The spa treatment for digital addicts: a device-free 90 minutes of pampering and play at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
We try out hotel spa’s digital detox: you hand over your phone, pick up play dough or a puzzle, lie back and relax with Mandarin Spa’s Digital Wellness Escape. The verdict: relaxing and fun
We all know we need to get away from our mobile devices more often, but what about actively doing something about it for a couple of hours? If you need a break, Mandarin Spa at Mandarin Oriental has just the treatment for you.
Called Digital Wellness Escape, the 90-minute treatment (HK$1,750 on weekdays, HK$1,980 on weekends) helps those addicted to their smartphones and laptops to become centred and relaxed with no electronic distractions.
After filling out a quick questionnaire that asks how you are feeling mentally and physically, and if you have any allergies, I’m asked to hand over my phone, which is placed inside a soft black pouch to prevent any light emanating from it and hopefully muffling the sound too.
In my treatment room, I change into a dressing gown and sit in a chair, putting my feet in a barrel-like contraption covered with a towel to steam them. My feet rest on a stone called shungite that contains a lot of carbon to detox the feet and boost circulation, according to treatment manager Kit Kong.
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While I’m steaming my feet, she encourages me to play with some toys on another tray. There’s a Rubik’s Cube – that I’m afraid to mix up too much so I make sure I put it back in its original state – as well as a slinky, colourful dough to mould in my hands, and a puzzle in a plastic cube that contains small silver balls that I have to try manoeuvre around. There’s also a Rubik’s Snake that I play around with, taking me back to my childhood.