Repulse Bay has long been a tourist haunt, but it hasn't always been a place to head for an integrative day spa (the one spa that did operate there was relatively small and mostly frequented for pedicures and manicures). But that's all changing with the opening of a new, full-service spa that encompasses a hair salon and healthy food cafe.
The same could be said for Sha Tin, which is known more for its race course than wafting music and candles. Again, a new hotel spa there that promises more than the usual could see Central or Tsim Sha Tsui dwellers taking a trip to Sha Tin for pampering and holistic healing.
And while Macau does have its fair share of day spas, especially since the Cotai Strip's hotel chains added them to their cache, a touch of Thailand's medical tourism has come to the city with a medi-spa that combines massage with anti-ageing procedures.
The three new establishments are part of an evolving spa scene whereby it is no longer enough to just provide facials, scrubs and massages. Spa-goers expect more, those in the industry say, and total integrative wellness, as it is commonly known, is giving such places an edge.
New spas are being built in areas with plenty of open space and a more relaxed atmosphere, providing a one-stop shop and giving professional advice on how to beat stress and apply makeup.
'Customers tend to be far more discriminating in this economic environment. They want to believe, more than is usual, that they are getting something that is valuable to them,' says Brian Moss, a founding partner of the Arcana Group, which created the new spa/hair salon and cafe in Repulse Bay called The Retreat.