Health, Beauty and Fitness: A day at Gleneagles

There's something about a visit to The Spa at Gleneagles by Espa that feels like the equivalent of a week's holiday.

I've found that it's just far enough away from my flat in Edinburgh, without being a slog to get to. Plus, the staff are wonderfully welcoming and efficient, so you don't have to get ratty about a bored looking masseuse or a broken locker.

It's also, surprisingly, never very busy, I thought, as I spread out in their Japanese-style jacuzzi, which is part of their quartet of "heat experiences". These also include a twinkly eucalyptus-infused steam room (lit by a constellation of tiny bulbs), a huge wooden sauna and a tropical shower.

The treatments themselves are also pretty impressive. However, they recently decided to develop their signature package, and, according to the spa manager, immediately discounted anything faddish that might involve chocolate, or crushed diamonds.

Instead, they came up with The Source, a new three-hour treatment that incorporates a body wrap with natural clays, a 25-minute acupressure eye treatment, a scalp rub with Espa's Pink Clay Mud and, the pice de rsistance, a 90-minute Thai-style massage, using handmade poultices that contain oats and lavender (the latter of which has been harvested from the surrounding grounds).

You can either enjoy all these treatments separately and make a whole day of it – or you can pack them into an extremely intense and indulgent couple of hours, as I did.

If you're a fan of namby-pamby rub-downs, then make sure to tell your therapist this. My masseuse, Kim, seemed to have the upper-body strength of a Russian shot-putter, as she worked the muslin-wrapped parcels into my calves and shoulders. The eye treatment, also, uses firm pressure to dispense with any post-festive season puffiness around the eyes. While the clay wrap is somewhat more gentle, as a warm potion is slicked all over your body, from top to toe, leaving you peachy soft once you've hopped in the shower to rinse it off.

After all this pampering, I felt completely wrung out. So, it's just as well a spa lunch is incorporated into the experience. This consists of a Japanese-style bento box, which they've designed to correspond with some elements of the treatment. So, amongst other things, this contains a little lavender mousse, topped with a crystallised parma violet, and a toasty oatcake with milky cheese (both of which are intended to remind you of the contents of the Thai poultices). Plus, a comforting oxtail and shitaki mushroom soup, which is supposed to remedy a post-treatment dry mouth – as well as echoing the all-enveloping wrap that you've just experienced.

Absolute genius. So, if someone promised that they'd treat you to a treatment for 2010, I suggest that you cash all your chips in at once at Gleneagles.

Fab facts for a beautiful life

HEALTH

Think positive

According to the experts, self-esteem is essential for overcoming depression, stress, anxiety, eating disorders and addiction. An eight week course, Raising Your Self Esteem For Life, starts on Thursday 14 January at 6pm at Room4Health in Leith. The weekly sessions, hosted by Ruth Johnson, the centre's therapist, will teach up to six students at a time how to apply classic cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to their lives.

Raising Your Self Esteem For Life 160 for eight sessions Room4Health, 41 Commercial Street, Leith (0131-553 2646, www.room4health.co.uk)

BEAUTY

Sweet treat

After all that festive feasting, you may have resolved never to let another sugary treat pass your lips. At least, then, Benefit's brand new Sugarbomb blusher is 100 per cent calorie free. Its quartet of rose, shimmering pink, soft plum and peach hues are perfect for waking up a winter pallor. They suggest that you swish the brush (included) over all four shades and apply to your cheeks, before swirling your favourite onto the apple (just smile, and this area will pop out).

Sugarbomb 22.50, on Benefit counters now

FITNESS

Baby steps

If you're pregnant, but want to maintain general fitness levels, then try this new class. FitBack and Bumps sessions focus on key problem areas during this time of your life, such as your posture, back, tummy and pelvic floor muscles. Book now, as the first of their four week blocks (80 in total) of hour long weekly antenatal sessions takes place from 7.15pm on Thursday 14 or 10am on Saturday 16 January.

Studio 2, Craiglockhart Tennis & Sportscentre, 177 Colinton Road, Edinburgh. Call Diane on 07913 323482 or see www.fitbackand bumps.co.uk

• This article first appeared in the Scotsman on Saturday 2 January, 2010