USP The first Shiseido spa in Europe, apparently. The spa at this deluxe hotel which has the feel of a large private villa, is small without being pokey, and artfully laid out with a good indoor-outdoor balance – each of the four treatment rooms has a neat Japanese garden opening on to a larger one. It provides a tasteful, liberating experience after countless subterranean city spas cluttered with faux-Buddhist jumble.

AMBIENCE The lavender scent, flowers and outdoor garden with Jacuzzi, hammock and spa pool make it feel like you are wallowing in a Monet canvas. This retreat high above the French Riviera has views of Grasse and is one of the most welcoming spas that I’ve visited.

EXPERIENCE Shiseido’s Qi method uses a combination of oshiboris, special Japanese hot towels that dissolve aches, and shiatsu massage on the body’s tsubo points, which are situated on the path of Qi, or energy, flow. The massage took place on a high-quality white leather dental-style table, that flipped me over at the flick of a button. There seemed to be a nose bag of soothing lavender beneath the table's face-hole which made it just a tad hard to breathe but tipped me towards sleep. The therapist Laury used a light body cream - that looked like mayo - with an energising fragrance, and wrapped up with a neck massage and hot, microwaved towels. The choral requiem was a first for me in a treatment room, but sounded so much more sonorous than tinkling New Age music.

IN CROWD TV presenters Tess Daley and Vernon Kay, former Arsenal superstar Patrick Viera, and Euro-couples aged 30 plus. French trendsetters Catherine Deneuve, Yves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior and Picasso all had boltholes in Mougin, an arty village a pebble’s throw away.

FOOD Provencal gastronomique – there is a Michelin-starred restaurant on site and another, Le Moulin de Mougins (where Alain Lorca is head chef), just down the road. Both offer charming, creative dishes such as bon bon de foie gras, and an imploding gilded chocolate globe filled with sorbet and wild raspberries. These sort of dishes may sound like the detoxer’s worst nightmare, but the chefs themselves glow with health, which is always a good sign.

WALLET WATCH A 30-minute facial and body massage start from €65 and rise to €200 for a 45-minute four-hands bodycare treatment.

Your Golf Holidays offers breaks to Le Mas Candille from £459, which includes flights from London to Nice, mid-size car hire and three nights B&B accommodation. Price is based on 2 people sharing a room and is valid for departures from November 2006 - March 2007. A round of golf at the stunning Royal Mougins golf course will cost an extra £75. For further information please visit www.yourgolfholidays.com or call 01277 824 100

The "Gastronomic food and wine matchmaking package" can be booked direct with Le Mas Candille. The package costs from €925 (£633)* per person. This price is based on two people sharing a room on a bed and breakfast basis for two nights and includes a visit to the market, dinner for two on both nights, plus wine tasting. For further information see below.

NEED TO KNOW Le Mas Candille, Mougins, France (0033 492 284343; www.lemascandille.com)

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