SPA DOCTOR: A Meghan-approved massage to banish back pain blues?

It isn’t hard to understand why back pain can leave you feeling blue. But can stress and depression make the problem worse?

It’s generally accepted that mental health issues can worsen how we cope with physical pain, and studies have shown psychological therapies can help ease the discomfort.

So could a massage treatment solve such a complex issue? Not easily.

But the Ila Only Spa at Lotte New York Palace may be on to something with its Beat The Blues Back Massage (60 minutes, £165), a stress-reducing and pain-busting treatment to help ‘when you’re feeling emotionally drained, with stress in your neck and shoulders’.

The Ila Only Spa at Lotte New York Palace may be on to something with its Beat The Blues Back Massage (60 minutes, £165), a stress-reducing and pain-busting treatment to help ‘when you’re feeling emotionally drained, with stress in your neck and shoulders’

THE TREATMENT

Lotte New York Palace is a gem. Situated on Madison Avenue, it oozes old-school New York glamour. Many of the rooms overlook the iconic St Patrick’s Cathedral, opened in 1879, and it is a stone’s throw from the Rockefeller Center and the fashionable shops of 5th Avenue.

The spa is Cotswolds-based organic skincare firm Ila’s first venture into the US market. Ila is, reportedly, a favourite of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. If it’s good enough for her…

The massage focuses on the back of the body, perfect for my stressed-out, post-flight neck and shoulders. The initial part is done without oil, through a sheet, focusing on pressure points to help reduce tension and improve circulation – both natural pain relievers.

My therapist then uses warm poultices – cloth pouches filled with Himalayan salt and lavender, known to help with anxiety – along my spine.

I leave feeling like a weight has been lifted, ready to take on a day of sightseeing.

Jonathan Neal