A 170sq m (1,830sq ft) health spa will form part of Vision West Notts' new £11m complex in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, which has been given the green light by the local authority.

Mansfield District Council (MDC) has backed the institution's proposals, which will offer a home for students involved in hair, beauty and complementary therapy courses among others.

The spa will be operated by students as part of their vocational training and will be sited next to hair and beauty salons, with facilities including three treatment rooms.

One will be a large open-plan room offering couch-based treatments, while the other two smaller rooms will offer the spa bed 'Jouvence' and Rasul mud bath treatment.

Other facilities will include sauna; a steamroom; an ice feature; a spa pool; a Monsoon feature shower and enclosure; heated loungers; and a foot spa as part of the college's efforts to offer its students the "very best facilities".

According to a Vision West Notts spokesperson, current facilities in the centre of Mansfield town centre are "fairly limited" to couch-based treatments.

"Furthermore, by opening [the health spa] up to the public, it will provide students with real-life vocational experience that prepares them for the world of work, coupled with commercial opportunities for the college," added the spokesperson.