Dr Feelgood: Detox bath: worth its salt?

Under the microscope: INA White Gold Detoxifying Crystal Salt, £45 per kilo, www.spacenk.co.uk

In theory: Not to be confused with the gritty Lily of the Valley stuff in your gran's bathroom, white-gold crystal salts are the basis of the entire INA brand. Sourced from the Himalayas, the crystals, according to the makers, detoxify, heal and rebalance the skin's pH level. The micro-structure of the crystals, they say, means the minerals they contain are small enough to pass into the body. A hot bath with an entire kilo of salts is supposed to be equivalent to a three-day detox diet.

In practice: Once Dr F had stopped obsessing over what "submerge for 30 minutes" meant (would protruding toes negate the effect?), this made for a blissfully aromatic, relaxing experience. But 15 minutes in, your intrepid bather began to feel hot and light-headed, which, she is assured, is a good thing in the world of detox. Afterwards, the instructions advise you to "be kind to yourself" though it's hard to know how much kinder to oneself one can be than splashing out £45 on one bath.

Observations: Admittedly, Dr F has never actually stuck to a three-day detox diet, but she suspects it would leave her considerably thinner than she emerged from this bath. Nevertheless, her skin was left glowing and peachy. Her bath, on the other hand, looked decidedly crusty, so be prepared to follow your A-lister soak with some Z-lister scrubbing.

Analysis: Anything that gives you carte blanche to wallow, Cleopatra-style, for a full half-hour is good for the soul. This is expensive (though you don't have to use it all in one go), but Dr F has had salon treatments for twice as much that haven't left her more relaxed or with softer skin.

Prescription: If you want to kick-start a new health regime, treat yourself and go for the full kilo. If you're feeling less flush, eke it out for weekly pampering.

Further experiments If detoxing isn't for you, give INA's facecare a try – the White Gold Restoring Night Serum will seriously improve the view in your mirror the next morning (£32, www.spacenk.co.uk)