Ruth Campbell enjoys a shower of snow in the middle of a North Yorkshire spring and ends up feeling totally chilled.

IT had been one of those mornings.

Our 17-year-old had broken a window throwing a ball, so I had to get it fixed before I could leave the house. And then the youngest somehow got the key stuck, upside down, in the front door. Eventually, after 20 minutes of fruitless pulling and tugging, we had to take the handle and lock apart with a screwdriver to free it.

It meant the younger boys missed their bus, so I had to drive them to school. Then I ended up setting off about half an hour late myself. I realised, 15 minutes down the road, that, in the midst of all the chaos, I had forgotten my swimsuit. So I had to turn back again.

When I finally arrived at the Verbena Spa in Helmsley, I was feeling particularly frazzled, and clearly looked it too.

I was hoping some of that calm, relaxation would rub off on me as spa manager Lisa showed me round the luxurious spa, situated at the back of the Feversham Arms Hotel. I was expecting a few small, converted rooms at the end of the old stone, Georgianstyle building. But the large, purpose- built ultra modern stone and glass extension, which opened in October, took me by surprise. It was a bit like pushing open the door of a telephone box and walking into Dr Who’s tardis. I was in another dimension altogether.

The decor is cool, modern and understated.

It oozes luxury without being ostentatious. But it’s not the sort of thing you usually find in the middle of rural North Yorkshire.

There are all sorts of treatments on offer in the spa, from mud baths to hot stone massages and exotic ritual wraps. But I was here to experience the Ice Cave, which involves rubbing fresh snowflakes – fired out of an ice machine – all over my skin, after gently cooking myself in the spa’s aromatherapy room, salt vapour room and sauna.

These hot and cold extreme temperature treatments, inspired by the Finnish tradition of rolling in the snow after a sauna, would apparently give both my circulation and skin a boost, I was told.

I started off in the aromatherapy room, where I could happily have remained for hours, soothed by the gentle 30C heat and the little sparkling stars in the ceiling that kept twinkling gently, on and off, in different colours. Eventually, I moved on to the salt vapour steam room and temperatures of up to 45C and then the sauna, where I simmered in the 50C heat.

I took a deep breath, scooped a few handfuls of the frozen snow from the machine, and coated myself in it.

The ice suddenly snapped my pores shut and my skin tingled. It was surprisingly invigorating.

In between the various hot and cold treatments, I dipped in and out of the monsoon shower, where I could choose between a ‘tropical warmth’ or ‘arctic cool’ setting to rinse off. The Verbena seems to have thought of everything. Even the curved, tiled bench I sat on while my feet were gently massaged in the foot spa was heated.

When I ventured out into the open air and onto the terrace, I jumped straight into the outdoor pool. It felt comfortably warm. But swimming in the open air in North Yorkshire in April? I felt more like I was on holiday in the Mediterranean. And that was before I even got into the steaming hot jacuzzi.

I had planned to spend just an hour in the spa, which would have given me time to try out everything on offer. But it was much too good for that. So I stayed for three. This is the amount of time allocated for the heat treatments and I didn’t want to waste a second. I didn’t even bother with the light, healthy lunches on offer – which looked delicious – because I was enjoying myself too much.

As well as dipping in and out of the various heat experiences, I chilled out on the huge, cosy sofas in the spa lounge, where, wrapped in my thick, fluffy Verbena Spa dressing gown, I sipped iced tea and flicked through magazines.

When I arrived home I felt totally chilled and relaxed. My 17-year-old still looked a bit sheepish when he came in from school: “I’m really sorry about the window, Mum. It was an accident.”

“Don’t worry about it, these things happen,” I said calmly. I think I should go to the Verbena Spa more often...

■ For more information, call 01439-770766, email info@verbenaspa.

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