When your body is a temple, it can be hard maintaining it. Richard Barker plumps for a body wrap instead.

I'll be honest. The thought of being "mummified" terrified me. For anyone who isn't familiar with a "body wrap", it basically means you are wrapped in hot bandages from head-to-toe and left prostrate for an hour. That may sound like harmless fun and a good excuse to get out of the office for a couple of hours, but to someone uninitiated in the art of beauty treatments, it sounded like a daunting prospect.

The nearest I've ever come to beauty treatment is occasionally slapping on some moisturiser, and even then I felt out of my depth. For all I knew, it could have been salad cream.

But the continual ribbings I kept receiving from the features desk, who had started referring to me as "fatty", persuaded me to that a body wrap was probably a good idea if it meant losing a few pounds and a nickname in the process.

To my surprise, it was painless. You don't have to lift a finger. You turn up, get undressed, and then get wrapped in hot bandages before dressing in waterproof trousers and top. It's that simple.

The first bit is the most difficult. Having to undress and stand with your arms outstretched while someone measures you is not as easy as it sounds. You don't know where to look. Making polite conversation while someone measures your buttocks is awkward. You may well find yourself making inane comments about the weather as the beautician takes a measurement of your groin area.

But once the measuring and wrapping is done it's plain sailing. You lie down and let the bandages do all the work. You can even nod off for an hour.

The actual wraps are saturated in a collagen-amino acid solution, and are supposed to disperse the toxins which create cellulite. The solution also helps to tighten the skin.

Each body wrap is expected to take off between seven and 25 inches; I lost nine inches after one treatment. You won't walk away a stick insect after just one session, but several sessions are said to change the shape of your body considerably

Treatments apparently work best on people with loose skin and anyone with a bit of extra weight around the belly area. They can also help to treat stretch marks, dry skin, eczema and psoriasis.

Before each session it is advisable to avoid caffeine, fizzy drinks, salt, greasy food and alcohol. Once you've had your wrap, you need to drink about plenty of water within the next 48 hours, because the treatment does leave you feeling dehydrated.

But all in all, it is a simple and painless way to lose weight. There is a certain taboo about men heading off for beauty treatments, but more men are realising there's really no shame in it, and if you want to look a bit firmer but don't fancy going to the gym every day, then a body wrap is a pretty good way to lose some pounds.

* I visited CACI Beauty Oasis, on Northumberland Street, in Darlington, and a body wrap costs between £45 and £65, depending on which wrap you decide on. There are collagen wraps, vitamin C wraps, and vitamin C wrap and polish treatments. For further information contact the CACI Beauty Oasis, on (01325) 489970