A water-based treat could help you wave goodbye to stress

Whoosh, whoosh, fizz. That’s all I can hear, while I swoop from side to side, as if whizzing through space. Suddenly, my head is tipped forward, out of the water, and it’s completely discombobulating. Am I upside down or the right way up?

I’m experiencing watsu (a portmanteau of water and shiatsu) which was invented in the Eighties by Californian shiatsu expert, Harold Dull.

My therapist is Mari MacRitchie, who has just begun offering this treatment at Blythswood Spa in Glasgow. She spent a while pursuing this luxury location, as their swimming pool is her perfect venue.

It’s relaxingly low lit, the water is soothingly warm, and there’s a grotto area at one end, for privacy (I’m relieved about that, as onlookers might think we were experimenting with sub-aqua wrestling).

MacRitchie has trained other practitioners in luxury five-star resorts in Mauritius, and explains that Kylie Minogue is a big fan of the therapy.

I imagine that cradling and swirling the tiny Minogue around in the water, while administering gentle stretches and pressure point massage, isn’t much of a strain on the arms.

However, as MacRitchie explains, “The water supports the weight of the client, so it suits any size and shape.”

The treatment includes gentle rocking movements, and bigger swirling shapes, which involve being pulled round by the inside of one thigh, with the back of the neck supported. At one point, I’m woven through the water like a frond of kelp. Another technique – which I later learn is called The Accordion – involves being folded into a kind of upright foetal position.

It takes a while to relax into this hour-long experience. At the beginning, I feel as if I have to fight to keep myself stable in the water, but I soon trust MacRitchie to support and steer me. It also feels intimate to be cradled by a stranger, until you persuade yourself to go with the flow (quite literally).

Also, although my ears are underwater, my face never gets wet.

To mark the end of the session, I’m propped upright and my back is pressed gently against the wall.

Although my mind was racing during the initial 20 minutes of the therapy, there were meditative moments when I felt as if I had completely disengaged.

For the rest of the day, I feel completely zoned out and, that night, I slept like a water baby.

The Day Guest Watsu package includes the treatment and access to the Thermal Experience, £100, The Spa at Blythswood Square (11 Blythswood Square, Glasgow, 0141-208 2458, www.townhousecompany.com)