The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental is a romantic, peaceful oasis in the heart of the bustling city of Guangzhou. The Mandarin Oriental is an extremely classy and minimalistically designed hotel though the spa is quite traditional in its design and layout.
The moment I stepped foot in the spa, I felt I had moved from a space bursting with energy to a calm and serene atmosphere. I was seated in the relaxation area, which was tastefully done with muted lighting and a lingering aroma in the air. The spa has amenities from a steam room to a sauna to vitality pools and experience showers. It is designed to depict a snake’s tail. They have 6 individual treatment suites with steam, showers, and changing areas and 3 couples suites. A 25 mt temperature-controlled outdoor pool, private sundecks with outdoor massage pavilions, and a state-of-the-art fitness center add to the facilities offered.
Their signature product line has been developed specifically for the group by Aromatherapy Associates of the highest quality and naturally derived ingredients.
I was offered a hot tea before being asked to fill in a questionnaire on what I hoped to achieve after the treatment, the areas of focus, and the level of pressure preferred for my massage.
I opted for the City Garden Journey, a 150-minute revitalizing treatment. I offered the treatment in one of their lavishly done-up couples’ rooms. It was a quaint room with soft Chinese music and aroma candles that created a soothing ambiance. I immediately felt myself surrendering to the elements around me, the flickering flame of the candles, the aroma, the soft lilting music, and the inviting massage bed.
My 150-minute journey to paradise began with a 10-minute foot massage. The therapist gently soaked my feet in hot water, with bath salts and bath oils added to it. After scrubbing my feet and gently pressing the pressure points on the soles of my feet, I could feel my tired feet feeling better already. The foot massage was the perfect way to ease into the spa treatment. A relaxing body massage followed with sandalwood and lavender oil to loosen the body. This lasted for 20 minutes. A 20-minute luxurious bath followed this in the Jacuzzi, in which the water miraculously had just the right temperature. With kumquat and chrysanthemum poultice and the bubbles and the bath oil, the feeling was heavenly. As I put my head back on a pillow and closed my eyes, I could feel the warm water envelop me, and the fragrance of the bath oils lulled me into a very relaxed state. A 10-minute coffee scrub followed this for the entire body. The coffee felt like bath salts which were scrubbed all over to remove dead skin and impurities. It left the skin feeling smooth and supple. Steam and bath followed this. After this was a 30-minute body wrap of mulberry, sugarcane, and sea mud. I was wrapped up in plastic to allow the body to absorb Vitamin C, which both the plants have. It has antioxidant qualities, and it leaves you fresh and revitalized. It helps detox, increases blood circulation, and nourishes the skin.
After this came the 60-minute full-body oil massage of Sandalwood and Frankincense, it was deeply nourishing and contained properties that lightened stretch marks. I felt I was in paradise, and with a treatment that lasts for 150 minutes, it is just one treatment after another, and I get pampered like never before, and it was pure unadulterated relaxation.
The City Garden 150 minutes treatment cost 2250 RMB. Some other popular treatments are Mankind for men, which has a body scrub and a hot stone massage and costs 1800 RMB. The Oriental Essence consists of a full body massage with Oriental essence oil and costs 1300 RMB ($200) for women.
Two and a half hours at the spa, but time seems to slip away. The slow pace, the atmosphere of pure relaxation, the indulgence of warm water, incredible treatments, and luxuriously scented oils left me dreamily relaxed and sleepy. The entire experience was just sublime. It was a perfect evening that soothed the mind, body, and spirit.
Address:
389 Tianhe Road,
Tianhe District,
Guangzhou 510620, China
Tel: +86 20 3808 8879
