There’s the rub
As more of us visit spas, the more the question of spa etiquette rears its head - how should both we and the staff behave? Sally Brown gives a rundown of dos and don'ts.
Refresh yourself
Once it was all mud, glorious mud, but now spas offer practically any kind of therapy imaginable. Eloise Napier picks 10 of the best.
Yoga and the stars
Our guide to who does what and where you can join in the fun.
On a bender in Ibiza
Do you fancy ending up flat on your back in the Balearics? Jane Knight discovers a new way to chill out in one of the island's thriving yoga centres.
Steam Finnish
David Atkinson on the finer points of sauna culture.
Instant calmer
Want to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life? Try a Buddhist retreat, says David Atkinson: the breakfasts may not be up to much, but the meditation certainly takes your mind off things
Medicine woman
The Vision Quest is one of the oldest tools used by tribal people to seek direction in life. Grace Wynne-Jones follows their path to enlightenment in the wilderness.
Spirit level
The Indian town described by John Lennon as a "blissful Butlins" is now the yoga capital of the world. Andrew Spooner offers an enlightened guide to Rishikesh.
Taking the waters
Forget the Caribbean. Two days lying in baths of warmed sea water, having high-pressure hoses played over you can kickstart spring as effectively and without the jet lag, says Anne McHardy.
The 4,000-mile service
Hadley Freeman checks into a Caribbean resort to get her body buffed and her mind retuned.
Eternal springs
This week we separate the fango mud from the seaweed wrap to bring you the best spas in the world. Here June Field takes the plunge where it all began.
A place called Spa
In the 18th century the little town of Spa in Eastern Belgium became known as The Café of Europe. Today, writes Felice Hardy, Spa has spawned a worldwide wave of imitations that are now scaling new peaks of popularity.
The sound of two hands slapping
Felice Hardy selects the ultimate places to escape the stresses of the world.
Beau ties
Skiing can be hard on the body. Gillian Rhys nurses the bruises at a couple of five-star centres.
On massage
The exotic is closer than you think. Felice Hardy finds Austrian peat baths in Scotland, Indian massage in Wales and the elixir of eternal youth in England.