WE'RE standing in the attic room-studio at The Orange Tree guesthouse, learning about the art of self-massage.

Sue Hine, a complementary therapist and life coach from Pickering, is leading the way, showing us how to rub our thighs, slap our bums and massage our hands and fingertips to get the circulation going and de-stress.

"Tell yourself you love those thighs," she says, as we sweep our hands over the dimples before moving onto our rears. "And you love your bum... and you love your arms..."

It's not commonplace for women to love their bums, or themselves for that matter, but it feels rather freeing to shout out the words.

Later, Sue puts on the exotic sound of Indian sitar music and introduces us to a spot of belly dancing.

One woman looks as if she can generate electricity from the way she's twirling her hips around, eyes closed. Her friend is going for it too, wafting each arm up and down in a Tales of the Unexpected fashion. No-one cares how they look, which is refreshing. The odd sheep bleat can be heard on the breeze drifting in from the attic windows and we can feel the tension melting away.

"Keep your eye in line with your naval," advises Sue.

"I haven't seen my naval in years dear," quips Carol from Cambridge, who is managing to swing her hips nicely nonetheless.

When we arrived at The Orange Tree relaxation centre the previous night - a dozen of us including my sister-in-law Helen and I - we were strangers. But after an hour of belly dancing, thigh rubbing and giggling the ice has definitely been broken.

The Orange Tree is an eight bedroom guesthouse which lies just outside the village of Rosedale Abbey, in the heart of the North York Moors National Park.

It was a run-down guesthouse when Rob Davies bought it in 2001 and set about renovating the property and creating the relaxation studio and a sauna. Originally from Leeds, Rob spent 30 years in the stressful world of advertising and marketing before escaping the rat race and opening a bed and breakfast place where relaxation was key. He didn't plan it, but mobiles don't even work here, so you really do have to leave the outside world behind.

He has recently sold the business to Graham Procter and his therapist wife, Sue, from Derby, who have promised to keep the relaxation theme and plan to offer extended stays throughout the week.

The itinerary for our weekend is already planned when we arrive - although there is plenty of free time built in. On our arrival, we spend ten minutes standing at our bedroom window, such are the breathtaking views of the sweeping valley before us.

"I love the fact that there's nothing around here for miles," sighs Helen. "It gives you a sense of freedom."

After our belly dancing and self-massage in the morning, we set off over the hills during the afternoon with Rob's three mile walk map in hand (he has a selection of walks, all varying lengths) returning to a cup of tea and fruit scone in the dining room.

Much of the cooking is home-made at The Orange Tree and is all vegetarian. The tempting fare on offer includes vegetarian lasagne, home-made soup and quiches, fresh baked bread, cheeses and fruit, while breakfast is a mixture of cereals, yoghurts, croissants, toast and boiled eggs. There is also wine for those who fancy a glass or two.

After our walk, we head back to the attic for our therapy session - an allocated half hour treatment such as Indian head massage, back massage, leg massage, foot sloughing, or Hopi ear candles.

I pick out the latter, an Indian relaxation ceremony which is said to calm the mind and soothe the head and ears. I lay my head on the pillow and tense up a little as Sue lights a cotton candle containing beeswax, honey extract, herbs and essential oils.

"Just relax," she murmurs softy, as she pops the candle in my ear. It fizzles away, and I feel like I have a sparkler too close to my head. I'm worried it will set my hair on fire or burn down to the stub, like a lit fuse, before my brain explodes. But after a few seconds, I relax. Although it is designed to bring relaxation, the light suction action of the hollow candle also clears out the ears and eases congestion in the nose. Sue opens up the candle at the end and I stand over her, marvelling at the former contents of my inner ear.

On the Sunday, we enjoy some meditation, learn about Reiki - a Japanese healing technique to rebalance energy levels - and have an introduction to crystal therapy.

By the time we come to leave after lunch we are barely recognisable as the fraught individuals who first turned up. We've bonded with most people and feel re-energised and calmer inside.

There are places you can go to pamper the physical body, but The Orange Tree pampers the soul. Best of all, we even love our bums and our thighs.

* The relaxation weekends cost £159 per person, including food and workshops, with no single supplement. For more information contact The Orange Tree on (01751) 417219 or log onto www.theorangetree.com.