The ishga collection at Blythswood Square

The subterranean, stylish spa in this central Glasgow hotel offers a wide range of top treatments. The Good Spa Guide was delighted to be invited along to Blythswood Square to sample the latest addition to the spa menu: the ishga range.

With the name is derived from the Gaelic word for water -- uisge -- ishga products are formulated with completely organic seaweed extract from the pure, unpolluted sea waters around the Hebridean Islands of Scotland. Sea bathing has been credited for centuries with therapeutic qualities, and seaweed itself with skin-softening and healing properties. Seaweed is a fantastic natural resource for the skin, as it contains minerals, trace elements, amino acids, and high levels of natural antioxidants -- chemicals that protect your body's cells and help to repair skin damage.

I tried the ishga Hot Stones Treatment, which promises to soothe, smooth, and detoxify.

My therapist, Natalie, began the treatment with me sitting up on the treatment bed. She placed hot stones on the bed, covered them with a towel, and asked me to lie down. I worried that the stones beneath me would feel uncomfortable, but they sat nicely, aligned down each side of my spine. Natalie also placed a stone underneath my neck -- where the warmth was very welcome -- and in each of my palms. She then worked her way around my body with warm stones, beginning with my legs, using light strokes to start with to warm up my muscles, then deeper pressure on each muscle group. I spend far too much of each day hunched over a laptop, so the work on my neck was particularly appreciated, as was the kneading on my shoulders when I turned onto my front. The massage with the stones and the ishga Seaweed Body Oil felt very smooth, flowing and relaxing. The oil contains rose geranium and other oils as well as the seaweed extract and, afterwards, my usually dry skin felt very nourished as well as soft and smooth.

You can also try an ishga seaweed bath, Hebridean sea salt and oil scrub, seaweed body wrap, and facial. Combine one of these treatments with a couple of hours in the spa's thermal facilities, which include various heat experiences and a vitality pool, and you'll emerge both refreshed and restored. The range of products you can take away with you includes cleansing lotion, toner, a regenerating face serum, and an anti-oxidant marine cream.

The ishga treatments will appeal to anyone who is a fan of natural and holistic therapies. Seaweed harvesting is sustainable and environmentally friendly, the ingredients include natural spring water, and the mineral-rich products help maintain your skin's health and beauty.

Find our more about the ishga treatments at Blythswood Square.