I’m not sure whether any of you have ever had a proper spa ‘bath’ – by that I mean immersed in water that has had specific things added to it to detoxify the body or help to soothe muscles and so on. I had a jolly good time in Ibiza many years ago – a bit too much of a good time, some might say, and before I flew home I had a spa bath. I can’t remember what was in it, but it sorted me right out! It’s weird how just lying in special water can ‘do things’ to you – weird, but also nicely convenient. After all, who wouldn’t want to just wallow about in warm water and relax whilst the magical ingredients do their thing?

I’m going to the Caudalie Spa soon and having a ‘wine barrel bath’ – I seriously can’t wait! Although if they think that there will actually be any wine left in the bath, they are sorely mistaken – “top-up please, Garçon!” Until then, I shall be continuing with my at-home ritual, courtesy of Repêchage: the Vita Cura Seaweed Bath. I have been using these sachets since before the summer – one every two weeks or so – and they are brilliant. Firstly, they turn the bath water swamp green, which appeals to the five-year-old within me, and secondly, they promise to help slimming and firming, circulation and relieving stress.

Do they work? Well, I can certainly vouch for the stress relief part – after bathing in my Vita Cura swamp water I can hardly move I’m so relaxed! One evening I got out of the bath and fell straight to sleep without even remembering how I had got into bed! (Admittedly this isn’t a rare occurrence but on this particular occasion I was 100% sober.) Slimming and firming wise, I like to believe that the more we do to kick-start our bodies into working properly, the better; the Vita Cura helps with circulation which in turn helps to eliminate toxins and waste. On a purely mental level, I like to sit in my bath and imagine that my body is firming itself up and getting rid of its bloatedness – it’s like army-green boot-camp water!

Seaweed has long been noted for its beauty and health benefits and I think that these Vita Cura sachets are a great way to create your own ‘at home Thalassotherapy’ treatment – just don’t expect to be able to achieve anything useful after hauling yourself out of it! It’s a brilliant way to give your body a bit of a ‘jump-start’ – even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time, with it being so supremely relaxing – great for the winter months when you start to feel a bit sluggish and de-motivated! Vita Cura Seaweed Bath costs £26 for 8 sachets which is why I use them as a kick-start ‘treat’ rather than every night, but when you think of the cost of a spa treatment, £3 (ish) a sachet is a mere snip! Furthermore, you don’t need to swan about in a dressing gown that has been previously worn by about 1000 people, or risk getting athlete’s foot and a whole plethora of skin diseases….

Vita Cura Seaweed Bath, £26 from www.repechageuk.com