On our last morning in Shanghai before heading to the airport, Nicholas was up for one more spa experience as was I, so we decided to visit one of the large foot reflexology places which Geraldine Howard (Aromatherapy Associates) had recommended, telling us that we have to have an authentic Chinese pedicure where they"wield knives". Oh dear. So off we went to the Tapian Spa (I think that is the English name for it). We walked up several flights of stairs to find the front desk. After pointing to the menu, trying to get across that I wanted a pedicure, Nicholas wanted foot reflexology, and that we didn't have 90 minutes (their minimum for a foot reflexology session) because we were heading to the airport but were willing to pay for 90 minutes anyway (It was only $20). We gave up trying to convince anyone of anything and just settled in for our treatments.



The place has 100 foot reflexology chairs and about 300 clients per day. The photo you see here is of the guy who gave me a pedicure. No doubt their tools are sharp and their work precise - I felt no pain whatsoever and my callouses were gone. There was no sign of nail polish anywhere - this was about cleaning feet. Nick loved his foot reflexology and although we did stretch our time from 45 minutes to almost an hour, we would have loved to stay for the entire 90 minutes! No doubt if I lived here, or had such a place (at such a price) to visit in New York, I would take my computer and make this my post-work day retreat.

I check in. Grand Hotel Europe is an Orient-Express Hotel and one of the grand dames in the field. I feel instantly at home. A quick call to reception lets me know that, yes, there's a spa. I call and book a manicure/pedicure and massage. Naturally I want to see what these will be like in Russia.

The facility is just okay. You have to go through the pool area to get to the fitness area and through the fitness area to get to the solarium, and through the salon to get to the locker room, etc. Looks like a result of adding on rooms haphazardly. But the skill of the therapists made up for all of this. My pedicure was more of a medical pedicure and was simply outstanding. My massage was performed by a gentleman who likely had medical training as they all do here.

A few nuances: The nail therapist scooped everything out of jars using a sea shell; I was offered a choice of neck pillows with different aromatherapy scents (which she would later heat); and the spa used several product lines: Kerstin Florian, a line from Bali, and a line from Austria, which I thought was quite interesting. The rooms had candles. The menu was quite extensive. One staff member spoke English and served as interpreter for any non-Russian-speaking guests. I believe there were only two other spa guests while I was there.

I received a call yesterday from New York 1 requesting an interview about pedicure equipment at spas and what consumers should know to make sure they are safe when receiving a pedicure. Since manicures and pedicures are the most popular beauty services at spas, this is clearly an important topic.

With the hundreds of thousands of pedicures performed yearly most are excellent experiences with great results. Some people, however, are concerned especially if they read a story in the news that questions the safety of a pedicure. So here are some tips to help you be safe:

• Skip having a pedicure (or manicure) if you have any open wounds. This is best for your health and is considerate of other spa-goers and the person performing your pedicure.
• When you make an appointment, be sure to let the spa know that you are concerned about safety and ask them what steps they take to assure you will receive a safe manicure or pedicure. Be familiar with sanitation regulations. For example, in many states, nail care tools that can not be sterilized, including nail files, porous buffing stones and toe separators need to be thrown away (or given to you) after being used in your pedicure. Tools that can be sterilized must be sterilized after each use.
• Licenses of technicians must be displayed at their stations.
• Don't assume that just because a pedicure is expensive, you will be safer. Sometimes the fanciest pedicure stations are among the most troubling. One of the most challenging sanitary issues regarding pedicures is the unseen piping and jets in pedicure tubs that can not be cleaned 100 percent.
• If the spa has a whirlpool unit, ask if the technology is ³pipe-free². If they say no, ask to forgo the hydrotherapy portion of the treatment.
  
  I would love to hear feedback about your pedicure experiences from those who read my blog! Please post a comment by clicking on the link below that reads "Comments."