The poolside arrival of the salad is heralded by mouth-watering fragrances of fresh herb, at the same time the eyes feast on the superbly artistic presentation. The sole is served with a tart mix of marinated tomatoes, garlic, and chopped black olives; a sprinkle of dried herbs; a simple arrangement of lightly cooked vegetables; and a garnish of fresh basil. Ren้ tells us that he lightly dusts the fish with salt, pepper and flour and then sears it in a non-stick pan, no oil, before adding lemon and poaching it. “You could call it ‘lean cuisine’,” he suggests. “But whatever you call it, it’s all in the ingredients, preparation and presentation.”

The vegetables, herbs and fish are all as fresh as it gets. None of it is over-cooked, and it’s elegantly arranged on white china dishes with an eye to colour and composition. If Ren้ uses oil, it’s only olive oil, and he never uses butter. “Nevertheless,” he adds. “We’re more of a ‘pampering’ spa. Our guests don’t really want to hear about how many calories they’re looking at.”

In fact, should customers prefer, they can add anything they like from any outlet in the hotel to their spa package, including cheeseburgers with mayonnaise and extra cheese. In our own case, we start the lunch with a basket of fresh-baked breads and a pesto dipping sauce. At the conclusion of the meal, the waiter serves a plate of very interesting and tasty things with our coffee. “So they raided the cookie jar,” says Eric Hallin, general manager of the Thavorn Beach Village. “Not so spa-related, perhaps, but keeping the boss happy comes first.”

After all, however important health might be, moderation should be undertaken only in moderation, and self-indulgence is the essential name of the spa game on Phuket. So it should not be surprising that menus such as those at the Nakalay tend to include extensive wine lists and fruit smoothies.

It’s common knowledge that healthy food – the stuff that’s infested with vitamins and fibre and deficient in cholesterol and calories – is a pain in the neck. Right? Not always, as it turns out. And practically never with the spa menus referred to here. Like the spas themselves, spa cuisine is the art of healthful self-indulgence, refined to sublime degrees. And some of Phuket’s spas specialize in food that’s delicious, eye appealing, and just plain fun. Oh, yeah – and very healthy.

Basically, “spa cuisine” suggests low-fat, low-calorie, low-sugar, low-salt, high-fibre dishes rich in vitamins and essential enzymes. This means fresh, wholesome ingredients that are rarely fried and even more rarely deep-fried. In fact, it is often true that they aren’t cooked at all, or, as with stir-fry, quickly seared at high heat. “The food should be light enough to eat either just before or just after a spa treatment,” suggests David Hamilton, executive chef for the Banyan Tree restaurants. “You should be able to have a starter, a main course, and dessert and still enjoy a nice walk afterward.”

Salads are a standard offering, in this respect. Many of the salads and other dishes at the Banyan Tree’s Tamarind Spa Restaurant, for example, are fusions of various Asian influences, combining indigenous herbs, fruits, vegetables and spices. Imagination rules, with the kitchen staff always seeking healthy alternatives that nevertheless appeal maximally to the senses. One item on the menu, for example, presents traditional Thai fishcakes sliced and tossed in a salad containing, among other things, cilantro, watercress, banana flower and pomelo. It’s served with a Thai curry sauce that’s a bit more acid than normal, making it more “salad friendly”, as executive sous-chef David Hansted puts it. Other lunch suggestions include blackened chicken served with a m?lange of herbs and vegetables on a piece of roti, or the tuna cerviche, which is deep-fried in canola oil and dry enough that it feels entirely healthy. The aim is to produce dishes that are at once very flavourful yet feel clean and fresh on the palate, all of it enhanced by artful arrangements incorporating elements such as green herbs and bright red slivers of chilli. The phad thai, a classic Thai favourite, is prepared with Japanese buckwheat noodles, a tasty and nutritious innovation.

Like the modern spas themselves, spa cuisine tends to borrow and mix elements from a number of traditions. At the Tamarind, for example, they’ve combined a variety of Asian influences together with some Western methods of preparation and styles of presentation. Everybody, including Asian customers, loves it.

“But it’s defi-nitely not me,” says Australian David Hamilton with a grin, referring to hard-core spa cuisine. “I like a good piece of meat.” And the menu at Tamarind lists plenty of milkshakes. Plus tempting desserts. You do have the yogurt smoothies and herbal teas, but they’re balanced with the coffees, nine kinds of beer, table wines, and some fine ports and sherry. Several blended “health juices” address what ails or only potentially ails you. The orange, spinach and ginger, for example, boosts iron and vitamin C levels, while the coconut and carrot juice soothes gastrointestinal discomforts and the fresh turmeric, lemon and honey cleanses the liver and performs anti-oxidant services. But you can also have a nice plate of hot apple pie with sauce on the side.

The Banyan Tree has recently opened Nutmegs, another spa restaurant, this one with a similar menu and a great lagoon-side location, to complement the new Angsana Spa at the Laguna Beach Resort.

On Phuket, spa dining pampers you while leaving you healthy and feeling good about yourself – the perfect complement to all the other therapies offered the rest of your body and spirit. If it encourages customers to change their eating habits for the better, then that’s a bonus. An important one, perhaps. Spas are basically in the business of relaxation. “Of course,” says Tom Mockler, founder of the Hideaway, “body, mind and soul can benefit from easing the effects of stress. But the body really only responds to change of diet.”