle of Harrods, the Peak Health Club and Spa is set in the genteel surroundings of the Jumeirah Carlton hotel.

AMBIENCE Voted one of the Top Ten UK day spas 2008 by readers of Conde Nast Traveller, the spa is on the 9th floor and offers great views over London. Entry is through a marbled foyer and into functional and clean changing rooms that have Molton Brown products in the shower.

A thick dressing gown and slippers are provided before you up the stairs to the small but functional spa next to the gym and into one of the treatment rooms.

The decor is calming cream colours with the customary piped music. It was a bit warm in the small/cosy room but once the air conditioning was turned on it was fine. So fine, in fact, that I fell asleep long before the facial had finished.

Top 5 London day spas

We've hand-picked five of the capital's best day spas for part-time pampering

Top 5 New York spas

We've hand-picked five of the Manhattan's best spas

• The high guide to New York nightlife

• Cut-price New York fashion

• Dorit Baxter's spa, Manhattan, New York

Related Links

• Pacifica Spa, Notting Hill

Multimedia

• View the video of East River Spa, London Docklands

Before and after treatments you can use the steam rooms, saunas, gym or swimming pool.

EXPERIENCE

I had a facial using Pevonia products derived from plants, fruits, vegetables and the ocean. My therapist, Francesca, started with a cleanser and then a hydrating toner before asking if I was claustrophopic, which I though was a bit strange until a mask hovered over my face spewing out steam - so she could “excavate” my skin.

The treatment took me back to teenage years as she used her fingers to squeeze out the blackheads on my nose. Why does there have to be something painful in every spa treatment and when will spas learn that men do not want to suffer for their beauty, we are just not programmed that way.

Anyway... an enzyme powder mask, neck massage and eye gel followed that which had me drifting off before she finished with an age defying face balm - although you probably need more than one before the years drop off.

Having said that my wife noticed the difference as soon as I got back to our room at the Jumeirah Lowndes hotel, just a few seconds walk around the corner. She said that my skin looked fresh and clean.

FOOD With that light, relaxed feeling that comes from having had a spa treatment we headed to the Mimosa restaurant in the hotel to try their new brunch, conceived with the help of Masterchef winner Steven Wallis.

Chocolate risotto with mascarpone cheese doesn’t sound that good but is wonderful on the tongue. My two girls opted for Belgian waffles with chocolate sauce and porridge with a chocolate swirl.

Nothing, however beat their signature dish - Mimosa benedict:smoked salmon on brioche topped with poached eggs, blood orange Hollandaise and caviar. I am no food critic but it was tangy, sweet and well worth making the trip for.

IN CROWD About 80 per cent of the spa clients are, not surprisingly, women who live in the area and come regularly.

WALLET WATCH Pevonia Plantomer Lift-Off Mask – from £75 for 75 minutes. A Skin Care Lesson costs £25 for 25 minutes of analysis and a Tropical Saltmousse Glow body treatment costs £60 for 45 minutes. Pampering day packages with lunch and a glass of champagne plus access to all facilities from £160 for 120 minutes of treatments.

NEED TO KNOW Peak Health Club and Spa: Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Cadogan Place, London, SW1X 9PY (020 7858 7300; www.jumeirahcarltontower.com/health_club)

Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel: 21 Lowndes Street, Knightsbridge, SW1X 9ES (Tel: 020 7823 1234 www.jumeirahlowndeshotel.com)

Times recommends

• The three best routes to the Med
• How to cash in on your holiday money
• 10 tips for the perfectly packed suitcase