BATH HOUSE SPA
New Park Manor Hotel, Brockenhurst, New Forest, Hampshire (01590 623467; www.newparkmanorhotel.co.uk)

USP The £2.5m spa opened in November 2005 and won the Silver Award for Favourite Spa at the British Travel Awards in 2006. Staff are efficient, friendly and full of knowledge about their trade and the products they use. The six treatment rooms have a ranch like feel in keeping with the location.

GIFT IDEA A whole range of luxury treatments are available to give as gifts, from a £60 aromatherapy massage and a spa introduction day (£105) to a 12-week lifestyle programme for £750.

BLISS LONDON
60 Sloane Avenue, London, SW3 3DD (020 7584 3888; www.blisslondon.co.uk)

Spa gifts for men

Six spas in London where you can treat the man in your life this Christmas

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USP The spa’s location on the border of Chelsea and Belgravia puts it on the lady-who-lunches-and-shops trail, and with plenty of salubrious brasseries, cafes and boutiques nearby, spa visitors can easily make an indulgent day of it.

GIFT IDEA Available for any amount, blissertificates are redeemable for bliss spa services and in-spa goodies. Any wife, girlfriend or mum will thank you for the 85-minute triple oxygen facial, which costs £145 and includes cleansing, exfoliating, a fruit acid wash, wrap, extractions, face mask, face pack and oxygen spray, as well as some gentle massage.

CHAPEL DAY SPA
North Place Chapel, North Place, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 4DW (01242 518075; www.chapelspa.co.uk)

USP Award-winning day spa, with Moroccan-themed décor, Arabian Rasul and a Ray Lamontagne soundtrack.

GIFT IDEA Buy pamper vouchers for classes, treatments, products (Elemis gift boxes from £25) or day packages, including pregnancy and post-pregnancy treatments (the Happy Endings package), and the Twice as Nice package for a romantic soiree with your chosen one. A beginner's burlesque workshop costs £20.

DONNINGTON VALLEY HOTEL SPA
Old Oxford Road, Donnington, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 3AG (01635 568169; www.donningtonvalley.co.uk)

USP A spacious spa with excellent facilities including an aromatherapy room and multi-jet Monsoon showers.

GIFT IDEA There are a wide range of spa day and spa break offers, with a one-night break from £99 per person. Treatments include the uplifting Acquasun mineral treatment. For a win-win situation, consider the benefits of spending a day on the hotel’s golf course while your partner’s mood steadily improves in the spa.

LAKESIDE HOTEL
Newby Bridge, Cumbria (015395 30001; www.lakesidehotel.co.uk)

USP This spa’s hotel has a picturesque location in the Lake District, the spa has a 17m pool which overlooks Lake Windermere. Their treatments promise a healthy glow without any need to trek up a mountain, using natural-based Aveda products.

GIFT IDEA A Luxury day passport allows access from 7am to 7.30pm, a two-hour treatment and three-course lunch from £149 per person.

THE RELAXATION CENTRE, Bristol
9 All Saints Road, Bristol (0117 970 6616; www.relaxationcentre.co.uk).

USP A small, innocuous spa housed in an unmarked Georgian townhouse in a residential street, with holistic classes such as Qi Gong, meditation spaces and alternative treatments such as Shiatsu and sound healing, and a foliage-rich garden with hot tub, sauna and plunge pool.

GIFT IDEA A VIP day is £90 (£95 for Saturdays), with a one-hour holistic treatment, floatation treatment, lunch and use of the facilities. Using the facilities without specific treatments is a reasonable £27 per day. The alternative therapies and nudity-allowed policy may not make this the perfect gift for your prudish mother-in-law; make sure you know the recipient’s comfort levels. Mondays and Wednesdays are female-only days.

RAGDALE HALL
Ragdale Village, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire (01664 434831; www.ragdalehall.co.uk)

USP The grande dame of spas is based in a Victorian castle and has had a multi-million pound makeover for a brand new thermal spa with 12 stations for heat and water experiences.

GIFT IDEA Spa vouchers start from £25, with day packages from £95. They are valid for one year from the date of purchase and are presented in a gift pack. The recipient can decide if they wish to use the voucher towards a day or residential stay, or to pay for extra treatments or purchases if a visit has already been booked.

SLIEVE DONARD RESORT AND SPA
Downs Road, Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland BT33 0AH (028 4372 1066); www.hastingshotels.com)

USP Northern Ireland’s largest spa, with views of the Irish coastline, and an extensive range of treatments, including Ayurvedic and hot stone massages.

GIFT IDEA Half-day spa rituals with choice of Espa treatments such as the ‘Immune Booster’ or ‘Detoxifier’ are available from £160. Avoid suggesting detoxifying or cellulite-busting options to your lover unless she asks for them – a suggestion that she is lethargic and sluggish may not be popular.

UTOPIA SPA
Alexander House Hotel, Turners Hill, West Sussex, RH10 4QD (01342 714914; www.alexanderhotels.co.uk)

USP A serious destination spa in the heart of Sussex that has nearly as many treatment rooms (25) as bedrooms (38) – and some of the latter have spa suite bathrooms with fancy walk-in three-way showers and a tub for two.

GIFT IDEA Gift vouchers are available for a choice of 14 packages, most priced around the £150 price mark and include a two-course lunch in the brasserie adjacent to the spa. From the lower end of the scale, £65 will buy you a Morning Escape, while £295 buys an Ultimate Experience which includes a Japanese Hot Oil massage, a champagne lunch, a pedicure, manicure and facial with a robe and slippers thrown in for good measure.

WATERFALL SPA
3 Brewery Wharf, Dock Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire (0800 731 1995; www.waterfallspa.co.uk)

USP An all-female boutique day spa in revitalised Leeds.

GIFT IDEA Buy vouchers (from £25 to £100) towards unusual treatments with names such “Aah That’s Better Leg Relief” or a 60-minute Heavenly Essence Aromatherapy massage (£70). The spa gift vouchers are redeemable for one year from date of purchase and may be used for spa days, treatments, products or even champagne.

For more than 300 independent spa reviews log on to timesonline.co.uk/goodspaguide

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