USP If you’re a regular at the highly rated Bliss in London or the Bliss Soho in New York, you’ll know what to expect at this, the first of the chain on America’s West Coast. The spa opened in 2005 inside the city’s trendy W hotel (both now owned by the same parent company). Bliss is the Innocent Smoothie of the spa world – funky treatment and product names, brightly coloured packaging and an irreverent sense of humour. Treatments often have an added twist. One of the most popular massages adds the zing of freshly ground ginger root.

The bliss chain, founded by Marcia Kilgore in the mid 1990s, is also renowned for its triple oxygen facials, a 90-minute orgy of cleansing, exfoliating, peeling, extracting and wrapping that can reduce even the most stressed-out stratosphere-headed exec to a chilled-out chick.

AMBIENCE When you’re a regular spa visitor, there are moments when you begin to think ‘If I hear another bloody pan pipe, I’ll scream’. Luckily, bliss spas have the same view and have thrown out the Sounds of the Andean rainforest CD, replacing it with old school R&B. The silky smooth tones of Nina Simone can work out the knots in my shoulders better than all that dripping water nonsense any day.

The contemporary theme of the W Hotel extends into the Bliss spa – ultra-modern furniture in pale cornflower blue and mauve, whiter than white treatment areas that could come straight out of an advert for a Corian all-in-one kitchen and super-cool light fittings. The nail bar includes flat screen plasmas to watch TV or a favourite DVD while you’re having your hot milk and almond pedicure.

QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE Before my treatment, I took the advantage of dipping into one of the spa’s aromatherapy steam showers, lined with grass tiles. A hint of eucalyptus oil woke me up from my jet-lag induced torpor and readied me for a Blissage 75, one of the most popular massage treatments at bliss San Francisco. This 75-minute long full body session combines Swedish and shiatsu and the masseuse had a good, firm technique that worked wonders on a sore neck I had picked up from carrying my young son on one side of my body and exacerbated by carried a laptop bag over the same shoulder.

The bliss twist in this particular treatment was a hot paraffin wax foot softening wrap. The sensation was somewhat unusual – bringing forth mental pictures of stepping into something a little unpleasant – but I couldn’t argue with the results: stress-free soles and happy heels.

IN CROWD The W is a chic geek magnet, pulling in all those thick-rimmed sunglassed and open-shirted Web 2.0 nerds who need to have meetings with real people from time to time. These hard-working, computer-staring types with sore eyes and tense shoulders are a rich seam of clients for the spa. The spa’s location next door to San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art also makes it a popular choice with the art crowd. Add to that mix frisky Frisco girls looking to relax and visiting celebs, you get the picture.

FOOD Expecting an alfafa salad? Bliss believes that making your body a temple can only go so far and offers visitors a selection of brownies, cheese and olives. In fact, they’re all pretty healthy but if you want to avoid harsh stares from other spa visitors, bliss supplies but a good selection of fresh fruit as well as cucumber strips (for eating not putting over your eyes).

WALLET WATCH A basic 60 minute facial costs US$100 (£50). The Blissage 75 including wax foot softening costs $150 (£75). A two and a quarter hour ginger rub costs US$250 (£125) while the signature triple oxygen facial comes in at US$160 (£80).

NEED TO KNOW bliss at the W San Francisco, 181 Third Street (+1 415 281 0990; www.blissworld.com/spa/location/sf/). Open from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.

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