Cover yourself in chocolate: ultimate spa treat

I'm on my way through the city of London to a spa and it feels strange - all concrete, gleaming glass, high buildings and people rushing about in suits. I'm booked in for a chocolate body treatment - yes, you read correctly! - in the very swish City Point centre near Bank. And I can feel the energised atmosphere of pumped-up executives as soon as I step into reception.

Gerard's chocolate spa treatment

The centre's spa offers Elemis and Gerard's treatments - and it's the Gerard's chocolate treatment I‘m here to try. I almost had a full-body chocolate treatment once before - on that occasion, due to a mix up with the booking, I ended up merely having a chocolate facial instead. At the time I didn't know whether to be disappointed - missing the luxury of being covered head-to-toe in chocolate - or relieved - how could I have stopped myself chewing my own arm off?

But this time I was ready. And was planning to avoid any temptation to nibble by reminding myself that the treatment is 100% pure cocoa. I tried 100% pure cocoa once, at a launch of a Hotel Chocolat 100% cocoa chocolate bar. It was so disgusting I only narrowly avoided spitting it out on the shoes of the master chocolatier who had handed it to me proudly just seconds earlier. 100% cocoa is definitely an acquired taste and only for gourmands. Or people who have had their tastebuds surgically removed.

How it works

Before the cocoa treatment, mixed with oil for ease of application, is applied to my body, I am given a full body exfoliation to remove any dead skin cells and invigorate the skin. I always think that full body exfoliation is a particularly difficult job for therapists, as we in the UK are not as relaxed as our European counterparts when it comes to stripping off in front of strangers, so there's lots of towel manoeuvring needed. My therapist is very skilled though and the whole procedure is carried out smoothly and deftly.

She is also from St Lucia, a place where you can find plenty of chocolate. In fact, Hotel Chocolat has its own plantation in St Lucia where it grows its own cocoa. We discuss our favourite types of chocolate for a while (Hotel Chocolat provides quite a lot of mine - though obviously not its 100%-proof offering), then it's time for me to be smothered in the stuff while being massaged. Could there be anything more decadent than this I wonder, almost purring with satisfaction.

The massage

The massage is quite gentle and once I've been totally covered and rubbed for a while, I'm completely body-wrapped and sent for boxing up. Actually no, just allowed to rest for a while and let the chocolate do its work. Cocoa is known for lots of great skin-healing powers, as it is a brilliant skin nourisher and moisturiser. In fact my therapist tells me about a client who has been almost totally cured of psoriasis after having a course of chocolate body treatments. See, chocolate is good for you ...

But all too soon it's time to shower and I stand for almost five minutes in chocolate-coloured water before it finally runs clear. Then it's back into the treatment room to have a cocoa butter moisturiser applied all over. Even before the moisturiser is applied my skin feels silky smooth; smelling deliciously, yet subtly, of chocolate, afterwards it is positively glowing.

The entire procedure takes just under one hour and no limbs lost to nibbling. Afterwards I chill out in the relaxation room with its arresting built-in fish tank providing nature's ‘TV' for my entertainment.

Walking back to the tube I see a Hotel Chocolat sign ahead and lick my lips in happy anticipation. Sadly the shop is closed for the day. What a perfect conclusion that would have been.

More information

Gerard's treatments and products are available in leading spas and salons nationwide, search on Google to find your nearest provider. Wahanda is currently offering a discounted treatment at London's Sherlock Holmes Hotel in Marylebone - more information here.

Read more about chocolate

Find out why chocolate is good for you, get lots of tasty chocolate recipes, and much more - read our Chocolate Special here

Want to indulge in a spa trip?

Read recent spa reviews on All About You - relax in the English countryside or try a day-spa treatment with facial