Birthdays, girlie days out and, of course, the near synonymous hen party: few have not partaken in a spa day at least once.

Yet at the Mullion Cove Hotel they have created more than just a spa – it’s an experience.

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Photo: Mark Bolton

Having only opened this summer it has already been named amongst The Times’ Top 20 Spas in Britain, so when I was invited to review it all plans were cancelled. And I wasn’t disappointed.

My full-body massage was outstanding (truly, like nothing I’ve experienced) but we’ll come to that. Let me first lead you on an adventure through the different areas that make up this unique spa and really set it apart from all the others I have visited.

First up is the Himalayan salt room, with its warm stone seats and prettily pink crystallised walls, which not only make you feel as though you’re sitting in a three-year-old girl’s dream palace but are said to draw impurities out of the body, reduce inflammation and clear the lungs.

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If it’s your lungs that need attention, however, my recommendation would be the steam room, where you can sit back, inhale the warm menthol air and exhale the stresses of modern life while staring up at a star-studded colour-changing ceiling.

Remember the ice bucket challenge of circa 2014? There’s a version of that too, where you can pull a cord to drench yourself with a bucket of cold water.

In the interests of full and thorough research, dear reader, I just did that – and can report that while most definitely a shock to the system, it’s still not as chilly as a dip in the Cornish sea and could even be described as refreshing after five minutes in the sauna, with its pleasantly woody aroma.

Alternatively, why not douse yourself in ice chips to freshen up? They really have thought of everything.

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Photo: Mark Bolton

Completing our tour of the spa regions is the hydrotherapy infinity pool, which bubbles away like a giant hot tub to ease aches and pains. (There’s also an actual outdoor hot tub, with views over Mullion Cove.) While all that is fun, it’s the treatments that really take it to another level.

I was lucky enough to enjoy a Mullion Cove Spa Signature Treatment – and it is exactly that, a treatment.

Going in with months of tension built up in my back from hours sitting in front of a computer, not to mention carting around a four-year-old, I could actually feel the knots being very gently broken apart by the extremely talented Chloe. Incredible.

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The 90-minute treatment - just one of a range carefully devised by spa manager Hannah Martin - puts the treat into the treatment by quite literally covering top to toe, from the head, neck, shoulders, back, legs (front and back) all the way to the feet.

Heated Lizard serpentine stones, carved specially by a local family at The Lizard, are used on pressure points and to massage, along with warm jade stones – with the spa believed to be the only one in the world to use them in this way.

This is combined with traditional massage using one of three scented oils, chosen to taste.

Afterwards guests can slowly come back down to earth with a warming cup of herbal tea in the relaxation area, complete with blankets and a panoramic clifftop view, while listening to a soundtrack of actual Mullion Cove waves, recorded just outside the hotel.

This attention to detail is what sets the spa apart and is follows through in the décor.

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The reception is decorated in wood supplied and fitted by Rozen at Ruan Minor and the spa uses products from Made For Life Organics in Truro as well as exclusive brand VOYA, with the whole interior the vision of a designer from Falmouth and Adrian Punter Construction from Mullion in charge of the build.

It has been built by local people for local people, by and large. Naturally staying guests can enjoy the facilities, but the hotel’s vision is to create an exclusive members’ club where there will be a cut-off point from anyone else joining.

As hotel general manager Daniel Thompson explained: “We’re going to get to a number and we’ll stop there. We’re not going to be greedy – we’ll look after people.”

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Photo: Mark Bolton

To be part of the privileged few will cost you £75 a month, but in doing so you’ll have access to facilities when you want them.

“It’s more than some other hotels, but what you’re getting is service and exclusivity,” added Daniel.

What you’ll also get is a night’s stay at Mullion Cove’s sister hotel, the Thurlestone in Kingsbridge, access to a personal trainer to set you on your way in the gym and full use of the spa and outdoor swimming pool.

Throughout this month there is a chance to sign up for membership with no joining fee and this will be extended into December.

The hotel is also running a series of locals’ specials, including a Festival Locals’ Open Day on December 1 and Winter Twilight Spa Sessions every Thursday evening from November 28 to December 19 that include full use of the facilities and a 30-minute treatment (plus, importantly, mulled wine and mince pies) for £65.