The great thing about going to a spa is that you know you're doing yourself some good. Well, mostly. Because in fact the ratio of therapy versus pampering can vary, and surprisingly widely. From the austere clinical European-style spas full of severe therapists with squeaky white shoes brandishing colonic irrigation tubes to the rustic, alfresco, barefoot-chic spa that's all about the sound of the nearby waves and caress of the sea breeze, to luxurious palaces generously strewn with million-dollar skincare products, jacuzzis big enough for an enlightened rugby team, bottles of champagne and strawberries dipped in chocolate standing by, there are spas for everyone - anal to alcoholic. 

At the risk of eliciting frowns from purists, I'm a closet fan of spa treatments accompanied by alcohol. Okay so the health factor may diminish somewhat, but the bubbles-induced blissing-out to hazy hallucinations while being scrubbed and massaged is the best buzz ever. 

So when it comes to following a spa treatment with spa cuisine, I find I'm always accompanied by an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The devil craves red meat, saturated fat and numerous courses. No food coma, no gain. On an everyday basis his clamouring is usually the loudest and most successful. The angel loves the fact that I won't have to rely on my sketchy self-discipline to drag my eyes reluctantly away from the burger and steak side of the menu towards the (yawn) salad side. Whatever I order it's going to be healthy. Well, mostly. Because in fact the ratio of healthiness to indulgence can vary, and surprisingly widely...

Melo Cuisine

Take, for example, Melo Spa at the Hyatt Regency Sha Tin. A couple of trains to University station, and you're in fresher air, gazing at a sea view, bordered by a jagged mountainous skyline. Its couples' spa suites, all pale woods, jacuzzis, showers, changing area, mean that you and your sig-oth can relax into your foot wash, Payot scrub and wrap followed by Payot facial (Payot has only just been introduced and is fabulous), without leaving the room. And what's more, you can tuck into some spa cuisine a deux, still swaddled in your Kashwere robes and glowing from the therapists' ministrations, either in your suite or alongside all your other spa'ing friends in the sparty-tastic Melo Moments suite.  

Pre-ordering from the menu on arrival means that the delicious anticipation of the food to come muddles through your sub conscious mid-treatment, and the dishes are ready and waiting the minute you peel yourself, bewilderingly hungry, from the treatment bed. Exit stage left the therapists and kaboom, lift the domes from the plates to reveal healthy, tasty dishes.

Signatures like the pomelo prawn salad, the Melo wraps and the dessert of mixed berries, plain yoghurt and organic Sha Tin honey echo a sense of place. There's also gazpacho, vegetable crudités with avocado dip, assorted finger sandwiches, smoked salmon, spinach and ricotta quiche, Greek salad, maki rolls and seasonal fruits. And a menu of mocktails, juices and teas, plus of course wine, champers etc. Imaginative, multi-cultural, tasty. Great on paper.

The angel getting a brief whisper in, I had ordered gazpacho to start. Then the devil impatiently scanned the menu for the least healthy item, finally settling for the roasted duck, cucumber, carrot and plum sauce wrap. Both sides of the equation happy, I succumbed to my treatment. After the foot wash, a scrub and a shower, the therapist slathered me in something deliciously fragrant and then wrapped me up tight in layers of cling film, towels and heated blankets to sweat out any toxins. I began having sympathy for the duck.  

The Devil Chuckled...

A cooling shower and famous 42-step facial massage later, my therapist helped me up from the treatment bed and my hunger pangs and taste buds kicked in like Pavlov's dogs. Spa'ing and eating - what's not to love?

She disappeared. I lifted the domes with a flourish, and was momentarily taken aback. Gazpacho - check. Duck wrap - check. Pomelo Spritzer - check. But in a paper cone next to the wrap was a little pile of... chips! The devil chuckled smugly, already licking his lips, delighted to see ketchup was also provided. The angel gasped, feeling her halo slip. A slip not at all bolstered by the presence of a small green salad. 

Fifteen minutes later:

The gazpacho had been slurped. The perfect cooling antidote to my roasting spa wrap, it was rich, full of flavours led by tomato and other raw veggie goodness - hello vitamins A, B and C. The angel was in heaven. The duck wrap, juicily full of Peking duck pancake-style meat slices, plum sauce and spring onion flavours, had been three-quarters consumed: the angel fussing and the devil revelling over the still attached duck fat and skin. The Pomelo Spritzer - more vitamins and antioxidants - had been swigged, mollifying the angel with its fresh, tangy citrus and mint.   

And the chips?

The empty paper cone said it all.

Achieving Balance

A chat with executive chef Wong and Melo spa manger, Nichola Roche, revealed their stealthy psychology. Melo Spa's spa cuisine could more accurately be described as spa slash comfort cuisine. The legion of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals delivered by the gazpacho, the salad and the spritzer continued the good work of Payot's therapeutic French treatments. The chips answered that base instinct for carbs, salt and fatty goodness that seems to emanate from my very core. And is particularly appreciated by groups for sparties and - well everyone, apparently. Melo Spa is about enjoying rather than going back to Zen basics. And basically, I had been treated well, and treated, all in the same meal. 

Of course not everyone has the same self-discipline issues I have. Their angels are busily polishing untarnished halos morning, noon and night. But my angel is a bit of a ditzy blond, while my devil is a handsome smooth-tongued rogue. My angel needs all the help she can get, and if spa cuisine menus have taken all the devil's favourite snacks off the menu, so much the better. 

But I trained it back to the big smoke with relaxed muscles, a smoothed, glowing complexion and a skyscraper-high reading on the happiness scale. Good and evil both satisfied. And aren't spas all about achieving balance?