Pampering weekends away are one of those things that seem to have disappeared with the Celtic Tiger. With everyone more conscious of streamlining their spending than their physiques in recessionary Ireland, we're all cutting back. But what if you could do it all for a fraction of the price… right here in Cork? Deirdre O'Shaughnessy escapes right across the city, to the Imperial Hotel's Escape Spa

One of the caricatures of Irish people over the Celtic Tiger years – sipping our mochaccinos and eating paninis, while nattering on mobile phones – was that we were constantly 'stressed'. Whether from road rage, mortgages, working 12 hour days to climb the corporate ladder or pure exhaustion from keeping up with the Joneses, we were a nation sorely in need of learning to relax.

Now that the Celtic Tiger has departed, leaving a bad smell and mounting debts, we have cut back on the mochaccinos (all those calories were bad for you), the paninis (it's cheaper to make your own lunch), and even the mobile phones (Facebook means we now interact even more often, but silently).

But one thing we haven't cut back on is stress. And now it's not the relatively pleasant stress of having a hundred social gatherings in one night or whether we will buy a new car or take another holiday. It's real stress, stress caused by cutbacks, shortened hours, job losses and the very real fear caused by a shortage of money.

Anybody who still has a job is working twice as hard for less money, and most people without a job are struggling financially. In some ways it is hard to justify spending money on pampering, but looking after yourself is more important than ever, and small luxuries are worth saving for if it means you can take some time away from your worries.

With this in mind it's worth looking right on your doorstep for that 'time away' feeling, without paying for a night's stay or even the petrol required to travel!

Cork's Imperial Hotel has one of the best spas in the country. 'Escape' is just one of two spas in Ireland to carry the Aveda range, which is based on the principles of Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of traditional medicine.

Aveda itself is Sanskrit for 'all knowledge' and the company's motto is 'Beauty is as beauty does'. The mission of Aveda is to help clients look and feel beautiful while 'working in harmony with the greater web of life'. The company has impeccable environmental credentials and manufactures with 100 per cent certified wind power, while running an 'Earth Month' each year which raises funds for clean water projects worldwide.

Aveda's latest offering at 'Escape' is the Green Science Anti-Ageing Facial. The Green Science line is full of certified organic ingredients, such as Moroccan argan oil to moisturize, plai oil, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and cactus to boost collagen. The 45-minute facial costs €75 and will leave your skin feeling thoroughly moisturised and supple.

Escape has plenty of treatments for under or around €100, and it's worth thinking about if you're buying a gift for someone or for yourself that won't break the bank.

For more, see www.flynnhotels.ie or www.aveda.com.

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