The stress-away gift...

It's often hard to think of something different to buy for those you love at Christmas.

Grandparents seem to have all the knick knacks they need, and teenagers, more often than not, are happier with the cash.

I always think that a gift voucher is a lovely idea, especially when you buy it from the person's favourite store; for mum it's M&S, for dad it's the book shop and for Auntie Vi it's the garden centre, ready for the spring.

While we all love something to unwrap, it's not so good when you reveal yet another pair of socks, and gift vouchers can buy so much more in the sales.

This Christmas promises to be a very cold one, great for the kids if it snows, not so great for the aching joints and runny nose. I therefore decided to check out another kind of gift voucher for a few of my friends.

Picture this - hot towels draped across a leather bed, the scent of geranium and lavender in the air, warm hands gently kneading the knots from your shoulders, the sounds of waves crashing against the shore, birds somewhere overhead... ah, peace, tranquillity and lots of pampering.

I am, of course, talking about the gorgeous stress-a-way' massage at The Langdale Country Club, near Ambleside. A whole hour of deep, warm, massage using the most gorgeous of Elemis oils, in a warm room, with low lighting, the head to toe massage is performed to the lullaby sounds of a calming CD. What a fabulous gift to be given.

There are lots of delicious pamper packages to be found at many of Cumbria's top health and beauty hotels, but I particularly like the idea of driving out of town, away from it all, into the beautiful countryside of Great Langdale. The journey itself allows you time to unwind, de-stress and prepare mentally for the luxury that lies ahead.

As soon as you walk through the country club doors, your body relaxes in the steamy warm air. There's a cafe bar serving coffee made from Farrers fresh coffee beans and lots of healthy options on the lunch time menu.

The girls in the pamper rooms are trained in the latest techniques. Therapist Hayley McColl had been away to London to train in Exotics' and colleague Rebecca Dixon had learned Reiki from the masters, in Glasgow.

Manager and personal trainer Helen Westmore met me in the cafe-bar. Looking radiant and glowing with only four weeks to go until the birth of her baby, she spoke with great pride of her two-and-a-half years work for the club.

"We are improving things all the time, bringing new equipment to the gym and new treatments to the therapy rooms. We have pamper packages to suit everyone, from Hot Stones to Muscle Melt, from Indian Head Massage to Chakra Balancing, and of course the new must-have Reiki. We also have treatments purely for the mother-to-be and treatments designed for men."

Here are a few of the treatments available to buy as a gift...

Reiki

Reiki is the Japanese word for the universal life force energy which flows through all living things and can be activated for the purpose of healing. It dates back thousands of years. Hands are placed on and over the client, fully clothed, to channel and transmit energy. This restores the body's natural balance of energy. Common ailments that may benefit from Reiki are arthritis, asthma, back pain, depression, eczema, migraines, insomnia and many more.

Duration: 1 hour.

Cost: £40.

Elamis Stones Therapy

Hot stones are placed on key energy points, while signature massage techniques are combined with warmed oils to deeply relax and re-balance the body and mind.

Duration: 1 hour.

Cost: £55.

Complete Mother-to-be Ritual

This includes a foot ritual to relieve tired, heavy legs and increase circulation, using devils mint, milk bath and refreshing gel. A back, scalp and upper arms massage and finally an application of Japenese camellia for areas prone to stretch marks.

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cost: £45.

Elamis Skin Specific Facials

These treatments combine the use of exceptional skin conditioning plant actives with unique Eastern massage techniques to deeply cleanse the face, while effectively treating the skin. For an intense booster, anti-ageing and advanced performance facials offer remarkable, long-lasting results, stimulating cellular activity and boosting circulation.

Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cost: £15 to £60.