Destination detox

Prepare yourself for 2005 with a trip to one of the world‘s best health resorts.

Iceland
There’s something otherworldy about the Blue Lagoon- Iceland’s most famous hot spring. Shawls of mist rise from sky-blue waters against a background of alpine-esque spa buildings and snow. The waters are artificially heated to a comfortable 38°C, but have a naturally high mineral content, with salts, silica and blue-green algae all enriching the waters, aiding ailments like arthritis, backache and psoriasis. The accompanying spa has treatments galore including salt body polishes, algae wraps and lymph drainage. While Blue Lagoon is a big draw for the crowds, you can escape to comparative calm at the newly opened Myvatn Geothermal Spa further north. The almost lunar volcanic craters provide mineral-rich waters and arresting landscapes – the Apollo 11 crew even trained in the area. Prices at both are a snip compared with an English spa – entrance is around £10 and treatments start at around £20. Santé!
Blue Lagoon, 240 Grindavík (00 354 350 1313).
Myvatn Geothermal Spa, 660 Myvatn, Simi (00 354 464 4411).
Iceland Express has return flights from Stansted to Reykjavik from £123.
Connecting flights to Akureyri for £93 with Air Iceland.

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Mexico
Spend a week in a yoga ashram and you can guarantee you’ll come home with the perfect post-holiday glow – inside and out. As idyllic locations go, the Solstice Centre, with its sweeping views of Zipolite Beach near Oaxaca on the Mexican Atlantic coast, is hard to beat. Hatha yoga classes in the morning are followed by meditation and panayana breathing and then asana posture practice, while in the afternoon you’re free to soak up rays on the beach, go surfing down the road in Puerto Escondido or explore the nearby countryside. The homespun centre has accommodation ranging from shared dorms to independent bungalows decked out with Mexican blankets and cobalt walls. Home-cooked communal meals are served on the sun-drenched patio. The next week-long retreats run from January 22-29 and February 19-26.
A week’s retreat all-inclusive is $560 per person.
Return flights to Mexico City with Iberia from £402.

Budapest
Budapest is awash with therapeutic baths thanks to the geological fault that runs through the Danube, producing tonnes of warm natural spring water daily. There are six main baths in the city with a few smaller subsidiary ones. Most have separate steam rooms and saunas for men and women with communal swimming pools. The majority also offer massage. For deep massage choose the vízi water massage, while the orvosi medical massage is the gentler option. Prices vary but as none costs more than Ft2,700 (around £7) it’s all a bit of a bargain. The glitziest and most famous of all the baths is the Gellért, which has a stunning art nouveau pool, though it can be overrun with tourists. Széchenyi is Europe’s largest health spa and popular all year round despite the fact the pools are outdoors. For authenticity head to the recently renovated Rudas – the octagonal unisex pool is due to reopen this week – shafts of sunlight pierce through the domed roof and illuminate the rising steam to glorious effect.
Gellért Gyógyfürdö, XI. Kelenhegyi út 4 (00 36 1 466 6166). Ft2,700.
Rudas Gyógyfürdö, I. Döbrentei tér 9 (00 36 1 356 1322). Ft1,100.
Széchenyi Gyógyfürdö, XIV. Allatkért körút 11 (00 36 1 321 0310). Ft1,700.
Return flights to Budapest £45 with easy Jet.

Bath
You’d expect England’s quintessential spa town to know a thing or two about therapeutic water remedies, and the Thermae Bath Spa, due to open later this year, won’t disappoint. It’s set to be the only spa in the country to use natural hot springs as part of the treatments. There’ll be an extensive range available with plenty of options geared for detox. Body wraps use everything from moor mud to Arizona sand and seaweed to firm skin and blitz water retention. Wraps start from £38 for 50 minutes while thermal treatments start from £32 for 30 minutes. If your detox stretches to doing something energetic, there are pilates and yoga classes too.
Thermae Bath Spa, The Hetling Pump Room, Hot Bath Street, Bath, BA1 1SJ (01225 331234). Trains from Paddington start at £19 Apex return.

Cyprus
For absolute luxe without venturing too far, catch a flight to Cyprus where a few days at the Anassa Hotel and Spa will sort you out with enough feel-good treatments to see you through the rest of the year. The extensive Thalasso spa offers algae wraps, reflexology, shiatsu and aromatherapy massage, as well as sauna and steam room. A gym fully fitted with all mod cons and tennis and squash courts offer more robust get-fit options and there’s also a range of watersports including water-skiing, sailing and scuba diving. The hotel itself is beautiful and styled like a typical island village, with white villas, central squares, sweeping seaviews and a Byzantine church. Palatial rooms have marble bathrooms while the swankiest even have their own plunge pools. A general pool room the size of a Roman villa, undulating countryside, and restaurants serving the local catch of the day are all added bonuses.
Anassa Spa, PO Box 66006, CY-8830, Polis (00 357 26 888000). La Joie de Vivre travel agency (01483 272379/www.lajoiedevivre.co.uk) offers five nights bed and breakfast including flights and transfers for £783, based on two sharing.

Fiona Mcauslan
Source: Time Out London Issue 1795: January 12-19 2005