BEING afraid of heights and finding intimacy hard at the best of times, largely down to being severely ticklish, having a massage at the spa launch event in the i360 seemed a little daunting at first.

I have to admit, stepping into the i360 pod that breezed up, or rather jiggled up, in the seaside wind to about 500ft should have filled me with excitement, but instead made me feel a little wobbly.

Especially after a few sips from the free glass of fizz in my hand.

A talented performer singing bluesy style Christmas songs at the entrance to the observation pod in a beautiful gold dress certainly helped set the scene of an enjoyable, classy evening, and helped distract me from my rather pathetic fears.

Once I was met with waiters serving canapes, chatty guests and more generous glasses of fizz, I felt a lot more at ease.

The spa staff were welcoming, holding their hands out and ushering guests to experience their expert treatment.

A few more sips of bubbly down me and I felt confident approaching the massage bed.

Until the moment the masseuse suggested I take my top off.

As someone who suffers from vertigo, the thought of taking my top off in a room full of glamorous strangers at 450ft wasn’t most comfortable.

But clearly the locally sourced Nyetimber sparkling wine was doing the right thing because off came the top and onto the massage bed I went.

The next ten minutes were heaven.

It felt like my neck, arms and back all let out a huge sigh of relief and all the tension in my body just evaporated.

I didn’t think it would be so easy to relax in a room full of about 50 chattering strangers, soaring up above Brighton beach, but the skilled hands of the masseuse made it so.

This joint effort between the i360 and HarSPA made me feel like I was on a flight to cloud nine.

I can’t image the true sense of calm you must get when attending their underground spa at the Harbour Hotel, but I am certainly tempted to find out.

The only downside to the night was finding my glass empty and realising that the i360 pod had landed and the wonderful night was over.

A voucher for a trip up the i360 followed by a spa treatment is a good idea for a Christmas gift. If you don’t end up buying it for someone else, then get it for yourself.