Call me a bloke but I think a spa should be the pay-off, not the purpose of a holiday. The best spa experience I’ve ever had involved hiking up a canyon and abseiling down a waterfall in Jordan before soaking weary limbs in a bubbling thermal pool at the bottom of the valley.

This one, a break at Hotel Byblos, in Courchevel, in the French Alps, offered similarly ideal conditions. The main part of the day was spent negotiating the slopes, slavishly trying to imitate the graceful swishes of the ski instructor. In the process, I ventilated my lungs with mountain air, got blood pumping to places it doesn’t usually reach, basked in brilliant natural light and built up stony thigh muscles. I didn’t need a doctor to tell me it was all good for me.

It was only towards the end of the day, with ruddy cheeks and gelid fingertips, that I left the piste for the spa. Making the transition between the two contrasting worlds — one dry, bright and cold, the other humid, dark and warm — couldn’t have been easier. I swished straight off the snow, through some automatic doors and on to the massage table. Salopettes, goggles and a woolly hat were left in a crumpled pile in the corner of the candlelit, petal-strewn room and replaced by a fluffy white bathrobe.

One minute I’d been wearing a ski mask, the next a Sultane de Saba Moroccan-clay face mask, which was excellent for rehydrating the skin after its exposure to UV rays and intense cold during the day.

My nightly après-ski Swedish massage was rigorous and was followed by a hammam — a sauna and spa bath combo. This not only made me feel great but miraculously removed that dull leaden pain that ill-prepared skiers get in their legs the morning after. So the next day I took to the slopes as good as new.

After all the spa-ski stuff I was ready to do the table-groaning dinner buffet justice. The wellbeing jackpot is the combination of the wholesome goodness of skiing followed by the relaxing warmth of spa treatments. Old-fashioned, alcohol-fuelled après-ski, at least in Courchevel, is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

Quality of experience Young team of friendly, efficient therapists, used to tackling burly Russian clients.

Ambience Cosy-chalet chic, with pretty poolside views of snow-laden firs. There’s a spa bath, swimming pool, gym, hammam, sauna and treatment rooms, where a range of masks, wraps, peelings, anti-cellulite and post-ski energising treatments are on offer.

Food Healthy, gourmet Franco-Italian fare, including local Savoy dishes. Signature dish: venison-style fillet of beef, tender potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and Madeira sauce.

In-crowd The hotel was full of Abramovich lookalikes and skinny Russian dolls.

Wallet watch A double room at the Byblos Courchevel costs from €700 (£480) a night on a half-board basis. Treatments cost €70 for a 30-minute Swedish massage, one-hour massage €130; full face treatment, €130.

Need to know For reservations at Hotel Byblos, Courchevel, call: 00 33 47900 9800 or visit www.byblos.com

MORE COLD COMFORT

ITALY
Pragelato Village Resort and Mineralia spa, in Piedmont, which opened
in time for the Winter Olympics. (00 39 0122 740011; www.pragelatoresort.com)

Hotel Rosa Alpina, San Cassiano, has a Daniela Steiner signature spa, a Michelin-star restaurant and is surrounded by the Dolomites’ extensive network of pistes. (00 39 0471 849500; www.rosalpina.it)

Many of the Vita Nova Wellness hotels in Trentino have spa facilities and are located near leading ski resorts such as Madonna di Campiglio. (0039 0461 420603; www.vitanova-wellness.it)

AUSTRIA
Thurnhers Alpenhof, Zurs, a delightful de luxe hotel and spa with 39 guest rooms in one of Austria’s finest resorts. (01244 202 000; www.seasonsinstyle.co.uk)

FRANCE
Club Med’s Chamonix Mont Blanc resort is housed in a cool
Art Deco building, with a Cinq Mondes Spa offering treatments from around the world and plenty of skiing. (0700 2582932; www.clubmed.co.uk)

CANADA
The Westin Resort and Spa on Whistler Mountain has a new Avello spa, with more than 75 treatments, and some of the best snowsports in North America. (00 1 604 935 3444; www.whistlerspa.com)

For more than 210 independent spa reviews log on to timesonline.co.uk/goodspaguide

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