IT'S hot and it's going to get hotter. I'm in only the first - and coolest - of the three chambers at Harrogate's Turkish Baths and I'm starting to feel just a little bit apprehensive about what lies ahead.

I've never been really keen on saunas - all that steamy heat always leaves me feeling exhausted - but Turkish baths are totally different. This seems to be another sort of heat altogether. It's calming and gentle and, as you progress through the various chambers of the baths, cooling off now and again in the icy plunge pool, you start to appreciate how totally absorbing this relaxation business can be.

For newcomers like us, the staff at Harrogate fully explain what you have to do before you even get your bathers on and their quiet and friendly approach sets the tone for your visit.

Last year the baths were refurbished in a £10m scheme to restore their Victorian splendour and the journey into another age begins when you enter the oak panelled changing cubicles with their red plush curtains hanging on brass poles.

After a warm shower to wash away any moisturiser on your skin comes the first shock - a dip in the icy Plunge Pool. This is heart-stoppingly cold, it literally takes your breath away, but you needn't stay long before starting your progress through the three interconnecting hot rooms. First the Tepidarium (warm) where you can relax on the wooden loungers and either lie back and clear your mind or read. You are advised to drink plenty of water, which is provided. Another dip in the cold pool and on to the Calidarium (hot), and repeat as you move up to the Laconium (the hottest at 70C). At first I didn't think I would be able to bear this sort of heat - even the tiled floor is almost too hot to stand on - but having progressed through all the stages I was surprised how much I enjoyed the temperature. And, if you start to feel uncomfortable you just move into a cooler room or take another dip in that Plunge Pool.

Then there is the Steam Room where the eucalyptus oil does wonders for your sinuses and the steamy heat sweats out all your toxins.

You should allow at least two hours for a visit to the Turkish Baths, plus at least half an hour to cool down in the Frigidarium (don't worry, it just means relaxing room) to bring your blood pressure back to normal. When I left I had a wonderful cosy feeling of warmth and well-being and my skin has never felt better. Definitely to be recommended.

Although Turkish baths were common in Victorian times, only seven which date back to the 19th century remain in the UK and none is as historically complete and in full working order as Harrogate's.

The town's Turkish Baths were created in the late 19th century as part of Harrogate's development as a spa town and they quickly helped to establish the town's international reputation for having some of the finest spa facilities available. The baths' Moorish design with Islamic arches and screens, walls of vibrant glazed brickwork, arabesque painted ceilings and Italian terrazzo floors all add to their historic fantasy.

After the creation of the National Health Service, the popularity of spa treatments declined, and so did Harrogate's baths. But Harrogate Council refused to give them up and, following the £10m refurbishment, which has seen their Victorian splendour authentically restored, the baths are ready to reap the benefits of the renewed interest in spa treatments in the 21st century.

It was fitting that our visit to the Victorian baths should be complemented by staying at the hotel created in the 19th century to accommodate visitors to the Spa.

The Hotel Majestic is simply that - a magnificent statement of a former age of over-the-top consumerism. Designed in the style of an English country house, the foundations alone swallowed up one million bricks. Built on five floors, it has huge public rooms lit by massive chandeliers, corridors wide enough to allow two ladies wearing the most extravagant Victorian skirts to pass, and guest rooms and suites all connected by service lifts which, after a century, still work. And that includes the escalator from the basement kitchens by which waiters still deliver meals to the dining room.

From the early 1900s Harrogate became the rendezvous for fashionable European society and the Majestic attracted royalty and the nobility. Among its most famous guests were Edward Elgar and George Bernard Shaw and, from the world of entertainment, Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks, and bandleaders Jack Hylton and Billy Cotton.

Although the Depression of the 1930s and the war years hit the hotel trade hard, it was said in 1940 that the Majestic's dining room was still full of "titles and tiaras" and even a direct hit by three bombs couldn't spoil the party.

But after the war, the popularity of spas declined and in 1945 the Majestic began a programme of modernisation that has preserved its place as the choice of pop stars and celebs - and as the setting for episodes of Emmerdale.

It is also probably the only hotel whose toilets have made the pages of The Times. A plan in 1995 to divide the spacious hall of the gents' with its black and white marble floor, mahogany panelling and brass fittings to create a ladies' loo provoked outrage and a letter to The Times. The plan was dropped.

The Majestic is now undergoing 21st century renovations but it still retains the splendid opulence of an earlier age and the highest standards of service for which is has always been renowned. And, whether you're taking the waters or simply some shopping therapy in Harrogate, The Majestic remains "the best address in town".

TRAVELFACTS

* Harrogate Turkish Baths are open every day and there are single sex and mixed sessions. A single visit costs £12.50. The Spa offers a range of health and beauty treatments.

Tel: (01423) 556746 www.harrogate.gov.uk/turkishbaths

* The Hotel Majestic (01423) 700300. Dinner, bed and breakfast at The Majestic costs from £75 per person per night until April. For special offers see www.paramount-hotels.co.uk/majesti