USP A "wellness centre" where you can squeeze a fruity spa treatment in between a spinning class, a few lengths in the pool and a soak in the hot tub. The upstairs Hotel Princesa Sofia is close to Barcelona's hallowed football ground and there's a German-themed beer garden.

AMBIENCE Sadly, the 1980s' leisure centre vibe which hangs around the rest of the complex does not end at the door to the spa. It feels like a couple of rooms stuck on the side of a gym. Dimmed lights, a couple of candles and a Buddha statue in the corner nod to a relaxing ambience. The treatment room itself is well appointed but badly thought out. The frosted glass door allowed light from the hall into the room which was jarring when the lights were switched on – which happened a couple of times during my treatment. Hammering and drilling coming through one wall and staff talking loudly and banging doors through other did little to salvage a meditative atmosphere.

EXPERIENCE I hop onto the treatment table looking forward to the joyous (if faintly ridiculous) experience of being piled high with freshly chopped tropical fruits. The description of the "exotic" Lulur yoghurt massage doesn’t specify this but the accompanying picture does. My Spanish is as bad as the therapist’s English which leads us into a faintly Monty Python exchange as she tries to explain what is in the scrub she is using all over my body. I catch "yoghurt" and then I’m lost. “Fruit?” I suggest helpfully. “No,” she says. She gamely tries again. She’s gesturing with her hands. “Fruit acids?” I say. “Crushed up stones from fruit? Fruit pips?” “NO – no fruit!”

I find out later it is a mixture of rice powder, cardamom, ginger and capsicum. It is invigorating and makes my skin tingle slightly. I’m then wrapped from neck to ankle in plastic and left to relax on the heated bed for about 15 minutes. I close my eyes, settle down and at that exact moment some workmen decide to start drilling and hammering next door. I’m also right across the hall from the staff room and can hear all the therapists talking and generally crashing around. The lights in the hallway keep on blinking on and off through the glass door.

I’m not relaxed, I feel a bit twitchy, the scrub is prickly and the plastic is hot and clammy. When will it end? After I’ve been stewing in my own juices for what feels like an age the therapist comes back. After I shower, she massages a tropical fruit and yoghurt compress cream all over me. “Fruit!” she says, smiling. It is apparently highly nutritious for the skin, balancing the ph levels and is indeed very nice. This signals the end of the treatment leaving me feeling faintly crushed at the lack of freshly chopped tropical fruit. My boyfriend also had a Geothermal Massage using hot and cold stones which he thoroughly enjoyed.

FOOD The brand new Aqua Chill Out area strewn with white cushions, four-poster beds and huge candles adds a touch of class to eating options. You can have cocktails and choose from a salad bar or more substantial Mediterranean style main courses. Upstairs in the hotel, Contraste Restaurant serves an a la carte menu and German-themed Biergarten serves a selection of light meals and bar snacks.

IN CROWD Well-heeled Spanish crowd who are members of the health club. You may spot a few footballers and WAGs as they often stay upstairs at Hotel Princesa Sofia when they are playing at the nearby Camp Nou stadium. A sprinkling of businessmen and hotel guests from other parts of Europe.

WALLET WATCH A 55-minute Lulur treatment is €65 (£40), a 55-minute Geothermal massage costs €60 (£37). A 50-minute facial massage costs €55 (£34).

Visitors who book the "Refreshment in Barcelona" package at the Princesa Sofia will get a stein of beer on the house (at the hotel’s summer beer garden) plus an "Anti-stress spa package" (which includes a hydro-massage bath, an anti-stress facial and a peeling treatment) and one night’s accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis in a Club room for just €156pp (approx £105pp). Subject to availability and based on two sharing. Valid until 31 December 2007.

NEED TO KNOW Aqua Diagonal Wellness Centre, Avda Joan XXIII, s/N 08028 Barcelona (93 330 63 66; www.aquadiagonal.com)

For more than 200 reviews of spas worldwide visit Times Online's Good Spa Guide

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