I came across a rather interesting skin care line this week. Cha Ling, a skin care brand that specializes in products made from pure pu-er tea from the forests of Yunnan in southern China. And suprisingly enough it is developed by none other than the French luxury conglomerate, LVMH.
I checked out this Sino-French eco brand’s newly opened store in the Harbour City Mall (retail mecca of luxury brands in Hong Kong) and experienced their private spa treatment in a single treatment zone located in Viva section of Harbour City.
I walked into the restrained and delicately designed showroom of Cha Ling. I immediately felt strong authentic Chinese tea vibes and for a moment felt as if I have walked into a premium tea retailer. There is also some beautiful ceramic for tea ceremony at display for sale, placed along side the skincare line.
I was served a small cup of perfectly made Pu-er tea as I checked out the range. The current range comprises 40 skin, body, and face care items infused with top-grade pu-er tea grown in the forests of Xishuangbanna in Yunnan.
The highlight of the store design is a moving projection of Yunnan rain forests. I found the use of modern projection technology to showcase the heritage of Yunnan tea forests to be an interesting parallel to Cha Ling’s own identity.
After exploring the range, I took the elevator for the Vita section of the mall to proceed for the Cha Ling facial. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Vita wing in Harbour city mall. Spread across multiple floors, the section is entirely devoted to spas and well being section of the luxury skincare brands.
As I walked in the Cha Ling spa, I got a peaceful and relaxed vibe. It was easy to forget that I was in a mall in the bustling city of Hong Kong. The prosaic and basic sensibility of the spa urged me to slow down, leave all the to-do lists behind and surrender to the authentic pu-er tea pampering experience.
My therapist, Joel tucked me in the massage bed and started the facial with gentle yet firm movements, what almost felt like Tai Chi for the face. Her each massage stroke aimed to balance the energies and penetrate the anti- oxidant agents of Pu-er tea deeper into the skin layers.
After the cleansing and scrubbing ritual, I was made to inhale the ‘steam tablet’ which helps in purifying pores. I moved back to the massage bed after the inhalation. A nourishing and relaxing massage and the Pu-er tea face mask followed. I was smelling and feeling great at the end of it. Before getting out of the bed, I was given another cup of Pu-er tea to drink.
The facial was one of the most soothing and nurturing experiences ever. It was impossible after this hypnotically mind calming experience to think of going to work (which was my original plan). Instead, I found myself making straight to the cab line for my way home. I wanted to stay in this beautiful stuporous for a little while more.
Cha Ling made a world wide launch with a pop-up store in Paris in January of this year, followed by the first flagship store in Hong Kong, Harbor City Mall. If authentic and eco-conscious luxury skin care is your thing, Cha Ling is the brand that you need to explore.
Where : Cha Ling
3306A, 3, Harbour City Gateway Arcade
Telephone : 3101 0708
Preeti Kumar is the Editor of GetSpabulous, a blog on spa breaks that curates the finest spas and spa breaks in Asia
