Tag Archives: Shanghai

A Spa Treatment – Five Years in the Making

sphatika 2 722316 A Spa Treatment Five Years in the MakingRarely do I have a spa experience these days which amazes me. But the three hour Royal Sphatika Signature Experience at the pristine clean and inviting Sphatika Spa near Columbus Circle did just that.

Afterward when I spoke to owner Janet League-Katzin, and her colleague Candace Darling, I learned that they have been working to perfect this treatment for five years! And true to my experience, it appears that every move of the therapist’s hand, every spoken word, every touch of product is choreographed to be the most comfortable, the most therapeutic, and the most restful experience possible. It starts with time in one of their three individual infrared saunas (I am a fan of infrared saunas) and moves to a treatment room where partway through the session, which includes exfoliation and massage among other blissful additions, a canopy is lowered from the ceiling and covers the body for a steam.

Helping people get into deep sleep is part of the goal at Sphatika. I was told that almost 100 percent of the people who have this Royal Sphatika fall asleep during the treatment. But it is the restorative sleep that same night that really is impressive.

sphatika 777928 A Spa Treatment Five Years in the Making

My advice? This is a day spa amidst many hotels in the area – some have spas and some don’t. The Mandarin Oriental is right across the street, with the Trump International Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton Central Park nearby, among others. If the concierges in those hotels were smart, they would let their guests in on this secret, private, and very unusual spa.

This New Spa is A Sure Bet to Me

gmalbing 754219 This New Spa is A Sure Bet to MeDuring dinner with Ian Brewis, who runs all of the Chi spas for Shangri La, we began discussing spas in Vegas and Macau. He had just come from Las Vegas where the Hong Kong-based Shangri La brand is apparently looking at possibilities for a new hotel and spa.
We talked about how Asians – and especially the Chinese – really like to gamble and why he anticipates that a Shangri La in Las Vegas would be a home run. Just like many Americans who traveled to China in the past 20 years prefered to stay in American style hotels (think Hilton, Marriott, etc.), the Chinese, who are now beginning to travel outside of China, are looking for a familiar hotel brand. Ta da! Shangri La.

Then the very next day I read this article in the NY Times, “Las Vegas Caters to Asia’s High Rollers” which explains that “Casino operators have long recognized that a large number of Asians, especially Chinese and Chinese-Americans, are avid gamblers.”

Hmmm…put me down for some Shangri La stock.

The Luxury of Building a Spa Twice

shangri la 722724 The Luxury of Building a Spa TwiceBesides enjoying Ian Brewis’s British sense of humor, our dinner conversation was also insightful. First, I learned that the beautiful well known photograph of the first Shangri La Chi spa in Bangkok – the one with all the bold red colors, two massage tables, high quality woods, etc. – was not an actual spa suite at all. It was a prototype! Apparently they first build a prototype of their rooms to make sure that all of the details work out, and then use it as a model for the construction workers – kind of like building it twice. It makes sense that this is one of the reasons that the workmanship in their spas is so noticeably superior.

And then we discussed the popularity of gambling among Asians – especially the Chinese – and how this is affecting the spa world…

The Spa World is a Small World After All

Dinner with Ian Brewis, head of the Chi Spas from the Hong Kong-based Shangri La group, is always a lot of fun because Ian is a lot of fun. (Good thing too, since I surprised him in Shanghai by using the Shangri La website as an example during my speech on spa website design. The conference was held at the Shanghai Shangri La and it seemed fitting to use them as an example, so I showed a photo of their website every few years from inception. Hint, you can go to a website called http://www.waybackmachine.org/ and do this for almost any website.)

grayshott pool 769503 The Spa World is a Small World After AllIan was in New York for a few days and stopped by to see our offices and catch up. I remember meeting Ian for the first time when I attended the European ISPA conference held at Celtic Manor – it must have been in the mid 90′s. I was on a pre-conference tour of UK health farms at the time and we stopped at Grayshott Hall where he was the spa director. I remember thinking that Grayshott was a bit like a haunted house at the time but apparently they have remodeled extensively, and Ian tells me it is really quite something now. From a glance at their website, I can see that it has a totally new, even “hip” look.

Vegan Organic Gardens at a Spa – a Delightful Surprise

Picture 085 744321 Vegan Organic Gardens at a Spa – a Delightful SurpriseDuring my short visit to the Cliffs Communities in South Carolina last weekend, six of us had the chance to go via helicopter to see all of their communities from the air. It was a beautiful sunny day so we were able to see all of their golf courses, the lakes, miles of the nature preserve, the home sites, the pools, etc.

One of the highlights for me was when we touched down alongside their organic gardens. I had asked if it was possible to see their gardens earlier in the day – not realizing it would necessitate a helicopter and a walk in high heels through dirt. But it was truly worth it. We had a tour with two of the gardeners one who was in charge of the flowers and the other who tends the fruits and vegetables. Flower arrangements and fresh produce are all used in the property’s club houses and restaurants. It was the first time I learned about vegan organic gardening. Later I looked it up on Wikipedia. Makes sense…if health is the goal, not using animal products in the fertilizer seems like another step in the right direction.

Apparently the organic gardens are fairly new to the communities and already they are producing more than can be used in the restaurants and club houses. So now they hold a “green market” periodically so homeowners can also buy fresh produce right from the garden. I have to say…this is another level of spa lifestyle living.