Having a spa treatment is nothing new for urbanites and if you live in any city you're spoilt for choice. But how about REALLY treating yourself and combining an indulgent beauty treatment with a luxurious country break?

If you know North Norfolk (especially its beaches) you'll be familiar with the many charms of Burnham Market. And you'll certainly know the Hoste Arms. It's slap bang in the centre of this fashionable little town – alongside must-visit delis, designer label clothes shops, lifestyle emporiums and the like – and can quite rightly describe itself as one of the county's premier (and quite possibly first of a small handful) of boutique hotels.

And now, to the joy of locals and regular patrons alike, this former coaching inn – renowned for it's convivial atmosphere, great food and very chic-but-comfotable decor – has opened a spa. Tucked away in the most recently developed part of the hotel, the Zulu Wing, the treatment rooms are run by a friendly team of therapists who work with Clarins and Mary Cohr products.

It may be a regular thing these days, but the double treatment room for partners (or maybe mothers and daughters) is something quite new for me, so my partner and I decided to treat ourselves to his and hers facials – side by side. It was quite a strange experience lying there and wondering how he was enjoying the whole thing. It was so tranquil and quiet I decided against breaking the spell to ask him!

I needn't have worried about him; he had a fairly standard Clarins for Men 'Blitz', which he says he thoroughly enjoyed, right down to the unexpected arm and hand massage tagged on the end. He says he was hardly aware that I was there and looked pink, fresh and well-scrubbed by the end of the hour. And his skin felt almost unfeasibly soft!

But the treatment that intrigued me as it is still relatively new (in the UK generally never mind Norfolk) is the 'non-surgical facelift' that is the CatioVital Lift Facial. My therapist Carys quizzed me about my own skincare regime – chiding me gently for my negligence on the exfoliating front – and then explained what the Mary Cohr-based facial would involve. So far, so non-scary sounding.

As her gentle fingers started their stroking, patting, massaging and the various botanical scents wafted around me, I quickly lost track of what was being applied and what I'd been told the running order would involve. No problem. Even when the  probe of the Catio machine began gliding across the contours of my face I was too completely relaxed to worry about what was going to happen next.

The flat side of the positive and negative probes (the ions allow active ingredients to penetrate into the skin as well as stimulate the cells) felt cool, while the more pointy end used next felt tingly. Nothing about the whole 75 minute experience was remotely uncomfortable and afterwards my skin felt so much smoother, softer and plumped up. I was even treated to a little more TLC with a neck and scalp massage using a botanical oil for dry skin.

The spa is open to non-residents, but to not stay the night at the Hoste Arms would be to miss another great treat. The room that we stayed in, in another converted wing off the courtyard, is the most sumptuous of boudoirs – decorated fashionably, but not achingly so and we loved the huge his and hers walk-in double shower!

The Hoste Arms, The Green, Burnham Market, Norfolk PE31 8HD

Tel: 01328 738777 www.hostearms.co.uk Tariff: for example - Junior Suite: £191 per night midweek including breakfast & VAT

Divine Room: 2 nights, high season, weekend: £488 including breakfast & VAT Spa: CatioVital Lift Facial - £55

Clarins for Men Skin Blitz Facial: £40