The Great Escape: a spring break without travel

But don't panic because the secret is to recreate the escape-it-all experience without leaving the country. New treatments on offer in London include the Two-Hour Holiday, the brainchild of wellbeing expert Patrick Lucocq. It is a mix of visualisation techniques and hypnotherapy, which provide the health benefits of time off abroad without the stress of airport travel. Here, we preview what is on offer to recharge your mind and body.

The Two-Hour Holiday
What is it? A mixture of meditation, relaxation and hypnotherapy
What is involved? It's a bone-chilling evening and I'm sitting in a London basement sniffing lemons surrounded by strangers. There's a rug on the floor spread with travel guides and souvenir pebbles. Guitar music plays in the background. A key part of this therapy is to stimulate the senses through touch and smell. Hence the lemons. It also includes storytelling by sharing your memories of a perfect holiday experience. Most of my group just want more space to think and a good night's sleep. And lots of sunshine.
Next, Patrick asks us to select an object we like from the rug. I pick out a pebble with a lizard motif and am transported back to an Australian trip. As I talk, the tension in my shoulders lifts. Then it's meditation time. The lights are switched off, candles lit and we all lie down on cushions with our eyes shut. Wave sounds play in the background as Patrick asks us to imagine ourselves in a tranquil place and focus on our breathing. It's clear from the noises that some people have already fallen asleep.
Holiday factor? It's hard to explain how two hours in a basement chatting and meditating can recreate the holiday experience. But it does. I leave uplifted and inspired.
Contact: Venues include Neal's Yard in Covent Garden and Regent's Park. (07789713876, www.calmhorizon.co.uk)
Cost: £10 a session.
Sophie Goodchild

Drip and Chill
What is it? A specially formulated saline drip of supernutrients and powerful antioxidants.
What is involved? Beauty salon EF MediSpa has devised this "pick-me-up" to increase energy levels and help the body cope with stress. This extreme vitamin shot is popular with Madonna and Cindy Crawford and mimics the benefits of a week eating healthy Mediterranean food and drinking vitamin-packed juices.
Dr Marion Gluck, who specialises in holistic treatments, is responsible for formulating the "super-cocktail" of trace minerals and antioxidants. Before nurses administer the drip, your blood pressure and a full medical history are taken. Then you choose from five infusions, including the Immuno Booster to help protect you from viruses and the Meta Booster which helps weight loss by speeding up your metabolism. There is also the Stress Buster, a vitamin B blend which will calm you down.
Holiday factor? A complete recharge. After just one session, you notice how much calmer you are.
Contact: EF MediSpa, 29 Kensington Church Street, W8. (020 7310 8786, www.efmedispa.com)
Cost: £175 until March 31.
Victoria Stewart

The Bühl
What is it? A three-hour male grooming and pampering session, including a 105-minute hot stone massage, facial and bespoke foot treatment.
What is involved? Therapist Anicka starts with the most comprehensive and effective massage I've ever had, using almond oil and hot stones warmed to between 40 and 50C. In other spas, I've had stones balanced on my chakra points, making me feel like an ornamental rockery. But Anicka uses them to warm the muscles of my back and limbs before digging in firmly with her fingers. Next is a moisturising facial using Dermalogica products: I am cleansed twice, exfoliated, given a neck massage and sprayed with toner before a mask containing botanicals and white clay is applied. To finish, Anicka clips and buffs my toenails and pumices my heels. She gives me a peppermint foot scrub and coats my feet in softening paraffin wax.
Holiday factor? It felt as if I'd had a day off work even though I'd been at the office that morning. The slippery feeling of my feet in my shoes evoked the sensation of walking on wet sand.
Contact: Gentlemen's Tonic, 31 Bruton Place, W1. (020 7297 4343, info@gentlemenstonic.co.uk)
Cost: £215.
Nick Curtis