‘I always meditate before giving guests their treatment,’ my therapist Korn tells me as she gently places my feet in a herbal and fresh ginger footbath.
It’s a cold, wet winter’s evening, but I feel warm, relaxed and incredibly encouraged by Korn’s statement. I’m tucked away in the basement of The Connaught hotel, in the calming environs of the new Aman spa, about to embark on its legendary two-and-a-half-hour signature Aman Spa Experience inspired by Thailand (they also do treatments inspired by China, the Americas and India).
Opened in collaboration with Amanresorts, the hotel’s new spa is all cool marble, honey-coloured wood, white furniture and flickering scented candles. It’s pretty much love at first sight for me: this place may be small — there are only five treatment rooms, plus a chic granite pool, steam room and fitness centre — but it’s perfectly formed.
After changing into a pair of Thai pyjamas and the requisite fluffy robe, I sit in the relaxation area sipping fresh lemongrass tea and flicking wistfully through a book of Aman hotels around the world.
When Korn comes to collect me, I warm to her immediately. A small Thai woman, she chats animatedly as she rubs my feet in the footbath. She asks plenty of questions about my wellbeing, as most of the body and face treatments on offer here are tailored specifically to individual guest’s needs.
Next up is an hour of traditional Thai massage. As I lie on the bed in my pyjamas with Korn gently manipulating my body, I can’t help but admire her strength. She may be on the diminutive side, but she stretches, pulls and bends me into some amazing positions.
I feel relaxed but strangely energized as I make my way to the adjoining shower/steam room for the next part of my treatment: a 15-minute herbal steam. Then it’s back onto the bed for a 60-minute oriental oil massage and herbal compress.
For those who haven’t had it before (I hadn’t), the herbal compress is a warming treatment which, according to the blurb, is recommended for muscular pain, detoxification and re-energising.
It may sound like a slightly unusual addition to a massage but the combination of warm turmeric, kaffir limes, dried lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger and camphor oil being rubbed onto my skin, leaves me feeling more deliciously dopey than ever.
After another short spell in the steam room and a shower, my two-and-a-half hours are up. How do I feel? Amazing. Honestly. The combination of Korn's capable hands and the tranquil environment of the spa has seen to that.
Too zonked out to move, I don’t even make it into the pool; instead, I lie on a lounger, nibbling on fresh fruit kebabs and enjoying the silence before heading back to the real world.
Other treatments include holistic massage and facials, full body experiences and manicures and pedicures. Treatments from £70. The Aman Spa Experience takes 2 hours and 30 minutes and costs £280. For more information visit the-connaught.co.uk
