A cryotherapy facial that knocks years off

I love a good, hearty walk in country-fresh air, with every shade of green on view and scudding clouds creating an ever changing skyscape. And I'm a sucker for a pampering spa experience, with a chic pool and fluffy towels and expert therapists helping me unwind. So a stay at Park House Hotel, 5 minutes walk down picturesque country lanes to the UK's newest National Park the South Downs www.southdowns.gov.uk), and starring a new spa complete with treatments from stylish French brand Anne Semonin, had ‘perfect weekend' stamped all over it.

Arriving early afternoon on a Friday, after a frazzling week, my partner and I were greeted by friendly staff who took us to a cosy yet light and airy room in the recently built annexe, with a balcony looking out over the misty moisty Downs and the walled kitchen garden bright with marigolds below - another recent addition that has been providing herbs, vegetables and berries for the restaurant over the summer and is set to develop to produce yet more as the autumn vegetable crop matures. We drop our bags, exclaim at the views, see delightedly that there's a big walk-in shower in a chic neutral and chrome bathroom, and then head for our 2pm appointments in the spa building opposite, aptly named PH2O.

Spa treats

It's been built low in the landscape, with a grass roof that should develop into a mini wild flower meadow, helping the building blend in, Teletubby style, but also providing still more delightful food and shelter for insects, and birds. Inside, the spa building is slick and beautifully decorated with slate stone, sleek wood and low lighting. The warmth and fragrance of the spa reception makes filling out the (mercifully brief, hurrah!) questionnaire a pleasure. And as Chris sets off for his massage and (first ever) facial, I am led into a serene treatment room of my own and told I will have a cryotherapy firming facial - so named, I discover with relief, because it ends with a special radiance ice cube treatment and not because it involves scary space age needles or freezing techniques to leave me looking botox-bizarre. Prior to this intriguing Anne Semonin facial I am to be relaxed and soothed by a lava shell massage.

My therapist, Rachel, leaves me to get ready and I can honestly say this is a super-fabulous therapy couch! I have many times - with my not so sylph-like thighs - felt slightly nervous about rolling off a narrow couch, or, worse still, oozing off as the therapist presses down during a firm massage stroke. But here it feels like being on a double bed, with padding so soft it allows you to relax into it face down, with no bosom-squashing discomfort, and a well padded hole for your face allows you to relax totally without feeling claustrophobic. We are off to a very good start!

Lava shell massage

The lava shell massage uses a mango and green tea scented oil which is sweet without being cloying, and shells filled with a mineral salt mix that has a chemical reaction, creating heat. Think hot stone massage, but instead of the stones cooling down as you use them, the lava shells keep heating up. If you are, like me, a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat (I have to wait at least 20 minutes before I can approach a cup of tea), let your therapist know and they can adjust it. Once the heat is right, the massage feels light and smooth, as the glassy surface of the shells glides over you, heating and soothing with its touch. This is not a deep massage for knotted muscles, rather a lulling, relaxing treatment that has the added benefit of boosting microcirculation to your skin with the warmth - especially good for cellulite. My therapist also focused on lymphatic drainage to help gently dispel toxins.

Cryogenic facial

Floating in a blissful cocoon of cosiness on the couch following the massage, it's now time for the Anne Semonin cryogenic facial to firm and restore radiance. I have to say I've never had a facial like it. Less about massage and stroking movements, and more about gentle tapping and pressing, it promises to de-puff any bloating and eye bags by focusing on lymphatic drainage, and to restore wellbeing with a head massage. And there is a beautiful fragrance from the creams and oils as they do their work. It includes a deep cleansing exfoliation with walnut shell grains, a gel-like mask applied over a gauze soaked in the brand's signature trace elements and botanical oils chosen specifically for my skin (this may sound odd but it's a wonderful ‘out of the chrysalis' feeling when the gauze comes off and your skin is gently cleaned with a warm towel), and a layer of deeply moisturising eye and face cream before the grand finale of the radiance ice cube.

I admit, I'm a tad nervous about the thought of an ice cube being applied to my skin when I've spent the last two hours luxuriating in hot lava shell and facial bliss, but Rachel assures me it's refreshing rather than horrifying and I steel myself as she brings this frozen cube of intensive mineral trace elements towards my forehead. The cube travels across my skin dispensing a cooling liquid, and although it feels a bit shocking near my sinuses, it's actually quite invigorating. Which helps me peel myself off the couch when the appointed times comes moments later. My face looks glowing, firmed and very relaxed, but be warned - it does look a bit oily, too, so book your facial at least a couple of hours before dinner.

Back in our cosy room, Chris says the deep tissue massage he had really did go deep, with the therapist using elbows and intense pressure to de-knot shoulders and back in a way men find acceptably therapeutic. But he also confesses he found the facial so relaxing he fell asleep. Thus we find ourselves in a floaty, snoozy haze, watching a DVD as we sprawl on the bed.

Rather foolishly, we hadn't timed our visit well enough to have had a swim in the very inviting, modern pool before our treatments. So I wait the requisite 4 hours and have a dip before dinner. For a time the pool is mine alone, and I swim with pleasure in the bracing water, feeling relaxed muscles flowing, and working up an appetite.

Dinner

We have a choice of dinner by candle light in the conservatory or in the slightly more formal room behind. Local ingredients and garden-fresh produce are combined in inventive dishes, with great choices for vegetarians like me. I choose celeriac and thyme soup with pleasingly seed-topped brown rolls, vegetarian haggis with a toothsome oat and herb filling inside little gem leaves, placed on a bed of beans in a rich tomato sauce. Chris has a rich, flavoursome duck pate and mackerel on a bed of vegetables. Our wine is an unoaked Chardonnay, which accompanies the rich, end of summer flavours well. Desserts are a rich chocolate and Tia Maria layer cake, and a lemon and raspberry syllabub, washed down with fresh mint tea and local Montezumas truffles in the cosy lounge. The hotel feels like a big, happy home rather than a hotel where you stand on ceremony. We both sleep well.

The South Downs

Next morning, as the rain falls, we can't take advantage of the lawn tennis courts or the croquet, but we do decide, fuelled by our breakfast of local free range eggs, and crispy bacon for Chris, that we will don our waterproofs and stride out into Bepton village and beyond, to the South Downs Way.  Historic stone walls and undulating tiled roofs coated with soft green moss and ferns make the tree-lined lanes a joy; the church is almost 1000 years old and has stunning views on its doorstep, and the walk to the South Downs Way leads us past perfectly ripe wild damson trees, being harvested by a local family out with their dogs. The sun comes out from time to time as we make our way up to the spine of the Downs and enjoy panoramic views, and the buzz of happy insects in hedgerows. We feel free of cares, and fill our lungs with the soft, moist air. And when we make our way back down, and the rain starts in earnest, we grin at each other and pick damsons, stashing them in Chris's hood as the raindrops pelt us, and thinking delightedly, as we drive home - satisfied with a totally relaxing 2 days - of the tangy crumble they will make to reward us for our endeavours.

Information and booking

Park House Hotel, Bepton, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 0JB. Call 01730 819000 or visit www.parkhousehotel.com to find out more.

Bed and breakfast from £150 per room; 3-course dinner £34.95 per person. Dinner, bed and breakfast from £210 per room per night.
Check the website for seasonal offers and spa packages such as the Relaxation package for a minimum of 2 people, including full use of the PH2O spa and leisure facilities, dinner in the Park House restaurant, luxury overnight accommodation, full English breakfast and a 30-minute spa treatment from £145 per person, Sunday to Thursday.

All rooms have free wifi, CD and DVD players, Molton Brown Toiletries and super-fluffy towels!

Ask for a room in the annexe if you like a slightly more contemporary decor - room 21 is bold florals, room 18 is striking pink and grey, and rooms 19 and 20 have minimalist neutral palettes; traditional fabric and furnishings combine with modern colour palettes to give rooms in the main house a period atmosphere.

See last month's spa review - a memorable massage in London