'Most people think beating winter blues means going overseas. I found the cure up north.'

Everyone who knows me knows I love winter. I love my hot water bottle, I love my wood fire combustion heater, I love wooly jumpers and thick jackets.

But while I may love winter, winter does not always love me.

When I tell you this girl is dry, I mean DRRRRRYYYYY. Run a fingernail up any piece of my skin and you'll leave behind a trail of powdery white scale.

I'm also just so tired. Winter requires a huge amount of energy, walking up almost flooding city streets trying not to slip over. Hunching under the umbrella to keep your hair from turning into a rabid collection of dread lock-like strings, and just the effort of wearing a giant jacket over all those layers and trying not to just lay down and let the wind chill factor take you, it's exhausting.

But as this winter begins to draw to a close, I was offered a little get out of winter free card.

The team at Crystalbrook Collection asked if I wanted to head to one of their properties to try out their new light therapy spa treatments.

The therapy was designed with support from Dr Keiren Kennedy, a psychologist who I had met previously while making my podcast Well (which you can listen to below). 

He explained why winter has some of us feeling a little down.

"Biologically, we know that our energy levels, motivation, mood and sleep are all closely tied to light levels," he said.

"Further physical factors such as temperature, our activity levels (which often drop over winter) and even dietary changes seasonally might also have a strong influence here, alongside the very real shifts in social time, events and occasions (all of which often drop in winter) that can come with changes in the season too."

I got to choose from one of their three Eleme Spa locations offering the service — there are two in Cairns (Flynn or Riley) and one in Byron Bay. I immediately requested a winter jaunt in Cairns, swapping my top temp in the NSW Hunter Valley of 17 degrees, to a much more pleasant and comfortable 27.

It's been nearly 10 years since I've been to Cairns and I've never been on my own, so I'd forgotten just what a full vibe this place is.

As soon as you step off the plane, there are people in t-shirts and shorts, bright colours everywhere and pictures of the reef and all its glorious inhabitants plaster the walls.

I was picked up by Steve from Dragan Tours. I asked how long he'd lived in Cairns and when he said 40 years I knew he would be a wealth of information. 

Watch: Sleep relaxation techniques. Post continues after video.

He took me on a quick whip around Cairns, pointing out where the crocs hung out (actual crocodiles, not discarded plastic footwear), where to take the beer lover in your life (Hemingway's Brewery), where to get the best fresh seafood (Prawn Star, straight outta the ocean and bought from the boat), and showed me where a lot of the tours took off from (The Reef Fleet Terminal). 

Prawn Star, where you get the seafood literally straight from the ocean. Image: Supplied.

He told me the best places to go for a walk (along the boardwalk on the waterfront, also do it at night because its lit up and gorgeous), where to get the fanciest dinner (Salt House, which is also the location of the local food and wine festival), encouraged me to visit the local library because it's stunning and recommended a visit to the Cairns night markets to grab a souvenir or two and some delicious food.

This is conveniently a few doors down from my hotel.

The Cairns Esplanade at night is gorgeous. Image: Supplied.

He wasn't lying, the Cairns library (literally across the road from the hotel) is gorgeous. Image: Supplied.

The night market is open 7 days. Image: Supplied.

After our mini main street tour, he dropped me at Flynn Cairns, one of the Crystalbrook Collection hotels, where I was met by the lovely Laura and Lisa, who checked me in and told me to go and have fun.

The location could not be better.

Flynn is right in the heart of Cairns so it's a hive of activity day and night. Laura told me they refer to it as the socialiser's hotel because for those who want to spend their time getting amongst it, this is the place to be. 

Flynn Cairns. Image: Supplied.

It's right on the esplanade, so your walk to the foreshore is 0 minutes. The Reef Eye ferris wheel is right outside (no, I did not get on it. I have a real fear of heights, and the thought of going up on my own had my body dropping a bunch of fight or flight adrenaline in my system). 

Can I recommend you ask for a harbour view room, because the sunrise is gorgeous and the sounds that filter up from the people in the restaurants and on the foreshore below at night is the best.

One night, a busker was singing the most gorgeous tunes, so I left the door open and fell asleep to his soothing voice. 

Sunrise from Flynn Cairns balcony. Image: Supplied.

Now here is where we pause to tell you that Cairns is NOT a beach holiday destination. I know, right?

It seems weird to go to Queensland and not frolic in the waves, but this is croc territory and while the ocean will be your destination if you jump on a reef tour, the coast is mostly mud flats and mangroves which crocs love best. 

But what they lack in waves, they make up for in epic swimming pools, both the big public one on the foreshore and the multiple inside the hotel.

On my second day in Cairns, it was time for a visit to my whole reason for being here, the Eleme Spa.

The waiting area is super cute, not a sharp edge to be seen! Image: Supplied.

I was met by a gorgeous Italian woman named Claudia. She explained that she would be helping me with my treatment which included a 60-minute Autograph of Eleme Massage with 'Va Va Voom' essential oil blend, featuring uplifting scents like sweet orange and ylang ylang.

It also included a 30-minute Customisable Enhancement, including a scalp treatment, foot massage, or express facial, tailored to further relax the mind and body, finishing off with refreshments, including Mayde Teas, vitamin-rich fruit, and organic chocolates as you sit a 15-minute light session designed to create a bright, uplifting environment that many find refreshing during winter months.

Dr Kennedy says this light may help some people feel more energised during the darker part of the year. "Light levels and our brain taking in light through the eyes is actually (surprisingly to many) closely tied to our mood, energy levels and, for many people, our mental health overall. " He said.

This needs to be said, Claudia's hands should be protected at all costs. I like a firm massage and she delivered a relaxing but stern one that I swear made me at least 2cm taller on completion.

Normally when you finish off a massage you drag your now almost boneless body up off the table to dress and head back out into the stark light of day. But ending with the light therapy, and sitting down with a plate of delicious dragon fruit, strawberries, apple, tea and chocolate was a divine way of transitioning back to reality.  

Don't mind the hair, that's the scalp treatment. Image: Supplied.

Delicious fruit platter, choccies and tea to ease you back into reality. Image: Supplied.

I asked Claudia whether there was much need for light therapy in Cairns, a place renowned for being sunny pretty much 365 days a year, and she said that people who live here year-round also experience seasonal depression. 

Dr Kennedy backed this up, saying "Lowering light levels and hours of daylight can impact us even in places where that change is minor, and even in places where the temperature might not hugely fluctuate or drop to freezingly low levels."

I emerged from the treatment rooms with a tingling scalp, very relieved skin and a calmer soul.

If you are someone who can afford to get away on your own, or even better, with your best girlfriend or girlfriends, this is a genuine pick-me-up. I was chatting with Kevin, the waiter in the Flynn's Italian restaurant like we were besties, a far cry from my usual winter outside self who would rather not make eye contact with strangers.

The only downside of this impromptu trip up north was that I had to transition back to the real (freezing) world again on my return but, happy to say, the spark from the trip remained with me for quite a while after.

So go, replenish yourself and let your body soak in all that warmth and brightness.

Thanks, Crystalbrook Collection for having me. It was sunshiny and glorious.

Mamamia travelled as a guest of Crystalbrook Collection. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.

Feature Image: Supplied.