After a morning spent wrestling with a teething infant, gale force winds and a tube strike, I would have paid serious money to be simply locked in a dark room for an hour last Wednesday. Luckily, such drastic measures weren’t needed because I was booked into Spa Intercontinental’s new 60 minute quick fix. Not only did I get to lie in an extremely luxurious dark room for an hour, but I also had someone tending to my every (beauty) need.

Although not specifically designed for Mums with limited time on their hands, the new 60 minute quick fix caters for them just perfectly. On arrival, clients get to pick 60 minutes worth of treatments from a menu that includes manicures, waxing, facials and various forms of massages. This means you can cram in as much beautifying (or in my case ‘resurrecting’) as you can in a manageable time slot away from little ones. And if the 60 minutes isn’t enough to completely unwind you, the package includes an optional 20 minute floatation bed experience, which amounts to the equivalent of three hours sleep. More rest in less time – exactly what all parents need.

After gazing at the menu of spa treatments for a good 10 minutes and biting my lip at the thought of having to make a decision, I finally opted for a manicure and a facial. A consultation with the therapist before the treatment began meant the service was absolutely spot on. The hour was spent in a private treatment room, making the whole experience wonderfully relaxing and seemingly removed from the outside world. Cleverly combining the treatments also maximised the time I spent lying down, something parents of young children will appreciate entirely. When covered in soft towels and quilts, listening to gentle music and breathing in Elemis scents, I challenge anyone not to dose off at some point.

Just an hour and a half later I walked out onto bustling Park Lane with sparkling skin, shiny nails, shoulders dropped and a head held high, restored enough to return to the mayhem of tube strikes, gales and a screaming baby with ease… for now.