Four of us were in Powerscourt spa last weekend, a mother and sisters treat. The wooded hills of Wicklow are a lovely setting for the spa. I’m sure some people, like myself, think it’s in the old Powerscourt estate, but it’s actually up the road a couple of miles in a newish purpose-built structure, so there may be an expectation of slightly grander surroundings than you get. For day residents there’s a room with lockers and padded benches, with a shower room off it; reminiscent of swimming pool changing rooms from my childhood. OK when there were approx 4 or 5 people present, but too crowded with any more, and the lockers could be bigger, we really had to cram our stuff in. The one or two men who attended would presumably have had a less crowded experience. Considering each person is shelling out a couple of hundred quid, a bigger, more comfortable room would be no harm. That’s the gripes out of the way, now onto the treatments. We signed up for specific treatments when booking the day – two are included in the price - and on the day itself you could put your name down for others. My choices were Coconut melt massage and the Hopi Ear Treatment, and on the Sat morning we also signed up for the Scentao session. Advice we were given before going was not to book too much because you’d just end up rushing around to fit everything in, rather than enjoying the time out. I was a bit hesitant about the Coconut melt massage, I thought I might find it too “hands on”, but it was lovely – even if I did smell like a Bounty bar by the end. I relaxed into it, not speaking at all to the therapist, our mother on the other hand said she talked all the way through – whatever relaxes you most. Later on the 20 minute Scentao session that about 10 women attended, was stress-reduction 101. We were shown the pressure points on our faces (useful for sinus problems), and some reflexology places on our feet, then we were taken through a classic 10 minute relaxation session, you know where you start by listening to your breathing and sensing each part of your body. Mam found that especially good. No-one was using the pool in the afternoon (all too busy with pedicures etc!), so the four of us had the Jacuzzi, pool, and sauna to ourselves for a couple of hours – brilliant! My afternoon session was the Hopi Ear Treatment. I’d had the ear candles done at home by Sam, so knew what to expect, but got much more in the Powerscourt session. I’d a lovely lady, Margaretta, from Bulgaria, who was fantastic with her advice and treatment. I’d a shoulder, face, and head massage, as well as the candles. And also got advice about my diet, she could tell from looking at my face that I’d had some tummy trouble. On that basis I’ve changed from bananas and yoghurt in the morning to porridge (all of those troublesome “wind” problems have disappeared, for which I’m sure everyone else is grateful!). And she suggested using mineral salts in warm water to treat the sinuses, I still have to look into that. When I emerged from the treatment room and drifted in a dream-like state to meet the others. My sister Emer laughed and said that with my hair all standing up (cos of the hair pulling during the massage) and my demeanor, I looked like someone just after an orgasm! It was truly fantastic.