Le Roch Spa, Paris

On a quiet and unassuming backstreet in Paris’ 1st arrondissement, normally reserved for printing presses and dress factories, lies this discrete but thoroughly luxurious spa hotel. The Le Roch is hidden behind a narrow doorway, and serves as an ideal rejuvenation stop after a day of sightseeing across the neighbourhood's iconic museums.

The striking but subtle interior by Parisien designer Sarah Lavoine perfectly complements the well thought-out but understated vibe of the Le Roch. Plush floral-on-blue velvet loungers stand next to burnished bronze coffee tables, while deep ebony bookshelves sink into the walls, housing books on Audrey Hepburn and Gustav Flaubert.

After being served a soporific camomile tea in the lounge, I'm greeted by my therapist who assures me I will receive a bespoke treatment of deep tissue and relaxing massage - and that i’ll be, pardon the pun, in ‘safe hands.’ I’m taken down to the spa sanctuary in a dedicated lift, and am pleasantly surprised to see an olympic sized swimming pool here - a rare treat in central Parisienne hotels.

My hour long treatment is thorough and restorative: the welcomingly firm pressure and expertise of the main therapist providing welcome respite from the aches and pains associated from long days walking across Paris. Oils and skin-care are provided by French high-end cosmetologist ‘Codage’, and leave me suitably soothed and pampered, with a spring in my step as I saunter out of the spa.

Although smaller than some of the other luxurious outposts that bejewell the city, the Le Roch packs a big, and reasonably priced, punch for effective therapies, for any traveller in need of a little respite on their travels.