Spa trek

LAVA SPA: Iceland

At the foot of Mount Hengill, in a landscape of mossy lava fields, crystalline waterfalls and hot springs, stands a forbidding glass and concrete structure that seems to float above its otherworldly surroundings.

This is Iceland’s Ion hotel, in the Thingvellir National Park, and at its heart is the Lava Spa where you can soak in a 10ft outdoor geothermal hot tub as the Northern Lights dance above your head. After a day exploring this land of volcanoes and geysers, enjoy a massage with Icelandic herbs and ash from that pesky Eyjafjallajökull volcano, or take a moment in the relaxation room to reflect on the grandeur of creation.

Discover the World’s three-night Summer Adventure at Ion hotel (ioniceland.is) is available from £781 per person (01737 214 250; discover-the-world.co.uk)

JIVA SPA: India

The Vivanta by Taj hotel Madikeri, in southwest India, glories in the classic Coorg landscape of canopied rainforest undulating across a mountainous terrain. At an altitude of 4,000ft, with its own 180-acre rainforest featuring natural springs, Buddha gardens and strawberry farms, the hotel integrates seamlessly with its surroundings. The complex was built using recycled wood and river stones, and the architecture is all locally inspired, with pillars, sloping roofs and private plunge pools. The spa has two pools: one inside, one outside in the rainforest. There is a fitness centre, a wellness restaurant, in-house yoga masters and all manner of luxurious Ayurvedic therapies using herbs, aromatherapy oils and holy water from the Ganges. Be massaged as if you were an Indian princess, while local musicians serenade you; be rinsed with warm milk and petals, and enjoy the chants of Vedic verses while you are wrapped in a spice-infused linen sheet… But the ultimate native treat is a Gudda bath — a wood-fired bath in an outdoor pavilion, as you watch the steam rising from the rainforest below and listen to the sound of birdsong.

From £170 per room per night (vivantabytaj.com)

COWORTH PARK: England

Just 45 minutes from Central London, next to Wentworth golf club in Berkshire, you’ll find this sprawling country house hotel with a restaurant helmed by Brian Hughson, formerly of its sister hotel The Dorchester. The spa is a short stroll from the main house, or if you’re in one of the renovated stable rooms on the far side of the grounds, there is a chauffeur-driven golf buggy. Partially sunk into a grassy bank, with a roof of lavender, camomile and thyme, the spa has a spectacular view across the wildflower meadow to the polo pitch, and natural light streams into every treatment room. Save the falling asleep for your bed and book a restorative deep tissue massage, heavy on herbal unguents, or a detoxifying spirulina wrap.

From £305 for a stable superior room (coworthpark.com)

THE SINGULAR: Chile

It is claimed that the origin of the word spa is salute per aqua, meaning health through water. It is a philosophy that the good people at Patagonia’s Singular spa live by. Overlooking the majestic fjord of Last Hope, The Singular hotel is based in a restored Victorian sheep-processing factory, the Bories Cold Storage Plant. This may not sound glamorous, but a ten-year renovation project has resulted in a fascinating hotel complex, with the restaurant (featuring local ingredients such as Magellan lamb and king crab) in the old tannery, and its own museum. The 3,000sq ft spa is located on the very edge of the fjord, and floor-to-ceiling windows afford an expansive vista with the snowcapped mountains of Torres del Paine in the distance and Andean condors scoring the sky. The massages and facials use pure, mineral-rich glacial water, as well as seaweed and organic plant extracts. There is a dry sauna with Patagonian aromas, a steam room and a foaming Jacuzzi, but above all there is that intoxicating, epic, empty view that is a tonic for the soul.

From £230 per night B&B (thesingular.com)