Monart Spa

Monart Spa, Co Wexford

Named by Cond? Nast Traveller as one of the Top 3 Spa Resorts in the world, most people have heard of the wonders of Monart. However, I had never had a chance to get there until recently.

THE VIBE Set in lush green grounds, the spa is housed within a gorgeously modern extension to a gracious, old Georgian building. As you come up the tree-lined sweeping drive towards the house, you can literally feel stress begin to fall away. The resort is an adults-only destination and extremely chilled out. All the guests are wandering around in robes, giving an air of total relaxation (you are only required to dress for dinner). I loved the fact that they suggest a ban on mobile phones and newspapers, guiding you to stay deep inside the cocoon. Before any spa treatment, you are invited to take a tour of the Thermal Suite. They have cleverly created a specific plan for the order in which you visit each of the elements, ranging from saunas, steam rooms, caldarium, salt room and freezing cold footbaths. After the sequence is complete, you feel utterly cleansed and fresh, the mixture of warm and cold serving to revitalise and invigorate like nothing else.

BUZZY TREATMENT After a few weeks of intense writing, my shoulders and back were seized up with tension, so I was so excited to have a Pevonia Botanica Deep Tissue Full Body Massage. My therapist had nothing short of magic hands as she worked and kneaded my muscles to a softness they haven’t been in a long time. She had the intuition to know when to increase and reduce pressure and, although a deep tissue treatment is rarely pampering, this one seemed to be that true rarity. My day was topped off by a sublime dinner looking out over the duck pond and forest; a blissful break from reality.

Monart Destination Spa, The Still, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, 053 923 8999; monart.ie

@elliebalfe