Spas like us
If you need time to unwind or reinvigorate, a quick trip across the border to soak your bones will surely do the trick
It's hard to imagine what could be more luxurious than to come home, doff the work clothes and within moments be relaxing in one's own backyard spa. For the vast majority of Hongkongers, however, this is a pipe dream. (The backyard, we mean.) To get their limbs soaked, most need to travel at least out of their apartment block. They would do well to consider going a bit further, to the proverbial back yard of their city.
As Shenzhen's leisure class grows at a rapid pace, so the supply of quality spas is increasing to meet demand for oases of serenity places where the newly wealthy and newly stressed can unwind. Some are simple, unelaborate facilities outside the city, built in places of bucolic beauty already blessed with natural hot springs which are channeled into stone pools and mixed to various temperatures. Others are fancier, following newer health trends, like yoga and spirulina smoothies. A few offer the chance to spend a day or two in scenic splendour, soaking up ocean views and mountain air far removed from the everyday grind. Here are three of the best we found.
THE EVERGREEN RESORT
Ten minutes by taxi from Shekou Ferry Pier, 25 minutes from Huanggang, 45 minutes from Luohu
#1 Qingqing St, Moonbay, Nanshan
(86-755) 2664-6988 / 2640-3988 / 6116-6117; FAX: 2640-6322
This sprawling resort complex was opened in 1995 by Lin Mei-kuang, a Taiwanese architect whose previous projects included a similar spa resort at Taipei's famous Yangming Mountain. He has taken a naturalistic approach, both in the use of organic materials in its structural design and in its layout as a whole. Accommodation options include a hotel with ocean and mountain view rooms, and rustic redwood cabins (see pictures above) with gorgeous hardwood floors, comfortable futons, and bathrooms containing neck-deep Japanese-style hot tubs. There are also smaller structures that vaguely resemble Smurf homes. Prices are a steal: a night's accommodation can cost as little as 280 yuan, which includes the use of all facilities.
The facilities are something else. Swimming pools, exercise rooms, teahouses, and even an enclosed butterfly pavilion all add a soothing touch. There's also a tropical rainforest, complete with trees and flowers from Taiwan and other parts of Southeast Asia.
The resort also boasts a number of excellent restaurants serving western and Chinese food. During the Mid-Autumn festival (September 28 to October 1), the Evergreen will be hosting a food festival, employing chefs to cook specialty dishes from all over China. This promises to be a popular event, so prospective guests are advised to book their rooms, cabins or tree houses in advance.
DECLEOR PARADISO SPA
(VANKE PARADISO)
268 Furong Road, Futian District
(86-755) 8437-7832; FAX 8437-7623
One of the newest players on the Shenzhen spa scene, this is also probably the classiest. It combines Malibu style with Phuket decor to offer a chic experience. In addition to offering top-quality massages in beautiful outdoor settings (see picture below), Decleor has a fully equipped indoor gym with basketball, volleyball and badminton courts, a heated swimming pool, numerous hot tubs and a game room featuring ping-pong, snooker and pool tables. A Ukrainian yoga instructor teaches, among other styles, 'hot yoga' - in a studio heated to 110 degrees Fahrenheit to help practitioners loosen muscles and sweat out toxins.
Decleor also has a state-of-the-art juice bar, serving up a variety of healthy, freshly made juices and smoothies. While most visitors are regular members (annual membership to this ultra swank spa goes for 10,000 yuan), quarterly and monthly memberships are available for 3,200 yuan and 1,800 yuan, respectively. Facilities are available for single time visitors, though fees are fairly steep.
SHIYAN LAKE HOT SPRINGS HOLIDAY VILLAGE
Approximately 60-90 minutes by taxi from either Shekou Ferry Pier or Luohu
Bao'an district (86-755) 2776-0341
If it's a simple soak you're looking for, and don't mind a bit of a taxi ride out into the geographic centre of the Bao'an district, this place is hard to beat. Located on the banks of Shiyan Lake, the resort is well known for its natural Yulu hot springs. Containing the minerals aluminum and kalium, they are said not only to be excellent for the skin, but also useful in the treatment of ailments such as arthritis and other joint-related maladies. Being somewhat older than the Evergreen, this resort area is also more simple and understated, as if its designers decided that the surrounding beauty of the mountains and lake were better left unchallenged.
Visitors flock here for a few hours to use the public hot springs, costing 80 yuan for full use of the 10 pools of varying depth and temperature. Our favourites were the hottest and the coldest, located right next to each other for quick immersion (said to be excellent for shocking the internal organs into peak efficiency). Massage is offered both at the resort and also by the side of the public pools.
Visitors who like to mix culture and religion with their leisure travel will be intrigued by the spectre of a large temple complex overlooking the lake and hot springs. This is Hong Yuan Shi, a 200-year-old Buddhist temple built into the side of the mountain. The area is also good for hiking and nature walks, and there are a number of decent Chinese restaurants for your post-hike or pre-soak repast. And of course, if you're too blissed out to head back into the city, spending the night is surprisingly inexpensive. Just ask a monk.
