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Two Hour Spa Treatments in Shanghai

The flight to China…14 hours from New York to Seoul, Korea, a five hour lay-over and a one-and-a-half hour flight to Shanghai. I am traveling with my step son, Nicholas who is 28 years old and loves to have “experiences” rather than “things”. So thought this trip would be a good birthday gift for him – good for him – and for us. Nick came into my life after I married his dad. He was just four when I first met him, and I am happy to say we have always had a great relationship. He is a smart, health conscious, and a great golfer. The plan is that he will visit some spas with me in Shanghai and then while I am at the Turning Point Conference he will play some golf.

On our first day in Shanghai we arrived at the Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai Hotel around noon and didn’t want to nap because we wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. We decided instead to try out the new Chi spa here, where I treated Nick to his first two-and-a-half hour spa ritual – the Himalayan Hot Stone Massage ritual. He has had massages before (living in LA he goes to a place which gives very inexpensive Thai massages – well inexpensive for LA anyway).

pic slpu chipg06 788506 Two Hour Spa Treatments in Shanghai
The Chi spa has a nice vibe, and nine very memorable treatment rooms (when we compared later, we found that both of our treatment suites were the same). There is a place for two people to sit and have the foot washing ritual, and a changing area with its own steam shower, separate regular shower, vanity area, and armoire for robes and clothes. I liked the touch of a ringing, large silver bell to tell my therapist when I was ready for her to retrieve me for the first part of the treatment, a foot scrub with salt. Then to the massage table (one of two in the room) where she proceeded with a warm-up massage, which lasted almost an hour, followed by another hour of massage with hot stones. Near the massage tables was a beautiful infinity bathtub – even though it wasn’t used in this treatment, it looked nice filled with water and floating flowers, with a colored light shining from the tub. I believe this is the first time I have had a two-hour massage. There certainly is truth to how wonderful it is to “get into the zone”.

Canadian Hospitality at Ste. Anne’s Spa

ste.annes 704886 Canadian Hospitality at Ste. Annes Spa Well, my trip to Canada is coming to a close. Flying back to New York this morning.

Got so busy with the Leading Spas of Canada Conference that I wasn’t able to carve out blogging time. I wanted to share a few more things about our trip, including our stay at Ste. Anne’s Spa, which will be memorable for me for the setting and the warm hospitality. There is something about coming from New York City to a place where people are sweet, kind, who love helping you and can’t do enough for you and where no one – absolutely no one – has “an attitude”.

I signed up for a chocolate massage – something I had avoided doing in the past because I envisioned chocolate being slathered on my body and a temptation to “lick the spoon,” so to speak. Happily, I found out it wasn’t going to be a big mess because it was simply the massage oil having a chocolate essence. And then, to my delight, a chocolate truffle was given to me at the end of the session. Ryan, my therapist, was the first therapist ever to point out the cording in my right hand, and he suggested that I do regular stretches to avoid problems later on. You have to go through a much more extensive training program in order to become a massage therapist in Canada. It showed.

Ste. Anne’s Spa has a large and loyal clientele and they really make an effort to stay connected to their guests, which helps explain why they won the Favorite Spa in Canada in our Readers’ Choice Awards last year. Owner Jim Corcoran, and his partner David, are also a big part of the Ste. Anne’s spa experience, mixing hospitality with fun. There were lots of people (and I saw lots of couples) happily pattering around in white robes. Always a good sign.