LONDON

Earth-Spa, Belgravia
Where the well-heeled get muddy in Belgravia

Calmia Day Spa and Holistic Lifestyle Store, Marylebone
Relaxation for the harrassed city-goer

Landmark London, Marylebone
Dicreet, sophisticated and central

Elemis Day Spa, Mayfair
Popular with Mayfair ladies and for lunchbreak "quickies"

Gentlemen's Tonic, Mayfair
Lifestyle and grooming services for the man about town

Wholeman Spa, Mayfair
"Real men use spas" is the mantra at this affordable holistic spa

Glow Urban Spa, Knightsbridge
Compact spa with London's first Raw Face Lift

The Spa Studio, Lanesborough hotel, Knightsbridge
Food and service are second-to-none, plus great Hyde Park views

Micheline Arcier Aromatherapie, Knightsbridge
A calm and bijou aromatherapy clinic with face and body treatments

Peak Health Club and Spa, Knightsbridge
A fancy facial at a popular hotel day spa with views over London

Shymala Ayurveda, Kensington
A taste of Indian summer at an ayurvedic townhouse spa

The Soma Centre, Kensington
A spa that promises to make you feel younger - but at a price

Me and My Baby Therapy Rooms, Chelsea
Tips and pampering for mums-to-be

Bliss spa, Chelsea
Oxygen facials and brownies at a cool London day spa

Pacifica Spa, Notting Hill
A yoga pedicure that will have your feet buffed for the beach

Scin Spa, Notting Hill
Bespoke treatments and boutique charm

Hydrohealing, Notting Hill
Healthy water treatments are the order of the day at this spa

Savana Spa, Westbourne Grove
A day spa that offers chocolate massage and a creche

K Spa, Shepherd's Bush
Thai treatments in the basement of a hotel popular with BBC celebs

Nickel Spa, Covent Garden
Love handle wrap treatment at French-inspired men only salon

The Aveda Institute, Holborn
A brand new facial good enough to take back to work

Bloww Spa, Soho
A sexy 21st-century Soho salon experience with attitude

Sanook Spa, Soho
Chocolate facials and a perfect pedicure in the heart of media land

The Sanctuary, Soho
Highly fashionable and centrally-located day spa

The Rosebery Rooms, Clerkenwell
Good value and popular with local media types for no-nonsense treatments

Murdock, Old Street
Good old-fashioned gent's barber for the discerning dandy

Ki Mantra Urban Life Spa, Islington
The house speciality is yogic massage at this light day spa

Ironmonger Row, Islington
A good old-fashioned steam, scrub and massage at affordable prices

Angel Therapy Rooms, Islington
Gorgeous without being girlie in a hip part of town

Natura Day Spa, Hampstead
Earthy wonders of the Heath and saves on the schelp into Town

East River Spa, Docklands
VIDEO: A Thameside urban retreat with express treatments

Therapy, East Dulwich
Good quality and value at treatment rooms off a local high street

THE SOUTH

Danesfield House Hotel and Spa, Marlow-on Thames, Buckinghamshire
A cool modern spa in Gothic surrounds, plus good food

Nirvana Spa, Wokingham, Berkshire
Relaxed and unpretentious day spa

Wren's Club, Sir Christopher Wren's House Hotel, Windsor, Berkshire
A spa ranged over three floors with views of the Thames

Aquitaine, Runnymede Hotel, Egham, Surrey
A private spa suite - with Playstation - in pretty surroundings

Dove Spa, Reigate, Surrey
New suburban spa with high-tech skin analysis and song lyrics on mirrors

Body Experience, Surrey
Has a teen girls programme, but also popular with their mothers

Relax, Isle of Wight
Choose your own music with a spa that comes to you

Lansdowne Place Spa, Brighton
Elegantly refurbished spa not far from the Lanes and seafront

The Treatment Rooms, Brighton
Urban day spa with good mums-to-be programme

Kalmora, Kent
A spa with a floatation tank and weight-loss options in the sticks

Royal Day Spa, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Boutique style spa and health club specialising in organic holistic therapies

Tor Spa retreat, Ickham, Kent
Fruity, down-to-earth escape in the Garden of England


THE REST OF BRITAIN

Kubu, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
Cosy and intimate and based on soothing Balinese principles

Thermae Bath Spa, Somerset
Rooftop finesse at Britain's original natural spa

The Cowshed, Babington House, Somerset
Quirky and fun spa at this popular countryside retreat

Bamford Hay Barn Spa, Gloucestershire
VIDEO: A classy day spa from the awfully nice Daylesford people

The Relaxation Centre, Bristol
A lovely garden spa in a Georgian house

The Spa, Lowry Hotel, Manchester
A city centre spa to leave you as polished as the locals

Waterfall Spa, Leeds
All-female boutique day spa with an Eastern accent

Titanic Spa, Huddersfield
Fancy day spa in former mill

The Balmoral Spa, Edinburgh
A sleek city spa for weary shoppers and sightseers

The Bellfield Centre of Wellbeing, County Down
Down to earth treatments in old Georgian coach house

THE REST OF THE WORLD

Aspria Avenue Louise, Brussels, Belgium
Turkish delight at a low-key, child-free day spa on stylish avenue

Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin
Massage vows and spirtual bodywork at this landmark hotel

Toskana Therme, Bad Sulza, Germany
Floating bliss in saltwater pools and Dr Hauschka treatments

Guerlain Institut de Beaute, Paris
A grand day out at a super chic spa in the French capital

Dorit Baxter's, New York
A day spa that's a bit frayed at the edges but hugely likeable

Juvenex Spa, New York
Like most round-the-clock places, the spa had a slightly surreal air

Bliss SoHo, New York
A hip, ultra-modern day spa in the heart of the boutique district

Bliss Spa, San Francisco
A funky space-age spa in the city's W Hotel

Cape Grace, Cape Town, South Africa
On its own private quay at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

Times recommends

• Holiday makers - welcome to Iraq
• A budget travel guide to Tuscany
• Up and away in a Messerschmitt