Invitation to a pamper party

AFTER a hard week at work, is there anything better than a night in with the girls, drinking and catching up with all the gossip? I didn't think so - until I booked a pamper party.

The idea was intriguing. Therapists Ann Ball and Lisa Bryson would come round to my house, give me and my friends massages - and there'd still be plenty of time to drink and gossip.

We spent all week talking about it, wondering how it would work, what sort of treatments we would have, and by Friday afternoon, we couldn't wait to get home and be pampered. We weren't disappointed. It's a brilliant idea - decadent, self-indulgent and great fun.

Ann, who lives in Durham, stumbled on the idea almost by accident when she was asked to visit a client at home and give both her and her two daughters massages. The idea of the pamper party was born.

"I did it for a while on my own but if you have more than three people, it becomes really hard work," she explains. "But then I met Lisa and we decided to work together. It makes it more fun for the clients as well if there are two of us."

Ann and Lisa arrive at my house, laden down with bags and two portable massage beds. Within ten minutes, they've transformed my living room with candles, incense sticks and relaxing music.

"Are you ready to be pampered," asks Ann. The three of us nod vigorously in the affirmative and take another swig of wine.

We're given a massage menu and invited to choose two treatments each. It isn't easy; the choice includes aromatherapy back massage, reflexology, reiki and Indian head massage, all of which sound fantastic. We're also asked to fill in a consultation sheet to make sure we have a safe and suitable massage.

Ann and Lisa have their own specialities and their skills complement each other. Lisa, who is American, trained in the US and concentrates more on the body, while Ann specialises in aromatherapy, reiki and Indian head massage. But both of them are extending their repertoire, training in new techniques.

Lisa says: "I think it works so well because we are quite different in what we do. I tend to do more orthopaedic work. The Swedish massage, for example, is more direct and targets specific areas. Ann does a lot more aromatherapy and healing."

After a good ten minutes' pondering, we finally decide on our treatments and the lights are dimmed in preparation. Because there are only three of us, one has to sit out but it's just as fascinating watching the treatments as having them, although not quite as relaxing.

I start with an Indian head massage. I've never had one before and Ann warns me that I could feel a bit "spacey" afterwards. I do indeed, but it's a delicious feeling.

I sit on a chair while Ann massages my upper back, shoulders, neck and face. The flowing movements lull me into a state of deep relaxation and Claire, who has the treatment later in the evening, actually drops off to sleep.

The massages last 30 minutes and when we're finished the first one, we have a break and re-group on the sofa, feeling a little dazed but extremely relaxed. So far so good.

We swap over and I go straight into my second treatment, a therapeutic massage with Lisa, aimed at reducing tension and soothing aching muscles. My troublesome shoulder, which suffers from being hunched over a computer keyboard all day, relaxes and the pain melts away.

The other girls are just as impressed with their treatments. After her aromatherapy back massage, Amanda spends the rest of the evening sniffing the bottle of oil Ann has blended specially for her.

Ann and Lisa are with us for a couple of hours and then make a discreet exit, leaving us to enjoy the rest of the night. But we're feeling so calm and so relaxed, we can hardly be bothered to talk. We just sit down, sipping wine and basking in the post-pamper party glow. Bliss.

* Pamper parties cost £22 per person. For more information or to book a party, contact Ann on 0191-3720798 or visit the website at www.communigate.co.uk/ne/pamperparties