Best SPA in China?
 

Where is the best SPA in China? I'll be going to Guangzhou in April and I'm willing to fly somewhere that has a world class spa with the cheap Chinese prices. I couldn't find any in Guangzhou the last 3 times I've been there.

There aren't too many 'world-class' spas in this area. In Guangzhou itself, you can look forward to the new 'Chi' Spa opening at the Shangri-La Hotel (you can view my hotel report here). I assume you are visiting for the fair - it will be open by then.

I'm sure Shanghai has a few good ones, but don't expect any of the cheap chinese Prices.

I've read of a spa in one of the hutongs in Beijing that is supposed to be quite good - but can't recall the details. I'm sure other FT'ers will be able to give you more suggestions.

Yes I read your Shangri-La hotel review. I commented about it after your review. Very nice work. You put alot into it. Do you recommend it over the Dongfang hotel and the China hotel?

Thank You. I would recommend the Shang any day over the China Hotel and Dongfang - unless of course you are only going to the old exhibition centre. But with the subway, it's only a 25min commute between the two centres.

There are several good Chinese run hotels that far outperform those two and at a fraction of the price.

Great report on the Guangzhou Shangrila.
$350 a night during the fair sounds about right.

Better than spending $250 and traveling from HK.

your question is a little difficult to answer because the term "spa" has so many different meanings. in other words, if you check out a typical spa directory, you will see: 1) bathhouses; 2) boutique hotels; 3) massage parlours; and 4) day spa type places that are common in the us.

-all of the above tend to provide overlapping services, but in very different settings
-#4 can be just as expensive as in the us, which rules out that option for me (i only pay those prices in places where the cost of labor justifies them)

what i look for in a spa is a place to check out interesting types of saunas and hot springs (by interesting, i'm talking about red wine baths and the like; so many surprises out there), watch my own dvds in a comfortable chair, and enjoy other types of amusement.

there are probably 1,000 places in beijing alone that make an attempt at providing the afforementioned experience and everywhere else i've been in china (save xinjiang) follows suit. this makes the challenge of choosing the "best" somewhat daunting.

on the other hand, i can offer a few insights that i've gleaned during the course of my spa going career:

-concierges at good hotels tend to give pretty good advice
-within any given market, the higher the door fee, the better the spa (not always the case, of course)
-it's pretty easy to tell if a spa is a bad one (i.e. a place you don't want to be) just by assessing the condition of the front lobby
-every spa i've gone to (even the bad ones) has shown me something new and interesting
-i've heard great things about the spas in xiamen and zhuhai

What other hotels do you recommend? I was hoping to find a place as nice as Dongfang or China hotel but much cheaper. Since I can't afford $350 a night for the Shang I can't stay there.

The type of spa I was talking about would be the kind like we have here in Tennessee. Hotsprings sound great. Are there real hotsprings in China?

Wow I asked the Dongfang hotel concier to recommend a good spa last fair and he sent me to a place that looked like even the building had diseases. Yikes! I walked through it and all I saw were naked men in the everpopular squatting positions drinking tea and hot tubbing. Exit stage left!!!

i'll be the first to admit that the abundence of naked men takes a while to get used to, ...but you get desensitized over time.

as for sanitation, while i'm no expert, it's pretty easy to discern the obvious stuff.

and, yes, there are real hot springs in china. even though most fall short of their counterparts in japan and korea, they are still interesting in their own right.

i always try to think about the whole experience. in fact, in the ft context, i often compare them to my experiences at various airline lounges.... anyone who gets excited about the a crc in atl would love a decent chinese spa (better chairs, better food, impeccable service, and far more comfortable).

Moondog,

Actually in Guangzhou's subburbs there are a lot of hot springs that have both the natural spring water and exotic liquids.

I have also been to the Zhongshan hot springs and the Yue Hot Springs in Zhu hai, both are pretty good.

There are a variety of chinese massage places in GZ I can recommend. I am a BIG fan of the Chinese foot massage. This type of massage is very prevalent in GZ and the neighboring areas for as low as 25RMB/90 minutes. When I'm in GZ I normally get a 2 hour foot massage followed by a 2 hour full body massage. All for the overwhealming price of 22 USD :)

Really? Hot Springs in Guangzhou? The only hoy springs I have ever been in was in southern Chili. It was at the foot of the Volcanic National Park. Probably the most beautiful place on earth and I have been to a LOT of places. Anyway, Please tell me about your recommended massage places and hotsprings and spa places in Guangzhou. I will be there for 2 weeks during the fair in april and I will be board to death most of the time. Also, if you know of any American hangouts or sports bars that would be coold to know too. 2 weeks without any sports will nearly crush me. Thanks, Aaron

The Donlord Hotel in Tianhe is particularly good. Very nice rooms, good service, and top value. Rates during the last fair was around RMB1200-1800ish. Another one is the Tianlun International Hotel next to the east train station or the Grand International Hotel also in Tianhe. There is also a new Ramada Plaza hotel located near the East station.

As for massage/spa places in Guangzhou - there is a particularly good place inside the Ramada Hotel (the old one near Ersha Island) and a new Thai spa inside the World Trade Centre (opposite the Garden Hotel).