Wellbeing Spa, Gwel an Mor, Portreath

Review by Emma Ferguson

You may still have a few weeks of the school holiday’s left, but if you’re already feeling the stress from continuous childcare why not take couple of hours to yourself?

Drop your offspring at their grandparents and head over to Gwel an Mor for one of their pampering spa treatments – even the drive down towards Portreath, the sea glittering in the distance, will soothe the mind.

Whilst I am yet to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet in my own life, the stress of a 47-hour plus working week is something I could always do from escaping from, even briefly, so I jumped at the chance to try the LaStone Therapy treatment.

Using hot and cold stones |alternately, it draws out toxins from the body and penetrates the tissue much more deeply than a standard massage can achieve.

From the moment I walked into the spa I began to relax. Situated just off from the main reception, the spa lights were pleasantly dimmed and tinged with blue, creating a calming bubble away from the harsh light of outdoor life.

After completing a questionnaire on any health and medical issues, I was led into a similarly softly lit treatment room and given a moment to disrobe.

The treatment began with an all-over massage, as I let my mind drift.

Hot basalt stones were then taken from a cabinet – my therapist |checking the temperature with me – and used to massage my skin in smooth, circular motions, starting with each of my legs.

The stones were hot to the touch on first contact, but not burning, and you could almost feel the heat penetrating down to the muscle, to help loosen and soothe away |tightness.

Smooth marble stones were then taken from cold water and dried before being placed down, for a |similar massage, designed to reduce inflammation. After the initial, very brief surprise – akin to stepping into a swimming pool on a hot day, but far less shocking – the marble felt like cool silk being trailed across my skin.

Before I had a chance to become cold, however, the warm stones were returned for a final time.

This process was repeated on my feet, before small warm pebbles were placed in between each of my toes and my therapist moved up to my chest, shoulders and sides of my neck, in turn. After removing the pebbles I turned onto my front and the stones were used on the backs of my leg, my back and the back of my neck.

Afterwards I felt wholly relaxed, both physically and mentally, which lasted throughout the rest of the day – I even failed to get frustrated when getting stuck behind a slow driver on my return home; |something that would normally get my blood pressure shooting.

The whole process took just |over an hour, although there is the option of a 30-minute version |concentrating just on the back, |or the full works that also includes scalp work, lasting 90 minutes.

See www.gwelanmor.com for more information.