USP A Gosford Park-like mansion beside the New Forest with an abundance of discreet staff specialising in whim-catering.

AMBIENCE Between treatments I cavorted in the Romanesque swimming pool and wallowed in the Orangerie’s hypnotic hydrotherapy pools.

EXPERIENCE I definitely felt kneaded. The massages, the facials, the pedicures were all of a high quality, with no sales pressure.

FOOD With my body all pampered on the exterior, I then concentrated on my interior decorating. I’m talking food. A meal at a spa usually comprises one grain of United Nations-supplied rice and a lentil. But the health-conscious cuisine in the glamorous Marryat restaurant is five-star food.

IN CROWD Lunching ladies and weekenders.

WALLET WATCH Treatment prices are extra and start at £65 for a body polish. Room prices start at £230 per person per night and include use of the gym, the hydrotherapy and pools.

NEED TO KNOW Chewton Glen, New Milton, Hampshire (01425 275341; www.chewtonglen.com)

Readers' comments: There was universal high praise of treatments from the 18 readers who responded to our spa questionnaire and had been to Chewton Glen. The worst comment about treatments was that they were “efficiently carried out”. Therapists performed treatments in an “extremely professional” but “friendly” and “accommodating” way. One respondent said: “Staff were incredibly knowledgeable and efficient without being robotic”. The ambience at this “futuristic-looking” spa was described as being “luxurious without being pompous or stuffy”.

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