We went down to the Inchydoney Lodge and Spa (near Clonakilty) on Sunday lunchtime for a relaxing 24 hours. The setting is divine, looking out over the Atlantic and the huge expanse of beach. The hotel is comfy and a nice size so it doesn’t feel impersonal. Our first treatment was booked for 3.30, Sam rang down to the Spa (on the 3rd floor) about what we should wear going down. All we needed to put on was a robe and footwear (we had our own slippers), they’d provide disposable underwear, because of all the oils, creams etc. You head down to the Spa, are given a form to fill in and shown into the Relaxation room which has a glass wall overlooking the ocean. Your therapist arrives and calls out your name and brings you down to the treatment room. I started off with a: Marine Body Polish – 'A body scrub with active seaweed ingredients to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells and impurities, leaving a soft and oxygenised skin.' The therapist was Patricia (a Polish girl), near the end of the session she commented that I was frowning, when I mentioned that I just had a headache, she finished the body polish and started a headache treatment, massaging temples, neck, and scalp – such relief! The headache didn’t lift immediately, but by the time the next treatment was due it was gone. Herbal Back Cleanse with Massage: 'Using a mask with premium grade fruit essential oils, combined with cleansing Eastern massage techniques, this treatment acts like a facial for the back, helping to cleanse and replenish leaving your skin radiant and glowing.' Although the therapist was a slight Irish girl, she was certainly well able to get stuck into my back for a deep massage – I never knew that some spots were even tender! Very relaxing and some of the oils/creams used had a lovely fragrance, particularly the menthol Instant refreshing gel. Because we were near Clon, I’d booked Gleeson’s restaurant (see the review), but actually if you want to stay in a chilled out frame of mind, you might not want to bother having to drive to Clon, and just eat in the hotel restaurant. Next morning we’d booked a Rasul for 10am: Rasul: 'The Rasul is a traditional Arabian ritual cleansing treatment which uses a steam temple and chakra muds.' The treatment room has a shower and a steam room with two seats. The girl explained that there were two different muds to use, one for joints and the other for the rest of the body. You enter the steam room and spend 5 minutes or so smearing mud all over your body (kids would love it!). Then you sit and steam for 25/30 mins. Unfortunately, for the first 10 minutes or so the steam room wasn’t very ‘steamy’, only when we were checked on and mentioned it did the steam really kick in for the last 15 mins. To make up for that we were both given a goody bag with sample sizes of Elemis products and a larger bottle of bath oil. What a wonderful couple of days. Today I am so allergic to being back in work!!