USP The Lansdowne Place Hotel and Spa has just undergone a complete refurbishment, and the result is an elegant post-war feel with bold modern accents – lustrous maroon velvet and a touch of Art Deco alongside leopard print – sounds gaudy, but it works.

The spa is a new addition to the hotel basement and while the décor is not as bold as the hotel upstairs, it’s attractive, with a cool white and dark maroon colour scheme and peacock feather designs on doors. It is just what you want after a day’s shopping in the Lanes, about 20 minute’s walk away, or getting blown about on the seafront.

QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE The spa is E’spa branded, so regular spa-goers will know what to expect in terms of products and treatments, although they’ll also know that there can be great disparity between E’spa outlets. I had the Holistic Back, Face and Scalp Treatment with Hot Stones, a treatment I’ve had before but never enjoyed as much.

The treatment starts with the aromatic consultation where you choose either the more relaxing or revitalising oils. One of these is dropped into warm water for inhalation during the treatment and others are used in the back, face and scalp massages. The therapist explained all of this and quietly talked me through the treatment as we went, which put me at ease. She’d also offered to start 15 minutes late so I could have a sauna and steam, beforehand, warming my muscles and opening pores to make the treatment more effective.

The hot stones make a nice change from hands during a massage because the even, warm surface of the stone moves smoothly over muscle. I enjoyed this treatment particularly because the scalp massage was so soothing, if a little soporific, and afterwards I saw a noticeable difference to the skin on my face which was brighter and smooth, although brisk Brighton sea air was probably responsible for my rosy cheeks.

AMBIENCE The spa is cool and dark with a soothing aroma. There isn’t much to it beyond the eight treatment rooms. The changing areas are small and stark and although guests can relax in the sauna and steam area where there are a few loungers, it’s a compact space and after ten minutes I was happy to head upstairs to the lounge bar (see below).

IN CROWD The only other spa goers when I visited were a group of women, although with around ten of us there I felt the spa couldn’t have accommodated many more people. The gym, spa and sauna brings some hotel guests to the spa, who in my experience tended to be sophisticated weekenders in their late 20s and early 30s.

FOOD The hotel bar made a nice stop off after my treatment and before entering the real world again. The parquet floor, Chesterfield sofas and leopard print bar stools are an elegant setting in which to enjoy a coffee, light snack or a cocktail while reading the newspapers in the sunshine streaming through the tall glass windows. For something more substantial there’s The Grill, which serves classical French cuisine using organic and free-range produce where available.

WALLET WATCH The one hour and 40 minute Holistic Back, Face and Scalp Treatment with Hot Stones costs £80. There are also various spa packages, such as the £155 Revive and Detox, which includes a body wrap and skin brightening facial (£225-£255 inc. a night in the hotel); or Pick and Mix, which costs £95 (£165-£195 inc. a night at the hotel), for a choice of two of five treatments: Salt and oil scrub; express facial; lifting and firming eye treatment; nourishing hand and nail treatment or a back, neck and shoulder massage.

NEED TO KNOW Lansdowne Place Spa, Lansdowne Place, Brighton, East Sussex, BN3 1HQ (tel. 01273 732839; www.lansdowneplace.co.uk). The spa is open Monday to Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm.

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