My first rather delicious experience of the Chewton Glen Spa is in the Pool Bar and Lounge, which at lunchtime is buzzing with people padding around in fluffy toweling robes. Kerry Hudson, spa director, invites me to browse the healthy buffet of various salads, wraps and fresh fruit. There’s also a breakfast buffet in the morning.

Kerry, who has been at Chewton Glen Spa for over 16 years, gives me an overview of the facilities here. And it’s impressive: 17m indoor pool, hydrotherapy pool, aromatherapy sauna and crystal steam room in both changing rooms, pool side steam room, Technogym, two fitness studios offering over 60 exercise and relaxation classes a week including Pilates, Barre and Yoga, outdoor whirlpool, tennis courts, nine-hole golf course...all are available to members of the Country Club, hotel guests and anyone who has booked a spa day. The hydrotherapy pool is high on my list to try before I’m whisked off to one of the 12 treatment rooms.

‘Chewton Glen was the first in the UK to have a hydrotherapy pool,’ says Kerry. ‘It opened in the mid-nineties and offers six different massages using powerful water jets. The swan neck is brilliant for shoulders.’ I can confirm it is amazing!

All the products used at Chewton Glen Spa have been chosen because they are scientifically proven to do good things. And, apart from Natura Bissé - a spa brand from Barcelona, they are all award-winning British brands: OSKIA, OTO and Monpure London.

The latter is the cutting-edge hair treatment I’m sampling. ‘Monpure is a new treatment for us,’ says Kerry. ‘It’s especially good for perimenopause and menopause problems like thinning hair and dry itchy scalp. It’s also suitable for men with follicle issues.’

The multi-award-winning brand (it’s clocked up over 50 awards ranging from Elle to Good Housekeeping) treats the skin on the scalp from where your hair grows. And it uses haircare formulas with skincare quality ingredients like retinol, vegan silk peptides, AHAs, BHAs and Vitamin C.

There are three Monpure treatments: Follicle Boost, Scalp Detox (with jojoba bead scalp scrub), and Scalp Nourish. It’s this one I’ve opted for. Settled in the softly lit cocoon of the treatment room, my therapist starts with a firm back and neck massage (my request) using Monpure’s Ultralight Healthy Hair Oil. Winner of The Independent’s Best Luxury Hair Oil 2023, its skin-friendly ingredients include Coenzyme Q10, wheat germ oil, organic jojoba seed oil and argan oil.

This is followed by the application of the Nourish and Stimulate Scalp Mask. Moisturising aloe vera, camellia tea oil, vegan silk peptides and argan oil are combined with peppermint oil, to boost blood circulation and stimulate hair follicles. It not only smelt great, but it also felt great. The mask was deeply massaged into my scalp, section by section, concluding with my hair being gently combed into a top knot secured with a champagne-coloured mulberry silk scrunchie that you keep!

Kerry had suggested a session in the sauna, with the mask still on, would help it soak in. So, I retired to the aromatherapy sauna, cooling off every 10 minutes with a cold drench shower. When I finally rinsed my hair and dried it, the results were impressive. My formerly frizzy locks were lustrous silky waves, shiny and swishy. It makes complete sense that looking after the skin on your scalp should result in stronger thicker hair, so I am a convert. This was just the minty boost I needed to bring my dull menopausal mane back to its crowning glory.

Monpure Scalp Nourish starts from £165. Spa Days from £225 (includes 60-minute treatment, refreshments, sessions in fitness studio); Twilight Spa from £140 (includes 45-minute treatment, sessions in fitness studio). Sleep Soundly Spa Evening (includes 60-minute treatment) from £165. chewtonglen.com/spa-experiences

PQ

'Chewton Glen was the first in the UK to have a hydrotherapy pool'