ROSIE GREEN SPA STRUCK

Want a well-being boost? The glorious gardens and nature-inspired spa at Barnsley House will put a spring in your step

How would you like to supercharge your spa treatment? How about layering on an agereversing plant extract that’s been picked under a full moon by virgins in the Himalayas? Or perhaps try a bit of Nasa level machinery that guarantees to lift your jowls right up to your cheekbones?

Too much? Thought so. Then what about just choosing to have your treatment in serene, natural surroundings?

Spas everywhere are flagging up the well-being boost that being immersed in/close to greenery brings.

Hippy dippy? Well, no. Scientific research shows access to it is linked to reduced levels of depression, anxiety and stress. So now every yoga retreat worth its cymbals offers up the opportunity to namaste outdoors and forest bathing is officially a thing (with spas as mainstream as Center Parcs buying into the idea). Oh, and woodland gymnasiums are springing up everywhere (Calcot Manor opens theirs this year).

I’m all for it. Like olives and views, I’ve only started appreciating gardens later in life. But now they deliver as much joy as a good cocktail, crisp linen sheets or a new pair of shoes. And if you want to combine gorgeous gardens with a great spa, then Barnsley

House is hard to beat.

This year it celebrates the centenary of the legendary Rosemary Verey, who created its magical gardens. And spring is a glorious time to visit it, with magnolia and wisteria bursting into flower.

The spa makes good use of the garden’s offerings (as does the excellent Potager restaurant). Dried lavender bunches await you on the treatment beds, the “herbarium” (steam and sauna) uses home-grown hanging herbs, while freshly picked mint flavours the drinking water.

The spa design is all about connecting you to the gardens, too. You walk down to it from the main house, along an enchanting meandering path, shedding stress with each step. The building materials used also encourage that connection – think lots of stone and wood, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The spa is smallish, but well thought out. It’s luxe and friendly. If you were being uber critical you might say it is starting, just starting, to look a little bit tired.

I had an Elemis Garden of England Rose Restore massage, £80 for 50 minutes. It uses salon-only products, layering on oils that truly smell like fresh picked blooms.

The therapist Gemma (do ask for her) was excellent. A skilled masseur who tackled knots and tension with confidence and care, she also did a manicure, which has lasted weeks (tip: go nude, go one coat).

The rooms are country chic, very quirky and cool. There are luxe sheets and they are big on super-size showers and baths.

To really immerse yourself in nature, book the Rosemary Verey Suite, which has its own conservatory, or the Potting Shed, which is a cosy garden hideaway in the grounds.

If you need reviving after a long beastly winter (and who doesn’t), then Barnsley House is your place.

Rates at Barnsley House start from £181 per night on a bed and breakfast basis, based on two sharing: telegraph.co.uk/ tt-barnsleyhouse

Spring is a glorious time to visit it, with magnolia bursting into flower

treatment is big on massage, with stimulating “stretches” and energetic Kobido movements. For stressed out skin, Darphin has launched the soothing, plumping, nourishing (and divine smelling) Vetiver Stress Relief Detox Oil Mask, £45, and Vetiver Essential Oil Elixir, £40. decleor.co.uk; darphin.co.uk

Barnsley House offers a natural spa