Location
In Changping (Beijing), 15 km north of the Lishuiqiao urban rail station. Tel: 6178 2288. Web: www.jiuhua.com.cn

How I found it
I tried to go to one of the places in That’s BJ’s spa listings, but discovered that it was closed for renovations. Since I had already traveled 40 minutes from home, I jumped in taxi and asked him to find me a 温泉. After several stops for directions, we ended up at Jiuhua, which I now understand is relatively famous.

Overview
Jiuhua is a full on resort. It consists of around 50 buildings on a theme-park sized plot of land. It even has its own monorail. There are numerous outdoor hot springs scattered about the grounds and many of the rental villas have private baths.

But, I went to the indoor spa, which is housed in an enormous 11-story building.

Pricing
The door fee was y100 and that included a 45-minute massage or a bathing suit (facilities are coed so bathing suits are required). Room prices start at y200 on week days. (It appears that majority of customers stay over.)


Opulence
(6/10)

My first impressions of the facilities were a bit of letdown. Unlike Morley’s, there wasn’t an abundance of marble, high ceilings, or expensive decor. Additionally, the toiletries were cheap and the service below average. But, I can’t give a place with a monorail a failing grade.

Jacuzzis
(8/10)
My initial skepticism was quickly quelled by the sheer abundance of soaking options. There were around 10 pools with that featured various herbs and spices, including a wine bath, a Himalayan bark bath, and a lemon bath. They also had, what has to be, the coolest pool I have ever seen. It was around 400 square feet and enclosed in a fairly dark cave. There were around 5 of those water lounge chairs. Anyway, I lounged for around 5 minutes (so far, pretty normal experience) and then the attendant hit a switch. Some strobe lights and a siren blared (Chinese spas aren’t quite as serene as their Japanese counterparts). Then, the pool started to drain rapidly; within 3 or 4 minutes, it was completely empty. Next, all of the missing water was dumped back into the pool. I’m glad I still have my contacts.

Saunas
(7/10)
The saunas weren’t too shabby either. Varieties included jade, crystal, red light, herbal medicine, etc. Comparable to Sea Clouds in Shanghai.

Massage
(8/10)
As mentioned previously, my door fee included a 45 minute massage. I went with body since I had done foot the night before. They gave me a small room with a TV that I could watch, even while on my stomach. The massage itself was pretty solid – much better than your average spa and close to Taipan standards. Interestingly, it lasted for close to 90 minutes. I didn’t complain.

Other facilities
(3/10)
Jiuhua’s biggest weakness, in my opinion, was that it really didn’t have any relaxation areas aside from the massage rooms. This is presumably because most people stay overnight and, therefore, relax in their own quarters. The food also looked pretty bad.