Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche

(00800 6488 6488, www.fourseasons.com/provence).

A grand villa spa in the heart of the lavender-scented Provencal countryside, a 45-minute drive from Nice airport. There are 14 treatment rooms, a couple with outdoor terraces, and an infinity pool with views of medieval hilltop towns. The 110-minute Espa Provencal Escape uses a Camargue coarse salt, olive oil and lavender buds body scrub.

Le Mas Candille, Mougins

(0033 492 284343; www.lemascandille.com)

This arty retreat high above the Riviera, with its harmonious spa and scrummy food, claims to be the first Shiseido spa in Europe. Each of the four treatment rooms has a neat Japanese garden and there are a Jacuzzi, hammock and spa pool for wallowing. Shiseido’s Qi method uses a combination of oshiboris, special Japanese hot towels that dissolve aches, and shiatsu massage.

Fermes de Marie, Ramatuelle

(+33 494 97 4022; www.fermesdemarie-beauty.com or www.villamarie.fr)

The spa at Villa Marie, an elegant 42-bedroom hotel about ten minutes out of St Tropez, overlooks vineyards and the beach. There are four treatment rooms where the bespoke products are made from mountain flowers – inspiration from the hotel’s sister property in the French Alps. The sugar and honey scrub smells good enough to eat.

Le Couvent d'Hérépian, Herepian

(+33 (0)4 67 11 87 15, www.couventherepian.com)

This charming bijou hotel spa (one treatment room and a small indoor pool) is a place for relaxation, not beauty therapy in the leafy High Lanquedoc. Five massage types include Ayurvedic and reflexology and products are prepared from the owner’s garden and vineyard using extra-virgin olive oil, lavender and other fruits and flowers.

Hydrotherapy Centre, Avène Les Bains, near Montpellier

(00 33 467234187; www.avenehydrotherapycenter.com)

A healthy hilltop spa with a spring water source that’s used to treat severe skin conditions. The spa has a clinical feel and recommends a longer stint than just day visits. A consultation with a dermatologist outlines a daily regimen of water jets, mists, whirlpools and Avene skincare products.

Times recommends

• New York's top 10 new hotels
• A Scottish monastery retreat
• Welcome back to Rwanda