It’s all about the spa at four-star Careys Manor Hotel. In the depths of the New Forest, concealed within a fairly modern “country manor”, awaits spa nirvana.

More than £6 million was spent on the award winning Thai spa about five years ago. “SenSpa” (“Sen” means ‘energy meridians’ in Thai and ‘forest’ in Chinese) has since collected a number of awards - including Destination Hotel Spa of the Year in 2007 by British Beauty & Spa Awards.

The spa is huge. To give you an idea of what’s on offer; there are 16 treatment rooms, a hydrotherapy pool, herbal sauna, steam room, a Rhassoul mud room (with mud from the Moroccan Atlas Mountains), Jacuzzis and several experience showers. Oh and the relaxation rooms where you can read, snooze or just stare into space. You could easily lose a couple of days forgetting the outside world exists.
                                                                                           
If you want a workout, the fully equipped gym should suffice. You could also sign up for one of the classes, from energetic dance aerobics to the more sedate meditation sessions. The thing is, once you’ve clapped eyes on the hydrotherapy pool area, the gym looks decidedly un-enticing. Both my good intentions and my gym kit never saw the light of day.

Having deposited our toddler at the in-laws that morning. My fiancée and I were ready for some serious rest and recuperation. We checked in and were shown to our double room. Careys spent £1.5 million on a refurb last year and now offers 79 bedrooms and suites. Our room was spacious and comfortable - but nothing to write home about. The interior was safe, neutral and bland. It looked like the designer had gone to one of the big DIY stores.

Never mind the bedroom, the spa was what we were interested in. We didn’t have far to walk. Out of our room, through the double doors, turn left and straight into spa heaven.

Walking through the hand carved wooden doors, greeted by a praying Buddha, Thai artwork and the sound of floaty glockenspiel music, it was like we’d been transported to another realm.

SenSpa offers “a fusion of Eastern and Western treatments”. The menu is vast. There are about 10 different massages, from traditional Thai to Swedish to the Sen Fusion Signature Massage. Nine different facials with organic herbs and flowers, water treatments, body wraps and body polishes. You can even slap mud all over your spa-partner in the Rhassoul treatment room - a private mosaicked haven with heated seats and twinkly lights.

Spoilt for choice, I chose the Saboo Deep Cleanse (£105). A 90-minute body cleanse treatment that sloughed away my winter skin and left me feeling a few pounds lighter. It’s not ideal if you want something relaxing. Lying naked on a heated bed, apart from a pair of sumo-sized paper pants, my Thai therapist pummelled my skin into submission. She started by rubbing black olive soap from top to toe, followed by a warm Vichy shower, then a mud massage to exfoliate. The grand finale is an oil massage (with jojoba, macadamia and evening primrose) to really soften and nourish the skin. I left the room feeling like my skin had been re-born.

I found my fiancée in the candlelit hydrotherapy pool. If you’ve never experienced one of these (the pool, not my fiancée), it’s rather like a bath-temperature swimming pool, with lots of bubble jets at various heights. You re-emerge having had your whole body massaged. With a slightly glazed but contented look on his face, he mumbled, “We should get one of these”. I suggested that we just didn’t leave the spa, ever.

I’ve never had, let alone heard of, a Koubel douche before. While it sounds a little kinky, it couldn’t be further from the truth.  You’ll find it in the “ice room” - it’s an overhead bucket of ice-cold water. One small tug on the rope and you’ll be screaming and laughing at the same time. Slightly sadistic, but feels amazing. You’ll also find a tropical rainstorm shower complete with ice-cold rain, thunder and lightening. The look on people’s faces as they emerge from the ice room is worth getting front row seats for.

The herbal sauna makes a great anti-dote to the ice “therapy”, followed by a tropical eucalyptus and peppermint scented shower. The whole idea of alternating hot and cold temperatures is to improve circulation and flush out toxins. We did about three hot-cold circuits and then decided it was time to re-fuel.

Most guests on a spa break are treated to a two-course spa lunch at the spa’s Zen Garden. The Thai restaurant offers “locally sourced and free range” produce made by Thai chefs. My favourite soup Tom Kha Gai, a coconut and chicken soup, was delicious. And his Kae Panang, a lamb red curry with coconut milk, peppers and Kaffir lime leaves took him “straight back to Thailand”. Oh yes, and no need to change for lunch - guests are encouraged to dine in bathrobes and slippers.

After lunch we spent the rest of the day in the relaxation room - a quiet and restful haven with cushioned wicker beds, magazines and green tea. Just to read a magazine in peace, to doze off when my eyelids grew heavy was pure unadulterated bliss. Impossible at home with a 21-month old bundle of energy.

We arrived at the spa feeling fairly frazzled and sleep deprived. We checked out the next morning feeling rejuvenated, well rested and a few years younger. We got what we came for and then some. Imagine what two nights could do?

Spa packages start at £169 per person. Based on two people sharing and includes a double or twin room, dinner, breakfast, lunch and use of spa facilities. Treatments can be booked separately.

SenSpa at Careys Manor, Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst, New Forest, Hampshire SO42 7RH
T: 01590 624 467. E: relax@senspa.co.uk. www.senspa.co.uk.