Tag Archives: spa

Plateau Spa’s Rose Indulgence package – spa day at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

grand-hyatt-hong-kong-pool

I’m no fan of Valentine’s Day – an arbitrary date that is most definitely the least special of all special occasions. But Valentine’s Day spa deals? Sign me up with a trite poem, ugly teddy and bunch of wilting roses… I’m in!

And before you start complaining that your partner hates all things pampering –so does mine. In fact, so do lots of people’s partners, meaning there are plenty of us spa spinsters ready and waiting to be paired up precisely for the purpose of taking advantage of couple’s pampering packages. Which is exactly how my blogger BFF Kate and I came to be at the Rose Indulgence treatment at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Plateau Spa.

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ENVIRON Optimal Skin Facial at The Mandarin Spa, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong review

mandarin-oriental-hong-kong-spa

Another new day, another new spa treatment to review – it’s a tough job but someone has to do it, right? Provided anyone is still reading having not boiled over with beauty blogger hatred (#sorrynotsorry), the latest treatment on my pampering dance card was the ENVIRON Optimal Skin Facial at The Mandarin Spa in the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.

These days, a simple cleanse, tone and moisturise just doesn’t cut it; in the quest for the final frontier of pampering perfection, facials are jumping aboard the high-tech space-shuttle, with more futuristic gadgets on show than the average episode of Star Trek. The Optimal Skin Facial is a case in point, utilising a fancy DF II Machine that helps ENVIRON’s supercharged serums penetrate deeper into your skin, with suitably rejuvenating results.

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MiraSpa’s Splunch package – spa day at The Mira Hong Kong

mira-hong-kong-swimming-pool

Freelance life has many perks, but chief among them has to be the ability to take a spa day whenever I want (all in the name of “research”, of course) – especially when you have a business partner who loves spa days every bit as much as you do! So when the invite to The Mira Hong Kong’s Splunch package arrived in the Editors’ Ink inbox, my business partner and blogger bestie Kate aka Accidental Tai Tai and I were in there like a flash.

Running until the end of March 2017, the somewhat cringily-titled Splunch – which sounds like something Jay off The Inbetweeners might say – equates to a full day of pampering goodness for only $1388 per person, including:

  • A 60-minute Mira Massage
  • A 60-minute Aromatherapy Associates Rose Aromatic Facial
  • A buffet lunch at Yamm
  • Full use of MiraSpa’s heat facilities, swimming pool and fitness centre

Let’s dive in! Well, apart from the fitness centre…. Kate and I ignored that obviously.

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Natura Bissé Diamond Brilliant Facial at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Oriental Spa review

Natura Bisse Facial Landmark Mandarin Oriental Spa Hong Kong

This summer has to be one of the wettest, greyest, most miserable on record – and I’ve been feeling rather dull and deflated as a result. So thank heavens (when torrential storms aren’t pouring out of them, that is) for lovely spa treatments that act as the perfect rainy day pick-me-up, like the Natura Bissé Diamond Brilliant Facial at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s Oriental Spa.

This facial isn’t just a pick-me-up for your rain-soaked soul though; it’s designed to be a real pick-me-up for dull skin, brightening your complexion and reducing uneven pigmentation… And with sun-deprived, sallow skin in desperate need of a rapid shot of radiance, I couldn’t reply to my trial invite quick enough!

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Chuan Tao of Detox treatment at Chuan Spa, Cordis Hong Kong review

Chuan Spa Cordis Hong Kong

When you think of Mong Kok, “relaxing oasis of calm” probably isn’t the first phrase that springs to mind; in fact, “crazy-intense shopping insanity that sets my teeth on edge the minute I arrive at the MTR station” is probably a lot more apt. But the second you step out of the crush and into Chuan Spa, the stress all just melts away.

Located in Cordis Hong Kong – the hotel formerly known as Langham Place Hong Kong – Chuan Spa is a pampering destination with a difference, being one of the only fancy hotel spas to concentrate more on traditional Chinese medicine. This manifests itself both in the décor, which is all dark wood, jade and Asian antique design touches – I loved the gorgeous medicine cabinet in the waiting room and the trickling water feature in the corridors between therapy rooms – and the treatments themselves, which have been designed to balance the traditional five elements of water, earth, fire, wood and metal.

Cordis Hong Kong Chuan Spa View

I was invited to try the Chuan Tao of Detox treatment, a bumper 150 minutes of pampering bliss. But before hitting the massage bed, there’s a short questionnaire to complete in the spa’s serene contemplation room – which boasts some pretty cool views over Kowloon to boot – to discover what element you most identify with, which in turn matches with one of five custom Chuan Spa oil blends. I did this, discovered my element then swiftly went off-piste to pick whichever one featured my beloved lavender instead (wood, by the way)!

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Dior Prestige Treatment at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Oriental Spa review

landmark mandarin oriental hong kong spa

Dior dress: yeah… won’t be able to afford that this lifetime.
Dior handbag: errr… still no, but will try adding it to my birthday list anyway.
Dior lipstick: ahhh… now you’re talking!

And that, my friends, is the appeal of designer brands with cosmetics lines!

Now happily sitting on the “treat yourself but without entering your overdraft” scale of things is the Dior Prestige Treatment at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s Oriental Spa – a new indulgent way to get a little bit of designer luxe in your life.

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The Peninsula Spa Ultimate Aesthetic Facial Treatment by Margy’s review – the best facial in Hong Kong?

Margy's Monte Carlo Peninsula Hong Kong

Say the word Monaco and what do you think of? Glitz, glamour, Princess Grace and celeb tax haven are probably the things that spring to mind… world-class facial treatments, not so much. But forget about Lewis Hamilton’s tax-dodging antics for a minute – because The Peninsula Hong Kong’s latest range of Margy’s Monte Carlo spa treatments is set to re-define all your current Monaco word associations.

Unlike every other famous Monegasque (and yes, I totally had to look up what to call someone from Monaco), Margie Lombard is not a member of the principality’s royal family but a renowned beauty expert who has treated some of the world’s most famous women, including Claudia Schiffer, Princess Charlene and errr… Shirley Bassey. Many clients have even been known to fly to Monaco especially for her treatments, but now those in Asia have a much more convenient destination to head to instead – The Peninsula Spa, where Lombard’s signature facials are now exclusively available in Hong Kong.

The Ultimate Aesthetic Facial Treatment by Margy’s Peninsula Hong Kong

Without getting too bogged down in science, Lombard has made it her business to understand skin and the main reasons it degrades over time – so she can create products and treatments that specifically target these exact causes. There are four Lombard facials available at The Peninsula Spa but the mother of them all is The Ultimate Aesthetic Facial Treatment by Margy’s, which uses ultrasonic waves and controlled warmth to stimulate the growth of new collagen, contour the skin and reduce wrinkles. Combined with her line of highly effective, Swiss-made skincare products (Lombard’s range was one of the first to utilise collagen and hyaluronic acid), and you have all the ingredients for stunning skin.

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The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong Spa by ESPA – Shell Power Treatment & Organic Salad Bar lunch buffet review

ritz carlton hong kong spa power shell treatment

I recently wrote an article about the Top 5 Spa Dining & Pampering Packages in Hong Kong – and ended up with a massive case of spa FOMO as a result.

Happily, The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong took pity on me and invited me to trial a luxurious spa day with them – an organic salad bar Go Green Lunch at The Lounge & Bar followed by a Shell Power Treatment at The Ritz-Carlton Spa by ESPA.

ritz carlton hong kong organic salad bar

When I told my friends I was having a salad for lunch, there may have been some sniggers – as you may have gathered from my penchant for afternoon teas, salad ain’t really my style! But let’s be honest, the last thing you want when you’re lying on your massage bed is a bad case of bloated food baby and even old salad sceptic me was converted by The Ritz-Carlton’s buffet; it was delicious, healthy, filling (but still light!) and extremely good value at only $228 for unlimited visits. Given the salads at City’super or Simply Life knock on the door of triple figures for only a tenth of the quality and volume, this is a pretty great deal – especially once you factor in some fabulous views over the harbour. Hell, they’ll even expertly toss your salad for you in the deal too.

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Sense Of Touch Sai Ying Pun Spa review – good morning Vietnam!

sense of touch hong kong massage

UPDATE: Sense Of Touch Sai Ying Pun has now closed; don’t worry though, the awesome Sense Of Touch Tseung Kwan O is still very much open!

Soho – say whaaat? Poho – pah! These days, Hong Kong’s hottest area is strictly Westside, with more hipsters heading there than a gallery opening serving craft beers and burger sliders.

So far, most of the buzz has been around Western District’s new bars and restaurants, but now there’s something to make us beauty geeks sit up and take notice too – Sense Of Touch Sai Ying Pun.

I’m a big fan of Sense Of Touch, a homegrown spa chain that has now grown to eight locations in Hong Kong, as I think that they deliver quality and consistency across all the venues I’ve visited. The Sai Ying Pun Sense Of Touch is a little smaller than most of their other spas (i.e. the Tseung Kwan O branch) with only around five treatment rooms, but it’s still just as stylishly decked out as all its bigger sisters. I loved the colourful armchairs and Vietnamese-style white latticework screens in the foyer, where manicures, pedicures and foot massages take place. Meanwhile, the treatment rooms are simple and small – but they certainly don’t feel cramped or bare either.

sense of touch sai ying pun

I was booked in for Good Morning Vietnam – an exfoliation, steam shower and massage treatment that’s only available at Sense Of Touch Sai Ying Pun. Your 105 minutes of pure pampering bliss begins with an Elemis ginger and lime scrub, which is every bit as invigorating and defiantly un-abrasive as only the best scrubs can be.

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Sense Of Touch Tseung Kwan O Spa review – say sawadee to your own private pampering pavilion!

Sense Of Touch Hong Kong Bali Decoration

There is more to life than Central. And no, by that I don’t just mean Sheung Wan!

It can sometimes be hard to convince non-Central dwellers of this fact – but for those willing to stray beyond the blue line, a little tropical escape awaits you. Its name? Sense Of Touch Tseung Kwan O Spa.

Located at the far reaches of the (shock, horror) purple MTR line in the Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East hotel, the Tseung Kwan O Sense Of Touch has to be one of the best, most unique spas I’ve found in Hong Kong. Most hotel spas here are grand, maze-like entities, with labyrinthine corridors leading to sumptuous treatment rooms; however, the Tseung Kwan O Sense Of Touch is instead a series of gorgeous, individual cabanas, spread out over a spacious tropical garden.

Sense Of Touch Tseung Kwan O Hong Kong Reception

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