A STEAMY experience in a North Yorkshire spa town has been given a £420,000 boost.

The legacy of cosseting and care for customers is being carried into the 21st century, at the refurbished Turkish Baths in the Royal Baths building in Harrogate.

The revamp of the baths - one of only three Victorian Turkish Baths currently in operation in England, with the others in Carlisle and Swindon - is now complete and the contractors have handed over the keys.

The Turkish Baths retain the splendour of the Victorian era while offering the most up-to-date and modern facilities.

Treatments will range from Swedish relaxation massages to alpine salt body wraps. Those wishing to pamper themselves can choose from a wide range of beauty treatments, from a manicure to a luxurious Cleopatra-style goat milk oil bath.

And both sexes can use the luxurious facility. The Turkish Baths will operate separately, so men can be in the Turkish area and women in the treatment rooms, or vice versa.

This avoids the need for the previous system, when there were men and women-only sessions. The health spa complex is also open for group bookings or private hire. Phase one of the restoration of the baths included creating a new entrance off Parliament Street, a new reception area, adding five new ground-floor and two first-floor treatment rooms, a spa pool, specially- adapted toilets and a lift to the first floor.

A new covered atrium has been created from a previously unused courtyard to make a link between the new treatment rooms, which can now be accessed without disruption to those using the Turkish Baths. Customers will be able to relax in this warm and sunny atmosphere while chatting over a cup of coffee or a light lunch.

Updated: 12:17 Friday, February 22, 2002