Rest, sand, relaxation

However, I’ve been converted to the dramatic-looking black sand, which is found on the tropical island of Bora Bora in Tahiti and made from eroded lava stone.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been to French Polynesia to see it for myself. No such luck. The furthest I got in roughly that direction was a very short-haul trip to the lovely Blythswood Square Spa in Glasgow, where they’re offering an Anne Semonin Black Sand Jewel Massage.

Nevertheless, I had a lovely time, without the air miles. This 85-minute therapy utilises one of the aforementioned Gallic beauty brand’s newest products, a Black Sand Body Scrub. The deliciously-scented potion contains grains of this fine ebony powder, which have been blended with a mixture of jojoba, calendula and sweet almond oils, as well as black poppy seeds, white salt and extracts of red seaweed. This makes for a recipe which, they claim, can help to promote cellular renewal and nourish the skin.

However, as it contains sand, I was slightly worried that a rub-down with this scrub might be rather sore and scratchy. I needn’t have worried, as the oil ingredient meant that there was barely any friction against the skin – gentle, yet effective.

After I’d been exfoliated from top to toe, while the citrusy scent of one of the ingredients – exotic verbena – hung in the air, I was wrapped up in blankets. This was so much nicer, and less claustrophobic, than being mummified in plastic sheeting, as is often the case with body scrubs. While I was tucked up, my therapist administered a soothing scalp massage, before I was decanted into the shower to rinse off the black gunk.

Once I’d patted my skin dry with fluffy towels, and leapt back onto the treatment table, it was time for a massage, back and front, with a mixture of rich, aromatic oils – aka Anne Semonin’s Moisturising Intensive Complexes, which have a base of botanical castor oil and have been chosen for their ability to soothe a parched epidermis. The pressure throughout this element of the treatment was perfectly medium, which soothed me into a boggle-eyed state, while I dreamt about the waves gently lapping onto the liquorice-coloured shores of Bora Bora.

White sand is all very well, but it turns out that the black variety is way more relaxing.

The Anne Semonin Black Sand Jewel Massage is available at Blythswood Square Spa (11 Blythswood Square, Glasgow, 0141-240 1622, www.blythswoodsquare.com). Quote The Scotsman Magazine when booking before the end of October, and get a special discount.*