My spa therapist has weapons on the table. That’s my initial impression anyway and it turns out I’m wrong on all counts. To begin with, the man calmly laying out two sticks, two rocks and two lethal-looking chopping knives is not your everyday spa therapist but Xavier Garnier, a dao liao practitioner, who is in Hong Kong until July 21 offering this special knife massage at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. Wealthy travellers turn ‘wellness tourism’ into US$639 billion industry Secondly, the items are essential tools he uses during his sessions, which are designed to restore energy balance, direct the flow of chi, stimulate the circulation and lympathic system, and enhance quality of sleep. How he means to promote relaxation and well-being through knives is the reason I’m there. What it involves: Garnier walks me through the 90-minute treatment, which involves warming up the body through a series of stretches using the wooden sticks, then the knife work begins – what is more formally called dao liao (knife therapy), and the whole thing is wrapped up with guang liao (light therapy), which involves massaging the body with special coral stones. I’m not particularly in tune with my body. I work out, but it took an evaluation with a fascia fitness expert to realise my body was completely lopsided and off-kilter (review to come soon). I haven’t even tried reiki – which is the modern equivalent of aromatherapy or chromotherapy when it comes to general acceptance. Expecting me to sense the change in my energy balance is a tall order. “I’m not here to heal you,” says Garnier, who has studied Chinese martial arts, qigong, yijing, traditional Chinese massage and Chinese osteopathy during two decades in China and Taiwan. “This process simply activates your body to engage its autoimmune system. We constantly underestimate our body’s ability to heal itself.” The philosophy behind it: This practice, he tells me, was historically performed by monks. He uses the sticks for stretching and the rocks for massaging every morning (it’s a bit awkward to chop at himself with the knives, so he saves that for the guests on his table). When I feel the guest’s energy, the knives will guide me Xavier Garnier Speaking of which, it seems the knives – which are blunted for the guest’s safety – are sacred. I’m not allowed to touch them, to begin with, as practitioners believe that they “have their own spirit”. Garnier has had his for 10 years since his master first “activated” them through a process called kai guang (open light), and he’s used the same ones ever since. The idea is that the coral stones are connected to the energy of the Earth, and the metal blades of the knives conduct energy from the universe – in accordance with yin/yang philosophy, the knives give positive energy while cleansing the body of negative energy. Meanwhile, the wooden handles allow the practitioner to feel the guest’s energy. To do this, Garnier says, requires him to do considerable preparation. “I need to make myself empty and receptive,” he explains. “I am a vegetarian, and I meditate to clear and calm my mind beforehand, so that I can properly feel the guest’s energy.” 5 great wellness experiences to try in Southeast Asia A key difference between this treatment and a conventional massage is that this is an interactive process. Garnier explains that, like a traditional massage, he might start with a certain method or sequence, but thereafter it’s a matter of him determining what areas need more work or even letting his instinct – or knives – take control. “When I feel the guest’s energy, the knives will guide me,” he reassures me, which sounds alarming. What it’s like: We start with the exercises aided with wooden sticks. In gym lingo, I’d call it a standing chest fly, which essentially means we’re holding sticks in front of our chests, then opening up and extending our arms to the sides. We do a number of other exercises that similarly target the chest, shoulders and back, for 11 repetitions on each side or direction. The reason for this number, Garnier tells me, is that 10 is the number of perfection, and the bonus repetition takes us back to the beginning and “unites us with the whole”. After that, the dao liao begins. I lie face-down on the massage table and he covers me with a towel from head to toe – for the sake of comfort and safety, as well as to ensure the guest is entirely immersed and cocooned in this experience. The practitioner then does a quick manual massage to ascertain energy flow and the areas of blockage. Then the chopping starts. For the first five minutes or so, I feel like a pound (or a hundred and some pounds) of minced meat. It feels like exactly the same rapid-fire, alternating knife movement one would use when obliterating meat into mince. For US$13 million you can buy 2 private islands near New York After the practitioner repeats this motion over the whole body (which includes the head – softly; even so, I’d advise against going with a hangover), I could feel a general warm hum throughout. It is similar to that tingle you get on your skin after you slap it gently, only extended from head to toe. It’s unsurprising, given that I’ve essentially been thoroughly tapped up and down my body, but this warm, relaxing buzz is probably what more enlightened minds than mine would describe as energy flow. And it is relaxing. I fall asleep at some point, only to have Garnier wake me up so I could turn to one side, then the other, then face up and down again, for the process to be repeated. The final phase involves the coral stones, which are meant to “recharge the electric and magnetic fields of the body”. Garnier circles me while I’m face-down on the massage table, during which he’s presumably waving the stones over me. A massage with the stones follows, and the treatment is concluded with three sharp taps as he knocks the stones together. How Phum Baitang has put the ‘wow’ factor into wellness treatments Things to note: The penultimate phase of dao liao involves lying face-up, which could concern some given that the shins, hip bones, chest and face feel exposed, but guests are still covered with a towel at this point and the practitioner focuses on muscle and avoids bone, although this would obviously not be recommended for pregnant women. Given that the guest is covered with a towel from head to toe for the treatment, it would probably not be the ideal experience for those afflicted with claustrophobia. Garnier says that due to the cleansing of negative energy, guests can potentially feel drained for a while after the treatment, but he explains that the body will soon be replenished with positive energy and this overall feeling of well-being can then last for “days, weeks, and even months”. 6 wellness retreats where you can spoil dad on Father's Day Conclusion: At the beginning of the treatment, Garnier tells me that I had energy blockages on the top right half and bottom left half of my body. I’m not sure if this is relevant but I do spend a good 9 to 10 hours of my day with my right arm extended over my mouse or keyboard and my lower body twisted into a pretzel as I double-cross my legs. In any case, he tells me my energy is much more balanced after the treatment. I can’t honestly say I feel anything with my energy per se, or perhaps I’m simply not attuned to those parts of me yet, but what I can say is I feel more centred physically and more focused mentally (the nap helped too). Anything else? Unlike a conventional spa treatment, you won’t be half naked in disposable undies. Go in a loose T-shirt and leggings if you like, or if, like me, you show up half starkers, the Mandarin Spa will provide you with appropriate clothing (presumably from their fitness centre). Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter