USP A marble-clad haven set inside a grade-II listed building in the heart of London, a short walk from St James's Park, West End theatres and Regent Street. It also offers some refreshingly different treatments for those on the move, including a Martini & Manicure, a Pint & Pedicure and a Look Good Breakfast.

AMBIENCE Linked to the luxury Sofitel hotel by a short, blue-lit walkway, this soothing spa covers three floors in a building that dates back to the 1830s, and has been sensitively designed to retain its high, ornate ceilings and pink and orange marble-clad walls and columns. Sofitel is a French chain of hotels, and there’s a distinctly Parisian influence – the staff say bonjour when they greet you, through the window of the reception area sits a hedge in the shape of a poodle, and treatments use French brands Carita and Cinq Mondes.

Just beyond the reception area there’s a long, elegant table surrounded by shelves full of products. You can sit on the pink and purple velvet-backed chairs to complete health forms, take tea with friends or sip a Martini, though of course you can order a fruit smoothie to sip instead if you so choose. On the same floor separated by a screen are three manicure stations and two extremely comfortable seats for foot baths and pedicures.

An original oak staircase takes you down to spacious changing areas with lockers and showers fronted by a rather fetching flower design. On this level, too, you’ll find three of the five treatment rooms, and a lovely private hammam with a central heated marble treatment bed, candles in recesses and an adjoining steam room. One of the treatment rooms also boasts a private hydrotherapy jet pool flooded with natural light. Be aware, however, that you can’t automatically use the steam room or jet pool before a booked treatment – you have to book them and pay for them separately.

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Treatments include a signature massage and facial, traditional oriental and ayurvedic massages and a Japanese Ko Bi Do massage for the face. For a pick me up, try the Look Good Breakfast, which includes a work out in the gym, use of the hammam while the spa irons your shirt and polishes your shoes, followed by breakfast with a newspaper of your choice.

The remaining two treatment rooms can be found on a third-floor, mezzanine level, as well as a quiet relaxation room fronted by light grey curtains with three wide loungers, private music systems and lights, and a small bar offering muesli bars and fruit.

Elsewhere in the hotel, there’s a So FIT gym, where among the work-out equipment you’ll find the Sha Chair, an ergonomic lounger in a glass room where you can cut yourself off from the rest of the world to relax and listen to specially designed music.

QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE Changed into my robe, I perched on a golden two-seater to talk to my slightly nervous Spa Butler from Hungary, who asked me how I was feeling, how warm I wanted my treatment room and massage bed, how firm I wanted my massage and what type of music I’d like to hear while having it? It doesn’t feel as if he completely cares one way or the other, but he’s very polite, and I like the attention to detail.

I’m presented with a colour wheel and asked to choose a colour – I go for light blue, which apparently symbolises ‘reflection and decision making’ – my room, I’m told, will consequently be sprayed with a Cinq Mondes eucalyptus and cinnamon concoction, to help me with this process.

I’ve chosen the signature So Exhilarating Body Massage, but I’ve asked to use the steam room beforehand so I can sweat out some London toxins. It’s a lovely room with mosaic tiled seats and colourful fibre-optic lights, and afterwards I sip some lemon-infused water and feel a whole lot more relaxed.

My massage, with Elizabeth from Melbourne, has the requisite firmness of touch to send me to Planet Bliss. As well as a body massage, I get a dab of honey on my lips, some lavender oil on my face, and some hot stones on my back. I ask if she can do my head, not normally included, and she obliges. The music that plays is refreshingly different, an uplifting contemporary mix of piano, jazz and ethnic numbers created specially to match the rhythm of the treatment.

In the relaxation room after, I’m offered a choice of wool, angora or chenille blankets, and sit back to enjoy some pretty wonderful rose-bud tea and a long session with my novel. I’m not sure the eucalyptus and cinnamon spray has helped me make any decisions, but I certainly feel in a nicely reflective state.

FOOD AND DRINK There’s a very good tea menu offering teas from Jing, which include white tea, two green teas and herbal infusions with rose buds, lemon verbena, peppermint leaf or chamomile flowers. Teas are served in see-through glass tea pots with a signature (extremely sweet but tasty) mini macaroon.

Elsewhere in the hotel, spa goers will particularly enjoy The Rose Lounge, a pink and cream joy of a room filled with fresh flowers where tea and cake is served for most of the day – in the afternoons a harpist plays here. There’s also a leather-clad bar with the air of the Gentlemen’s Lounge, and a Brasserie Roux, serving classic French meals devised by Albert Roux with the head chef. I found the brasserie a little lacking in atmosphere and warmth, and the décor slightly tired, but the food is suitably tasty and there are lots of light options including salads and fish dishes.

IN-CROWD Tourists, business people and money-made Londoners in need of solace.

WALLET WATCH So Exhilarating Body Massage £90 for 60 minutes, Hammam £45 for 30 minutes, Sha chair £15 for 20 minutes, Rose Bud tea £5, Salads in Brasserie Roux from £8.50, Classic room from £200 per night excluding VAT, breakfast £23.50.

NEED TO KNOW Sofitel London St James, 6 Waterloo Place, London SW1Y 4AN (o20 7747 2204 (spa), 020 7747 2200 (hotel), www.sofitel.com. The spa is open to non-residents.

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