The top five one-stop spas

Offering one-stop beauty services in stylish surroundings, here are the major players...

Angsana

Pedigree: Named after a tree found in the Asian rainforests, the Singapore-based Angsana brand was launched in 2000 and now has 28 resorts and day spas.

What's so special? It is managed by the Banyan Tree Spa group and therapists are trained at the Banyan Tree Spa Academy, so expect a comprehensive range of holistic massages, wraps and scrubs.

Where to find it: The brand's 11 day spas stretch across Australasia, Asia and the Middle East. The most recent branch opened in Kobe, Japan, in January (angsanaspa.com).

Elizabeth Arden Red Door

Pedigree: The ultimate day spa chain, this is part of the global beauty business founded in the United States by Elizabeth Arden, a Canadian businesswoman (real name Florence Nightingale Graham), in the early 1900s.

What's so special? One for devotees of no-nonsense, classic treatments, therapies are as wide-ranging as you would expect from a chain which pioneered quick makeovers.

Where to find it: There are 29 Red Door salons in the States and one in London (reddoorspas.com).

Exhale

Pedigree: Launched eight years ago in New York, this brand has substance. Its "wellness coaching" director, Gayle Reichler, for example, previously worked with the Canyon Ranch Spa in the Berkshires.

What's so special? This rapidly expanding chain focuses on both mind and body with unusual contemporary treatments such as "urban ayurveda".

Where to find it: There are currently eight branches, spread between both east and west coasts of the States, as well as Chicago and Dallas (exhalespa.com).

Bliss

Pedigree: Started a few years back in SoHo, New York, this fun and fabulous modern spa group has also made a name for itself for its stand-alone product range.

What's so special? Visits here are no ordeal of abstinence; where else can you swig a glass of Sauvignon while you're being buffed?

Where to find it: There are seven branches of Bliss in the States (three in New York, one each in Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco) and, since 2001, one in London (blissworld.com).

Elemis

Pedigree: British-based Elemis started 17 years ago, manufacturing aromatherapy-based products. It now has a chain of spa outlets.

What's so special? One for organic fans who stop by for its experienced therapists and natural products.

Where to find it: The first day spa opened in London in 2001, followed by Miami and Hong Kong (elemis.com).