USP Set amidst 350 acres of parkland on top of a small hill, Stoke Park Club commands impressive views over… Slough. Trust me, it’s not as depressing as it sounds. The parkland, incorporating a 27-hole golf course, is beautifully maintained, and Slough looks positively picturesque, its lights flickering in the background, David Brent just a distant memory. Plus it’s 35 minutes from Paddington and 7 miles from Heathrow airport.

AMBIENCE Stoke Park takes its spa seriously and has put it in a new building a few minutes walk from the main Grade 1 listed mansion. There’s an indoor swimming pool with glass walls overlooking the grounds and an aquarium with tropical fish built in to another wall. There is a steam room just off the swimming pool in the changing rooms, which is a strange place to expect people to rest and relax I always think, and it was empty, so maybe other people feel the same way. A large relaxation room with sofas, throws and magazines serves as a waiting room for the treatments, and a darkened room with massage beds and low lighting is where you recover from your massage or facial. There’s also a 4,000 square foot gym and studio classes if you feel inclined.

TREATMENT I had a Ytsara massage which was quite an experience. It’s a Thai brand, and the most unusual element was that the massage was done using a hot poultice filled with lemongrass. This is, according to the blurb, a practice unchanged since Thailand’s Ayutthaya Period [14th-18th century] when hot packs were administered to soldiers returning home with muscle aches and bruises. It’s pretty effective on a stressed office worker’s crunched up shoulders, too, and was probably one of the best massages I’ve ever had. It’s tempting to think that a new type of treatment is just a gimmick, but this felt fantastic. I virtually crawled to the darkened relaxation room to drink the tea which is the final part of the ritual, and there I met a spa-virgin who had just had her first [Ytsara] massage and was left cooing and dribbling by the experience.

IN CROWD Stoke Park is popular for weddings [a friend of mine spent her wedding night there and said when she turned up there were another three brides trying to check in – it was nearly tiaras at dawn] so there are lots of brides-to-be, with mothers and maids of honours, desperately trying to relax while adding the finishing touches to their beauty regime.

FOOD The beach bar provides a variety of food for the hungry spa-goer. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, soup, and fruit smoothies.

WALLET WATCH My massage, a Samunprai Thai herbal heat energiser was £90 for 90 minutes. A 60-minute full body massage is £60, a quick escape package is £220 per person and includes one night’s accommodation, a three-course meal and breakfast the next morning, lunch, a full body massage and use of the health pavilion. You can also use the spa if you are a member or purchase a day at the spa with treatments from around £100 pounds.

NEED TO KNOW Stoke Park Club, Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire (01753 717171; www.stokeparkclub.com)

Times recommends

• Oasis of the Seas: the Times review
• The 20 best new year party places to stay
• Green Spaces 2009: are you the winning writer?