MAXINE GORDON indulges in the ideal beauty treatment for Easter.

WHO said chocolate gives you spots? Not Julie Clarke, the York beautician who is offering a special chocolate facial over the Easter holidays. The Co-Co2 treatment involves having melted Swiss chocolate smeared over your chops while you enjoy a hot mug of Bourneville and tuck into a mini box of Mye truffles from Cadbury's.Sounds like the perfect treat or gift for any chocoholic this Easter.But does it work? To get the sweet and low-down, I volunteered to try it out.Julie's salon is in the basement of the Mount Royale Hotel in York. On arrival, she invited me into a small, warm room and immediately I burst into a smile. The smell of chocolate filled the air. "I'm melting some for your treatment mask," said Julie, pointing to a fondue-like set in which some dark, Swiss chocolate was slowly turning into soft, squidgy brown goo.

But first things first.

Julie asked me to strip down to my bra and tights, lie face down on her couch and enjoy a back massage.

Next she cleansed my face, first smothering a fruit-acid serum over my cheeks, forehead and neck and wiping it off with a hot flannel. It felt lovely and smelt even better.

More massage followed, this time on my neck, shoulders and face.

As Julie set to work, I felt little knots in my chin clicking and was surprised that I had tension there. Or I did, until Julie worked her wonder.

Soon, we were knocking on the gates of chocolate heaven. The treatment mask Julie used was from the Karin Herzog range of products, beloved of those A-list celebrities who only need a forename: Kylie, Cameron, Demi, to name but three.

The mask was multi-layered and began with a smothering of vitamin H cream followed by a generous lathering of oil containing vitamins A, D and E.

Then a special cream was applied with an active oxygen ingredient designed to penetrate the skin, boost cell renewal and kick-start the lymphatic system to rid toxins from the body.

On top of this, Julie spread Herzog's vitamin-rich chocolate cream, full of those anti-ageing buddies, anti-oxidants.

It all smelled good enough to eat, and the last piece of the treatment mask was just that.

After covering my face and neck in a light gauze, Julie painted on the hot, melted Swiss chocolate to complete the Co-Co2 treatment.

"It's an old wives' tale that chocolate causes spots," says Julie. "New research shows that cocoa has a higher concentration of anti-oxidants than red wine and tea and heat triggers their release."

By now, the salon smelt like the Nestl factory and my chocolate taste-buds had fired into 'must-have now' orbit.

So the arrival of a cup of thick and creamy hot chocolate and a Cadbury's chocolate egg was perfect timing.

After 15 minutes, the mask was peeled off and my skin felt velvet soft and was glowing and quite ruddy."People look like they have been on a skiing holiday," observed Julie, who said the benefits of the treatment last up to a week.

Back in the office, colleagues commented on my healthy glow and when I applied my make-up I found it glided on effortlessly and only enhanced my fresher-looking skin.

Updated: 08:46 Tuesday, April 06, 2004