SHENZHEN, CHINA
Heads up
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Located in the centre of Shekou Industrial Zone’s commercial and entertainment area, Yi Bai Fen Hair Salon is extremely crowded even until late at night. The shop is quite near the Shekou Passenger Pier where ferries arrive from and depart for Hongkong.
THE TREATMENT: Shampoo massages are quite common in salons across China, but this was our first time to experience such a treatment. If not for a friend who was working at a nearby serviced apartment, we would never have discovered the delights of such pampering. The hair wash incidentally included a facial scrub. After the wash, the back of the chair was lowered, transforming into a bed – pure heaven especially when we had spent a whole day on our feet. Then, followed 25 minutes of firm kneading to the head, shoulders and arms. It was pure bliss to give in to our fatigue. Our attendant was a fragile-looking lady but her hands packed an absolute wallop.
PRICES: A basic haircut with massage costs from CNY50 (US$7) for men and women; hair wash plus massage from CNY25 (US$3.50); haircut only is from CNY35 (US$5).
VERDICT: It was good that we were meant to turn in to our hotel after our salon appointment as we were floating by the time it was over.
CONTACT: Yi Bai Fen Hair Salon, Guishan Road No. 3, Shekou, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China, tel 86 755 2668 4521. Open from 1030 to 2230 on weekdays and 0900 to 2300 on weekends.
Sylvia Wu
MACAU
Grape feeling
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Macau has a friendly staff who make you feel at home the minute you step in. It has tapped age-old Asian traditions, worldwide philosophies and modern techniques to create a wide selection of more than 30 health treatments to help restore the body’s inner balance and natural state of wellbeing. Therapies can be personalised based on the person’s needs, whether you wish to soothe and calm or invigorate and energise. There are five single treatment rooms and two couple suites. Almost all the rooms feature an outdoor spa garden with a Jacuzzi and an outdoor rain shower. To help spa guests completely unwind, there are separate changing areas for male and female guests which have their own dry sauna, steam room, indoor vitality pool and relaxation lounge.
THE TREATMENT: Macanese Sangria Ritual is one of two signature treatments of The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Macau. This began with a sensual body scrub using red wine, grape seeds and a mixture of grape seed and rosemary essential oils. The next stage was a revitalising sangria bath (made from red wine and grape seed extract) in the outdoor Jacuzzi of one’s private spa garden, while enjoying fresh fruits and a glass of Mandarin Oriental’s specially made sangria. The bath acts to stimulate the circulatory system and moisturise the skin. Once out of the bath, the experience ended with an 80-minute seed oil massage.
PRICE: From MOP1,650 (US$208) for two hours and 20 minutes.
VERDICT: Superb. The skin felt smoother and revitalised, thanks to grape seeds, which are proven to be effective in reversing the damage of both pollution and free radicals.
CONTACT: The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Macau, 956-1110 Avenida da Amizade, Macau SAR, tel 853 2871 3188, www.mandarinoriental.com. Open daily from 0630 to 2200.
Gigi Onag
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Home remedies
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Grand Hyatt’s regular design collaborator John Moford has created a luxurious escape, The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul, into a botanical garden with a combination of light wood and oversized black-and-white photographs of overrun gardens and serene ponds.
THE TREATMENT: The Spa offers a synthesis of Korean and European spa philosophies, each based on natural botanical therapies promoting perpetual youth and positive health, but we went for the Korean, intrigued by “the unique set of massage tools” mentioned in the brochure literature. To our surprise, these were simply a pair of small silver bowls and a wooden spatula and stick, all ordinary household items, but in the hands of a trained therapist, effective implements to bring on a sense of renewal. Using vigorous circular motions with the bowls, our masseuse worked on stimulating the meridian pathways on our back, hamstrings and calves. She followed up on this, pressing the stick and side of the spatula to certain portions of our body, a technique said to relieve stiff muscles. Then, a magnetic ball with plus and minus poles was applied, a prop that was supposed to help restore a person’s overall energy flow. According to the spa director Sue Yoon, these had all been devised at a time when lasers and the like were unheard of, and it was the custom for family members to give each other soothing rubs. A tradition that continues until today despite the hectic Korean lifestyle.
PRICE: From KRW165,000 (US$128) to KRW225,000 (US$174) for a treatment that can last from 60 to 90 minutes.
VERDICT: We were apprehensive that the edges of the silver bowls would hurt, but, when used deftly on the skin, they did not. And we left the spa highly charged.
CONTACT: The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul, Garden Level, 747-7 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-ku, Seoul 140-738, Korea, tel 82 2 799 8808, www.seoul.grand.hyatt.com. Open daily from 1000 to 2200.
Margie T Logarta
BANGKOK, THAILAND
Himalayan high
WHAT’S IT LIKE? CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La in Bangkok is a spacious facility. The predominantly earth tones of its interiors, punctuated with candlelights and soft shades, provide an immediate antidote to frayed nerves.
THE TREATMENT: If you are looking for a detoxifying treatment that is equally relaxing, go for the Himalayan Tsangpo Ritual, which is based on Sowa Rigpa, a 1,500-year-old healing tradition of the Himalayas. This signature CHI treatment is offered in a purpose-built luxury spa suite featuring a specially designed heated wet room. The 90-minute ritual started with a potently cleansing Himalayan salt scrub on a warm stone plinth. The salts used are said to be the purest of its kind, reducing acidity in the body and are found 4,572m high in the Himalayan mountains. After the vigorous exfoliation, the entire body was wrapped in Himalayan red mountain mud mixed with silagit, a rare mineral extract which is a prized rejuvenator. The skin releases toxins while absorbing the minerals through osmosis. While we were wrapped in mud on the heated stone plinth, the therapist rendered a soothing head and shoulder massage. This was followed by the Blue Moon Spring Bath, a stone bath with subdued lapis blue light, the healing colour of the cleansing rivers of the Himalayan Plateau. After that, we were led to a cool water shower.
PRICE: Introductory prices for the 90-minute treatment start from THB3,300 (US$96) until February.
VERDICT: Simply amazing. My skin was left soft and supple; the contrasting sensations of the warm bath and cool shower heightened the senses.
CONTACT: CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La in Bangkok, 89 Soi Wat Suan Plu, New Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand, tel 66 2 236 7777, www.shangri-la.com/spa. Open daily from 1000 to 2300.
Gigi Onag
PHUKET, THAILAND
Deep bliss
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The Banyan Tree Spa is a destination by itself. It is renowned for setting the right ambience, preparing guests for the mood to let go and de-stress. The Banyan Tree Spa in Phuket has recently moved its Spa Academy to a two-storey facility within the resort where its therapists undergo more than 300 hours of training.
THE TREATMENT: The in-villa Rak Nirun massage, meaning “forever love” in Thai, is created exclusively for Double Pool Villa guests and is designed for a romantic spa treatment in the privacy of their villa. The treatment began with an herbal steam bath with rose petals and a dry lemongrass and clove pouch inside our Double Pool Villa’s private steam room. This is done to stimulate the respiratory system and improve circulation. Then, the therapist led us to our own spa pavilion that was set up outdoors and overlooked a private lagoon. Lying flat on the sundeck, she gave us a body massage, where palming strokes were applied on the body without using oil. Afterwards, warm sesame oil was applied on the body, using massage strokes to soothe and nourish the skin and improve circulation. A face massage was also part of the package where yoghurt was used to remove dirt from the skin surface, followed by an oil face massage to nourish the skin, tone facial muscles and improve blood circulation. The experience ended with refreshments and a dip in the jet pool.
PRICE: THB4,900 (US$143) per person for the 60-minute treatment.
VERDICT: A wonderful and memorable experience, which brought us to a level of deep relaxation and bonhomie.
CONTACT: Banyan Tree Spa Phuket, 33 Moo 4, Srisoonthorn Road, Cherngtalay, Amphur Talang, Phuket 83110, Thailand, tel 66 76 324 374, www.banyantreespa.com. Open daily from 0900 to 2200.
Gigi Onag
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
Cups of calmness
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Sheraton Saigon’s Aqua Day Spa is located on level five, where guests also have access to a 17-metre lap pool, sauna, fitness centre and a poolside restaurant. The facility boasts a calming interior of natural charcoal stone, local timber and earthy colours. Past the waiting area is a total of seven spa suites with showers: four single suites and three double suites including a VIP room with Jacuzzi, steam and rainforest shower.
THE TREATMENT: We were served a cold rose tea drink and cold towel before “surrendering” ourselves to a Traditional Vietnamese Massage, which was to take place in a private suite. Our masseuse, who introduced herself as Ut, served us ginger tea and then presented two massage oil concoctions – lemongrass or lavender – for us to pick from. We went for the former. Ut went on to prepare our foot soak. A back massage set off the treatment. With upward strokes, Ut worked from the lower part of the body to the shoulders, arms and legs. As we had opted for an hour-long massage, cupping took only five minutes (while a 90-minute treatment includes 10 minutes of cupping). The traditional Vietnamese massage applies pressure point technique with vitality movements to warm and relax muscles, then detoxifies by using seven suction cups (about 6cm in diameter each, and warmed) on the back to reduce aches and improve circulation.
PRICE: A choice of 60-, 90- and 120-minute sessions at US$50, US$65 and US$80 respectively.
VERDICT: We anticipated a warm but not burning sensation from the cupping, which turned out to be disappointingly mild. For the full works, we suggest you go for at least a 90-minute TLC.
CONTACT: Aqua Day Spa at Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, Level 5, 88 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, tel 84 8 827 2828 ext 193, www.aquadayspasaigon.com. Open daily from 1000 to 2300.
Julian Tan
