BECKY SHEAVES

My husband John is an old-fashioned sort. Let's just say it was far from spa breaks that he was raised... He was a spa virgin and staying that way.

- BECKY SHEAVES

HAVE you ever been on a spa day? If you are my age and female, chances are you have.

For those (mostly gents) who haven't done so, here is what I am talking about. You go to a fancy hotel and you put on a swimming costume. You bob about in a smallish pool, then you pop into a bubbling hot tub. You will also spend time in a hot sauna, a cold shower, a rosemary-scented steam room and - if you're extra lucky - a small chamber lined in pink Himalayan salt. Which is, apparently, good for you. At some point during your session, you will be called in to a smaller, darkened room for a treatment. There, you will have your back massaged, your feet wrapped in seaweed or, possibly, your head rubbed in a special “Indian” way.

Now look, I may sound like I'm roundly mocking the whole spa shenanigans. But I have enjoyed just such a day out myself on many occasions. My female friends and I like nothing better than a pamper day to detox and unwind. Let's just say I am no stranger to health resorts.