Most of us go on holiday to soak up the sun and relax. How about having a colonic irrigation or even a nose job thrown into the bargain? Ghana is one African country targeting the boom in so-called "health tourism".

The Holy Trinity spa offers services unavailable elsewhere in Africa.

"No Pain No Gain" is the stern message painted on the side of the ornamental pirogue at the Holy Trinity Health Spa on the banks of Ghana's River Volta. But for the clients here, a short cut to the body beautiful is the main reason for their visit.

As well as an array of massage, hydrotherapy and beauty treatments, Holy Trinity also offers a range of cosmetic and other surgery.

It says it is attracting hundreds of foreign visitors a year, with the offer of cut price treatment administered by doctors mostly trained in Western medical schools.

Unlike health tourists in the West, customers here are accessing services often not available in their own countries.