Best urban retreats
St. David's Hotel, Cardiff
1 Thalassotherapy, a water-based treatment, is the speciality here. The Marine Spa can also devise spa packages to help you detox or lose weight. It's the only place outside London you can sample the famous Chantecaille flower facial. Spa packages are available from £200pp a night, including meals, treatments and accommodation. (02920 454045; www.thestdavidshotel.com).
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
2 Privacy is the main selling point at the Mandarin Oriental, where, for £100 an hour, you can book a private room with its own spa bath, spectacular views over Biscayne Bay and a therapist on hand to carry out whatever treatments you fancy. Staying at the hotel costs from £120pp per night (www.mandarinoriental.com).
Hotel Arts, Barcelona
3 On the 42nd and 43rd floors of the slick and contemporary Hotel Arts, the Six Senses spa and its open-air terraces overlook the Mediterranean. Choose from marine-based treatments, chromatherapy (using coloured lights) or try ear candling, an ancient Shaman therapy to cleanse the aura. Rooms from £188. Ear candling £33 (www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/barcelona).
Deepak Chopra Spa, Dream Hotel, New York
4 Spiritualist and author Deepak Chopra has run wellness centres in California since 1996, but he recently opened his first urban spa at Midtown's Dream Hotel. There is daily yoga and classes in stress management, sleep improvement and nutrition; and a full range of Indian Ayurvedic therapies. Treatments from £70 to £140 per session (www.dreamny.com).
The Balmoral Spa, Edinburgh
5 This spa offers more than just beauty treatments - there's also reiki, reflexology, ear candling and the intriguing Brazilian toe therapy which works on the body's six energy meridians to tackle insomnia and headaches. A Spa Escape break costs £675 for a two-night stay, Brazilian toe therapy is £35 (0131 556 2414; www.roccofortehotels.com).
Best value for money
Delphi Mountain Resort & Spa, Co. Galway, Ireland
6 Surrounded by beautiful lakes and mountains, this stylish resort offers the usual spa treatments alongside an impressive programme of outdoor activities such as sea kayaking, surfing and horseriding. Two nights mid-week from £210, including room, breakfasts, one dinner and spa. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Knock. Facials from £28 (www.delphiescape.com).
Toskana Therme in Bad Sulza, Germany
7 Toskana Therme has seven pools, a dozen rooms for hot-stone therapy, mud wraps and body scrubs, all under a vast glass dome. The spa is famous for its 'Liquid Sound' therapies; where music is piped underwater accompanied by soothing coloured lights. Double rooms from £53 per night, a day ticket to the Liquid Sound Temple, £11 (www.toskana-therme.de).
Ironmonger Row Baths, London
8 These baths, in a Thirties building near Old Street, are far from luxurious but retain a charm with their dark wood and velvet-curtained relaxation area. Be sure to have a scrub, carried out with simple soap and a scrubbing brush on a marble slab. There are male- and female-only days. Entrance to the baths, £6.70 for non-members weekday mornings, £11.50 weekends or after 12pm (020 7253 4011; www.aquaterra.org/islington/turkish).
Danubius Hotel, Hungary
9 Héviz is the largest and best-known spa town in Hungary, set on the shores of the curative Lake Balaton, Europe's largest warm water lake. A traditional Balneotherapy week, at the functional Hotel Margitsziget is £484 (0870 165 9420; www.thermalia.co.uk).
Harrogate Baths, Yorkshire
10 These have been in operation since 1897 and much of the beautiful Victorian interior remains. Try a Platinum Detox treatment: soak your feet in a foot spa while a gentle electric current flows through the water. The current works on the pores, extracting toxins. The browner the water becomes, the more nasty toxins you have lost! Entrance, £12.50 at peak times. Platinum Detox therapy, £36.80 per treatment (01423 556746; www.harrogate.gov.uk/immediacy-1100).
Best beach spas
Reethi Rah, Maldives
11 Will you meditate in the yoga pavilion, dine on your own private sandbank or detox in the spa? Probably all of the above. The spa, run by ESPA, is the last word in luxury with the added draw of world-renowned pedicurist and manicurist, Bastien Gonzalez, in residence to work on your cuticles. Rooms from £400 per night, on a B&B basis (www.oneandonlyresorts.com).
Como Shambhala at Parrot Cay, Turks And Caicos
12 Shambhala means 'peace and harmony' in Sanskrit and there aren't many more peaceful places in the Carribbean than Parrot Cay. The spa has an extensive list of therapies including massage, baths and marine treatments while also offering more active pastimes such as kayaking, nature walks and dolphin watching. A stay at Como Shambala costs from £1,650pp for seven nights, including flights (01244 202000; www.seasonsinstyle.co.uk).
Banyan Tree, Phuket
13 The ultimate luxury here has to be a stay in the spa pool villa with its elegant 'floating bed' pavilion amid tranquil lily ponds. Many rooms come with a dedicated 'in-villa spa'. A spa package in a pool villa, including daily massage, costs from £375 per room per night (www.lhw.com).
Maru Spa at The Bora Bora Lagoon Resort, French Polynesia
14 Treatments take on a whole new dimension when they're being administered 12 feet high in the air, as they are in the tree-top treatment rooms of the Maru spa. The treatments use local plants, flowers and fruits for medicinal or cosmetic purposes. Prices from £1,535 per room for five nights (020 7960 0500; www.orient-express.com).
The Rock Spa, Fregate Island Private, Seychelles
15 The maxim of the Rock Spa is that 'fresh is best'. All treatments are prepared by an expert on the site. Terraces and open-air stone baths enable therapies to be administered outdoors. Abercrombie & Kent offers seven days at Fregate Island Private from £6,589pp, including flights, meals and non-alcoholic drinks (0845 070 0611; www.abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Best for families
Center Parcs: Elveden Forest
16 Center Parcs has long been associated with families, so it's not surprising that come March, the Aqua Sana spas will launch treatments for teenage skin alongside their comprehensive treatment menu for adults. Dual treatments for mothers and daughters - and fathers and sons - will also be on offer at this park in Suffolk. Spa sessions start at £26 for guests and £59 for non-guests (0870 009900; www.aquasana.co.uk).
Anassa, Cyprus
17 As well as an award-winning thalassotherapy centre and an infinity pool which has featured in countless magazines, the Anassa also has a children's play centre called the 'Smiling Dolphin Club', a babysitting service and kids' food. This means you can pamper yourself and relax with a clear conscience. Abercrombie & Kent offers seven nights at Anassa, Cyprus from £1,189pp, including flights (0845 070 0612; www.abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Babington House, Somerset
18 Anything you desire, from nutritional advice to therapies for two in a Mongolian yurt, you'll find here at Britain's hippest country house hotel. Families wanting to spend some 'quality time' together can make use of the cricket pitch, croquet and bicycles, while stressed out parents needing a break can dump their kids in the Little House creche and head for the Cowshed spa for an organic beauty treatment. The cow facial costs £65; rooms from £225 per night (01373 813860; www.babingtonhouse.co.uk).
Taj Exotica, Goa
19 With a shady children's pool and water slide, mountain bikes, a giant outdoor chess set, a pitch-and-putt course, water volleyball and the occasional elephant on the beach, younger guests at Taj Exotica won't be bored. Adults can while away the hours in the Ayurvedic centre, with its therapeutic waterfall contemplation area and rose petal-filled outdoor baths. Rooms from £185. Massage, including outdoor rose petal bath, £55 (www.tajhotels.com).
Forte Village, Sardinia
20 The village consists of seven hotels and a thalassotherapy spa set in more than 55 acres of tropical gardens. Each spa pool has a different level of salinity and contains different minerals. Sardinia upholds the Italian tradition of pampering children, hence the kids' club (with ice skating rink and go-kart track), and restaurants. Entry to spa with use of pools, £55. Citalia has seven nights from £2,707 for two adults and two children sharing with flights (0870 909 7554; www.citalia.com).
Best active spas
The Bodyholiday, St Lucia
21 Give them your body for a week and the perfectly-honed folk at LeSport promise to 'give you back your mind'. BodyGuards (fitness advisers) recommend activities from scuba diving and fencing to yoga and cycling to improve your health in a way you can keep up when you return home. Seven nights at Le Sport costs from £1,920 and includes flights, full board and an hour of spa treatment per day (0870 220 2344; www.thebodyholiday.com).
Ananda, Himalayas
22 It would probably be unrealistic to visit a spa in the Himalayas and not expect to go for a long walk uphill, but starting out in the early morning coolness for the two-hour trek to a distant dot on a pinnacle, which turns out to be the Kunjapuri temple, is achievable after a few days on the exercise timetable at Ananda. That's two hours vertically up and two hours skidding back down, by the way.
But then you could perfectly well have just had a treatment and watched the trekkers return from under an umbrella by the side of the pool. At Ananda, anything goes - the nicest spa I've ever stayed at for all the right reasons: surroundings, attitude, facilities and results.
Ananda is founded on Ayurvedic principles, a traditional system of holistic medicine which has been practised in India for more than 5,000 years. It works on the principle that the body comprises five elements: fire, water, ether, air and earth. Each of us has a different balance that determines our body type - Vata, Pitta, Kapha, or a combination.
When you arrive, the Ayurvedic doctor assesses your body type and advises a programme of diet, exercise and treatments to suit you. He'll also come up with some practical suggestions: when and how much to eat, no ice in drinks, and - in the case of many of Ananda's guests - customise a diet that the kitchen will serve throughout your stay.
Ananda is luxurious without being formal (most guests wander around in the fantastically comfortable and rather flattering white Indian pyjamas provided in the rooms) and the spa is well run but not intimidating. The doctor will advise treatments best suited to you - oil baths if you have particularly dry skin, mud wraps for a detox, maybe even a Thai massage in one of the 21 treatment rooms. My favourite treatment was the oil bath that uses three litres (just over half a gallon) of scented oil and is so slippery that two masseurs stand on each side of you to stop you flipping like a fish onto the floor.
There's a large and fabulous swimming pool; a well-equipped gym with great instructors who'll take you through anything from Thai boxing to excellent yoga (the lunchtime class in the maharajah's ballroom is pretty special).
It's not the easiest place to get to unless you're one of the super well-heeled who arrive by helicopter, so you'll probably have done a four-hour train or road journey from New Delhi that culminates on a tortuous mountain road. But it's worth it: it's changed my life. I am sticking to my diet and do yoga every day.
I feel more energetic and calmer. A seven-night package costs from £2035pp including flights, booked with Elegant Resorts (01244 897518; www.elegantresorts.co.uk). Therapies from£16. (www.anandaspa.com).
Caroline Boucher
Body and Soul Adventures, Ilha Grande, Brazil
23 A life-changing programme of rainforest-hiking, ocean-kayaking, exploring spectacular beaches and daily yoga is promised. But it's not all work: you're rewarded nightly with a massage. Prices from £1,400 per week including all food, treatments, excursions and classes but not flights (0800 917 5506; www.bodysouladventures.com).
Riksgransen Alpine Spa, Sweden
24 At 300km (about 186 miles) inside the Arctic Circle, Riksgransen is northern Europe's only alpine spa; try a 'Lappish Zen' treatment, consisting of cleansing, a spa soak and deep relaxation, followed by a hot stone massage in a Lapp tent. Prices from £740 including four nights B&B in Riksgransen and flights. Book with Original Travel (020 7978 7333, www.originaltravel.co.uk).
Cradle Mountain Lodge, Tasmania
25 You can learn to fly-fish, canoe on Dove Lake, take a mountain bike out for the day or go on one of 20 guided walks around Cradle Mountain, which vary in length from 20 minutes to nine hours. Natural Australian Sodashi products are used in the Waldheim spa. A three-night spa package is £340pp including accommodation and treatment programme (www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au).
Best for Men
Gleneagles Spa, Scotland
26 Gleneagles isn't all about golf. The spa offers excellent treatments with suitably robust and masculine names, such as the 'Clansman' facial which uses hot towels followed by a scalp massage. Breaks cost from £483 per room per night, including dinner and a 75-minute spa treatment, plus access to the gym, Jacuzzi and Turkish bath (0800 389 3737; www.gleneagles.com).
Sante Wellness Centre, South Africa
27 In the breathtaking winelands 40 minutes from Cape Town, the Sante Wellness Centre specialises in good food and vinotherapy - the healing powers of wine and grapes. Essential Escapes offers seven nights from £1,775pp, including flights (020 7284 3344; www.essentialescapes.com).
Hotel Son Brull, Mallorca
28 The Son Brull is a former monastery. One cleansing treatment for the back uses sea salt, honey and rosemary. A three-night stay is from £1,045pp with flights and two spa treatments. Expressions Spa Holidays (020 7433 2615; www.spaexpressions.co.uk).
The Refinery, London
29 There's nothing feminine about a session at London's Refinery Male spa which has branches in the City, in Harrods and opposite Claridge's Hotel. Try a £100 'tequila massage', which uses pure tequila blended with sage (020 7409 2001; www.the-refinery.com).
Seaham Hall, Northumberland
30 The former home of Lord Byron is now an award-winning hotel and spa. Try the £175 Manpower package: Dead Sea-style flotation, muscle-melt massage and serenity face treatment followed by a lounge in the spa. Rooms from £195 per night (0191 516 1400; www.seaham-hall.com).
Best UK Spas
Whatley Manor, Wiltshire
31 This retreat in the heart of Wiltshire oozes quality. The same goes for the Aquarius spa, where a La Prairie facial using caviar extracts is the signature treatment. A one-night midweek spa package costs £395 per room per night with a treatment (01666 822888; www.whatleymanor.com).
Four Seasons, Hampshire
32 Traditional and luxurious without the chintz, the Four Seasons offers a country-club atmosphere an hour from London. Try the dreamy camomile and sage massage. The Spa R&R visit for two includes massage and spa from £385 per night (01252 853000; www.fourseasons.com/hampshire).
The Grove, Herts
33 A stylish country house, beautiful food, breathtaking gardens and the Sequoia spa ... No wonder the Grove in Hertfordshire has been winning awards since it opened two years ago. The £475 Sequoia Spa break includes a room (two sharing) dinner and a one-hour massage each (01923 807807; www.the-grove.co.uk).
Mandarin Oriental, London
34 The spa at the Mandarin Oriental is an oasis of calm in Mayfair. Indulge yourself in some heat treatments before being taken to a relaxation room where you'll eat grapes and be soothed by colour therapy. Rooms from £365 per room per night (020 7838 9888; www.mandarinoriental.com).
Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire
35 Winner of the best spa break category in the 2005 Observer Travel Awards, Ragdale boasts grand Victorian architecture, vast grounds and state of the art facilities. It's good value too. A two night midweek break costs from £235pp including full board and treatments (01664 434831; www.ragdalehall.co.uk).
Best Health Spas
Mayr Clinic, Austria
36 The Mayr Clinic believes the cure to all ills lies in the intenstines. Be prepared to be taught how to chew (if you're not chewing each mouthful 40 times, you're doing it wrong), and to have your stomach prodded. A week from £1,400pp through 360 Travel (020 7439 4319; www.360travel.co.uk).
Pangkor Laut Resort, Malaysia
37 Some of the oldest Chinese and Ayurvedic treatments are practised here - including cupping and Shiro Dhara (where oil is dripped onto the 'third eye' on your forehead). Tropical Locations offers a week from £1199pp room-only, including flights (020 7229 9199; www.tropical-locations.com).
Barberyn Beach Ayurveda Resort, Sri Lanka
38 Everything from gynaecological problems to acne is treated here with Ayurveda. Food and drinks are classified according to their taste - sweet, salty, pungent, bitter and thus by their influence on the 'doshas' (body energies). An Ayurvedic programme is available from £111 per day and includes accommodation, treatments, meals and activities (www.barberynresorts.com).
The Ashram Spa, Calabasas, California
39 How do you fancy a five-hour- long hike in the Santa Monica hills, three hours of yoga (beginning when you rise at 6am), an hour-long workout, an hour in the pool and an hour of dancing every day? This is the programme at the Ashram, dubbed Hollywood's secret 'get skinny spa', where guests live on the minimum food and maximum exercise. The Ashram hosts 12 guests at a time. A week costs £2,270 including food and activities but not flights (www.theashram.com).
Chiva-Som, Thailand
40 As perfect holiday experiences go, fasting, no alcohol and daily sessions of colonic irrigation would hardly rank at the top of most people's list. But if Chiva-Som's 'Ultimate Detox' retreat, promising 'a lasting sense of inner peace, fulfilment and enjoyment', is good enough for the Beckhams and Liz Hurley ...
All guests receive a 'wellness consultation' on arrival and a daily massage. The consultation results showed I needed the three-day 'cleansing diet' - a fruit, vegetable and juice fast.
Tired, hungry, miserable and unable to enjoy the yoga, power walking, aqua aerobics or Thai boxing, I abandoned the cleansing plan after one day, scoffing mini-bar brownies and 25 glacier fruits I'd brought with me.
Chiva-Som has two restaurants and it's impossible to eat unhealthily in either. The food's calorie and fat contents are printed on the menu and no sugar or salt is added. There's no smoking, no caffeine and no bar, but wine is served after 7pm. The star treatment is colonic hydrotherapy and having a tiny Thai lady pump water into your colon was no less traumatic than you may imagine.
The remaining days became progressively more enjoyable as I began to feel re-energised and relaxed. I slept a lot (my record was 16 hours straight), my skin began to glow and I regained a long-lost twinkle in my eye. I also lost nine pounds in the five days, despite not doing a stroke of exercise.
Months after my visit, I still have clear skin. Chiva-Som was hard but it worked.
Tropical Locations (020 7229 9199 www.tropical-locations.com) has a five-night Natural Detox Package at Chiva-Som on a full board basis with return flights and private transfers which costs £1,845 per person.
Nicole Mowbray
Best For Mind Body and Soul
Miraval Life in Balance Resort, Arizona
41 Covering fitness, nutrition, weight management, sexual healing and self-esteem, this is a one-stop shop for people wanting to make serious life changes. If it all sounds too much like hard work, there is a spa for rejuvenating treatments such as the Arizona Aloe body wrap or a 'Desert Rain' scrub. All-inclusive rates from £330pp, per night, including meals, activities and one daily spa treatment or round of golf (www. miraval resort .com).
Alive Wellness and Longevity Resort, British Columbia
42 Tucked away in western Canada's Monashee Mountains, Alive is popular with those recovering from, or learning to cope with, an illness, as well as with people simply concerned with maintaining their good health. The emphasis is on bringing out your body's natural healing abilities (www.aliveresort.com).
We Care Holistic Spa, Desert Hot Springs, California
43 The number one pre-Oscars spa for celebrities is about more than just getting a flat tummy or a glowing complexion - although with an 'all-liquid diet' on the menu this is achievable. Learn to breathe properly, walk a meditative labyrinth path and detox mind and body. Five nights costs £1,257 including accommodation, various massages and treatments and a number of healthy cooking classes (www.wecarespa.com).
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort, New Mexico
44 Renowned as much for its beautiful suites as its 'Living Spa', El Monte Sagrado offers classes in acupuncture, Egyptian anointing, sound and vibrational therapy, and animal communication. Health visionary Ed Moffett's massages have clients flying in from all over the world. Rooms from £180, (www.leadingspasoftheworld.com)
Enchantment Resort and Mii Amo Spa, Arizona
45 Hike in Boynton Canyon, practise yoga, take part in one of the 'talking circles', play tennis, meditate - all this and more is available if you have the energy. If you want to 'explore your life path and move forward', this is for you. Casita rooms from £225 each. Treatment and flights are not included (www.miiamo.com).
Thermal spas
The Blue Lagoon, Iceland
46 The waters - from 6000ft below ground - have a naturally high silica and algae content which apparently does very good things to the skin. There are countless facials, body treatments and other therapies on offer. Why not try a silica massage, which uses the trademark white mud. Entrance to the spa, £12.50. Treatments from £36 (www.bluelagoon.com).
Terme Di Saturnia, Italy
47 In the heart of Tuscany, Terme di Saturnia oozes health and wellbeing. Whether it's the delicious spa cuisine, drinking from the sulphuric springs (not so delicious), dipping in one of the rich steaming pools or having one of the acclaimed algae-based treatments, you leave rejuvenated. Double rooms from £210, with use of the baths. Treatments are extra (www.termedisaturnia.it).
Thermae Sylla Spa, Greece
48 People have been taking the waters in the spa town of Edipsos on Evia since the time of Aristotle. It's these waters, when combined with traditional Greek herbs, which form the basis of the treatments at the spa which is built around the ancient ruins of Roman baths. Rooms are from about £146 (www.thermaesylla.gr).
Polynesian Spa, New Zealand
49 The hot springs at Rotorua are said to cure arthritis in three months. We can't vouch for that, but after lazing in the hot alkaline pools, you'll feel the benefits of a manuka honey therapy or an Aix massage (under jets of warm water using coconut oil). Entry to the pools, £12; Aix massage £28 (www.polynesianspa.co.nz).
Therme Vals, Switzerland
50 This is a thermal spa with a very stylish slant. Lie back and watch the strange ways light and shadows fall across the thermal waters and the fire (42C) and ice (14C) pools. There is a treatment centre underground. Three-night spa stays from £580pp, including some treatments (www.therme-vals.ch).
