Given our love for all things fusion, it is no surprise that fusion treatments have become increasingly popular in Hong Kong. It is no longer enough to go for a simple Swedish massage or Chinese acupuncture, the East-meets-West treatments sought after nowadays draw from a wide range of techniques and philosophies for a spa experience that will satisfy even its most cosmopolitan guests.
The Mandarin Oriental Signature Spa Therapies (HK$1,750/110min), offered at the Mandarin Oriental Spa, combine Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western aromatherapy for an experience tailored to suit your needs on the day of the treatment. 'What we wanted to do was to make Chinese medicine more relatable,' says Andrea Lomas, head of spa operations for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. 'People get intimidated by the unknown aspects of TCM. Because aromatherapy oils (below) are a familiar part of spa treatments, when used in combination with TCM, people find the whole experience less foreign.'
On entering the spa, I was asked to fill out a short form in which I check the statements I agree with. These statements inquire about personality, and physical and emotional wellbeing, such as whether I'm a night person (yes), or whether I have over-toned muscles (sadly no), or if I have a tendency to be addicted to things such as caffeine and alcohol (no comment). The form is categorised into a grid pattern, with two columns determining whether I have more yin or yang in me, and five rows determining which Chinese element - wood, fire, earth, metal, water - I identify with most.
After adding up the checks, the spa therapist concluded that I was a yang/fire mix, which I later found out to mean that I'm intuitive and energetic but can suffer from poor memory, insomnia, and shoulder and back pain, while my heart and small intestines are key areas I should look out for. Each element is linked to certain organs in the body, Lomas explains, and the treatment involves a Chinese meridian massage designed to target those areas while aromatherapy oils invigorate or soothe, depending on the guest's predominant Chinese element.
'Aromatherapy, like TCM, works on both physical and emotional levels,' Lomas says. 'We have five different aromatherapy oils, each suited to a different element and designed to target its problem areas.'
For the fire element stress is a common problem, and the corresponding Bloom oil contains wild chamomile to soothe and support, while rose encourages sensitivity and emotional release.
After the massage, the spa therapist also taught me two simple exercises that will ease any strain placed on my heart and small intestines, and provided me with a guide containing a description of my Chinese element, and which foods I should eat and which to avoid. According to the guide, I should avoid red and processed meat, salty fish, alcohol, coffee and carbonated drinks - essentially a full description of my daily diet. Oh dear.