A massage based on your Chinese element at Hyatt Regency Hong Kong’s Melo Spa: rejuvenating treatment that lasts for days

Melo Spa at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin is celebrating its 10th anniversary with spa treatments using Elemental Herbology, a natural body and skincare brand from the UK. Its philosophy is based on the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

There’s a Five Element Aroma Facial (60 minutes for HK$1,180/90 minutes with back massage for HK$1,480) or Five Element Aroma Massage (60 minutes for HK$1,060/90 minutes for HK$1,498) to choose from. The offer is available until March 31.

I chose the 60-minute massage, and to determine my element, I filled out a quick survey that asked my favourite season (spring, late summer, autumn), colour (green, red, yellow, white, blue/black), tastes (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy), and my favourite time for a bath or shower (after exercise, morning, after work, right before bed).

The therapist quickly deduced that I was wood and let me smell the essential oil that would be used in my massage; it was a combination of rosemary, lemongrass and nutmeg that was pleasant enough and thankfully not woody or musky.

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From there I got changed into a dressing gown and my feet were cleaned in bath salts before I lay on the massage table. My therapist asked me where my trouble spots were, and like most desk-bound people, it’s my neck and shoulders that are sore and tired.