Australia's Best Spas. Amanda Jane Clark

facilities.

      Located in the heart of Sydney's central business district and a short stroll from many of Sydney's major tourist attractions like the Art Gallery, Opera House and historic Rocks area, this spa is popular with locals and visitors alike. The thoughtful ability to balance the needs of busy executives and holidaymakers is evident on the spa menu where packages like The Executive Express and The Stress Buster are found alongside Seduction of the Senses and Island Indulgence.

      Moss-green marble and slate, cedar, polished chrome and frosted glass are used throughout. Eight treatment rooms double as massage or wet rooms and the largest contains a double jacuzzi, combined steam and shower room and twin treatment tables. Comfortable changing rooms are fitted with a "suit mate" that dries swimsuits in five seconds.

      Besides hotel guests, the spa is open to casual visitors. A range of 15-and 30-minute express treatments, like the de-stress scalp massage, express facial or neck and shoulder massage, are perfect for those in need of time out. Clients are encouraged to fully utilise the steam rooms and saunas.

      The signature treatment here is very special. The intoxicating journey through the four seasons begins with brushing the body with tea tree oil to prepare the skin for further delights. Warm oil is drizzled, then massaged over the back using the nurturing Hawaiian Wave technique from toe to fingertips, followed by Reiki Chakra balancing and penetrating hot stone massage for deep relaxation. A potent Japanese silk protein treatment is then applied to the face, promising total renewal, and rejuvenation is completed with an arm and hand massage and mask.

      The Four Seasons' Spa offers a sanctuary in the city, where an ambience of solitude and peace allow the outside world to recede from sight and mind.

      AN EXPERIENCE IN TOUCH AND EMOTIONAL HEALING THAT NO ONE IN THIS LIFETIME SHOULD NEGLECT

      Gillian Adams Salon and Spa, Turramurra, Sydney

      Ihope heaven is like this. If it isn't, we are fortunate that an angel named Gillian Adams has created a heavenly sanctuary for mere mortals. As the creator herself puts it, "A visit to Gillian Adams Salon and Spa should be an experience in touch and emotional healing that no one in this lifetime should neglect."