It may well have been around for centuries – one of the first recorded uses of stones for healing was by ancient Chinese practitioners – but, let’s face it, the whole idea that relaxation should have anything to do with someone putting boiling hot stones on your bare skin is an odd one. And so, it was with a tiny bit of trepidation that I walked through the doors of the Ozone Spa towards my first ever hot stone massage.

The spa itself offers pretty much what you would expect from a five- star business hotel. It’s certainly compact, but very well designed, with countless glowing tealights.

The Lebanese basalt stones, which are of varying size and weight, are heated up in a special machine, which uses water to get them to the right temperature (around 175 degrees). Their high iron content also means that they retain the heat.

My therapist, Mariam, is from Morocco, and before I can lie down, she arranges several stones on the massage bed beneath where my back is about to be, and asks me to lower myself slowly onto them. I was grateful to Mariam for emphasising the slowly part, and I was even more grateful to my stomach muscles for kicking in, so they could lift me back up off the stones before I suffered third degree burns.

Thankfully, Mariam gave me an alternative to having the stones in direct contact with my skin and, fluffy towel lodged firmly between me and burning pain, she started the bizarre ritual of using stones to take away all my aches, pains and tension.

Much smaller versions of the hot stones that I was lying on top of were put between each of my toes, whilst slightly larger ones were then placed deftly in each of my outstretched hands. All the while I couldn’t help thinking that this was a similar procedure to the one used by Mafia bosses when dealing with disloyal friends and colleagues.

I am given a choice of oils – tea, honey or rose. I opt for rose which Mariam then rubbed over my entire body, making it easier for the stones to slide across the skin. The sensation of the smooth hot stones gliding across oily skin is strangely satisfying and, as she rubs them over each limb, exquisite waves of penetrating heat radiate throughout my body. I can literally feel all the kinks and knots melt away – it’s a bit like ironing all the creases out of a shirt. Once the heat of the stones had relaxed all my muscles, Mariam used her bare hands to carry out a regular massage.

The whole experience was divine, the only criticism of the treatment being that unlike a normal massage where the therapist uses constant contact, the hot stone massage is a bit stop-start, as Mariam had to keep getting stones out of the heater.

It’s worth pointing out that this is not a deep tissue massage so, if it’s a heavy pummeling you’re looking for, head elsewhere. But, as a balancing treatment that targets the body chakras, it’s heavenly. So, the seemingly strange concept does work, and we are pleased to report that total relaxation and indulgence are just a stone’s throw away.
Hot stone massage, 70 minutes, QR550. Ozone Spa at La Cigale (428 8102; www.lacigalehotel.com). Open daily 9am-9pm