Admit it—cheap massages are one of your favorite things about living in China. We’ve done the hard work of getting massages all over town, and have assembled this list of the best deals out there, broken down by neighborhood so that you’re never far from total relaxation.

Gubei

Xin Dian Yuan 新殿缘
At RMB100 for a one-hour foot plus one-hour body massage, this local massage parlor is a steal for anyone looking to treat themselves on a budget. You might hesitate at first as you’re led down steep steps into the basement to the foot massage area, but rest assured, the space is clean and comfortable. Despite the lack of private rooms for foot massages, the partitions are more than sufficient to ensure privacy, and you can easily tune out your surroundings with the personal TV attached to each chair. The service is friendly and attentive, and best of all it's open until 2am.

New Star
This is our favorite bathhouse and a cheap day out, whether you want to lie around naked in steaming pools, have a massage or fall asleep upstairs in a thermal igloo. When you arrive (RMB68 entry), you’ll be given a wristband used to pay for all food, drink (they have excellent draft beer in ice mugs) and sundries including massages. When you leave, they calculate how much you owe, but you'll be hard pressed to clock up more than a few hundred kuai, even if you spend all day (or all night—it's open 24 hours). Massages (from RMB198) are given in the bathing area. A scrub costs RMB80, and then it's an additional RMB20-30 to be rubbed down with other substances, like honey, oil or body milk. You can take the lot for about RMB200, but might feel overloaded with gunk and there's not much difference in the amount of time you get with the masseur, so we recommend choosing just one or two toppings.

Yi Sheng Tang 日本天然药石浴逸生堂
Detox rises to a whole new level at this Japanese stone spa. It’s the only one of its kind in China, so to get a better deal you’ll have to leave the country. The sauna uses rocks composed of 15 different kinds of iron ore specially imported from Japan for your health treatment. Before a body massage, you are advised to undergo stone therapy: four to five sessions of lying in the bed of pebbles as assistants pile bags of rocks on you. Because the room is heated to 43 degrees Celsius with a humidity of about 80 percent, you’ll need to come out and take breaks to rest and rehydrate. Yes, you sweat your inner guts out, but what that really means is that your body is purging itself of all its toxins. It’s great for your skin and as help for a hangover. RMB118 weekdays for the sauna before 5pm, RMB148 after 5pm, RMB168 on weekends; RMB98 for a body massage with sauna purchase.

Jing'an

Da Ban 大班
An institution among the Hong Kong, Taiwanese, taitai and huaqiao (foreign-born Chinese) groups, Da Ban’s best deal is their blissful two-hour set (RMB218, RMB196 with discount card), which gets you an hour-long foot massage and an hour-long full body, traditional Chinese massage. The part that gets us all giddy, besides the softest pajamas known to man? Private rooms come equipped with flat-screen TVs and DVD players, along with free-flow drinks and Macanese food. A couple of tips: buy your DVDs across the street pre-massage or bring your own, and because not every room has beds, specify when booking if you aren’t into chair-cum-beds.

Jinshui Health 金水保健按摩
The next time your body is throbbing from a hard night dancing at Velvet Lounge or you’re hit by post-meal lethargy after a feast at Xibo, head down to Jinshui (open until 2am) and let one of one of their masseuses knead the stress away. This clean, professionally run massage parlor boasts excellent, reliable service; the moment you step out of the elevator the friendly staff are waiting on you. Prices are on the cheap side (RMB158 for a 60-minute full body massage) and best of all, the fruit and tea are complimentary. Be sure to search the spot on Dianping before you head over―you can sometimes find coupons worth up to 70 percent off.

Former French Concession

Yide Massage
This is our favorite cheap, easy, reliable massage option. We often squeeze in after work, before dinner, before drinks, after drinks ... anytime really. Because when you can pay just RMB100 anytime for a one-hour, full-body, traditional Chinese massage to work out your aches and pains just around the corner from Cantina Agave, what’s not to love? This comfortable, friendly spot has been patronized by the expat crowd for years, and it shows with their huge bilingual menu at the entrance. Yide's second venue on Jinxian Lu is a tiny bit less central, but massages also start at RMB10 less.

Zen Massage
As you walk through the candlelit, pebbled courtyard into this hidden spot, you can’t help but to think that there really is something Zen about this place. With poised, professional staff and a cozy, dimly lit interior, it's one of the most relaxing and effective massages we’ve had in Shanghai and surprisingly one of the most competitively priced as well. RMB98 (between 11am and 6pm and only one weekedays) entitles you to a 60-minute body massage and a 30-minute neck and head or foot massage. The full body massage is perfect for unwinding mid-week and we appreciate the gentleness (Chinese massages can sometimes be too rough!) and love that our hands and feet get some attention too.

Oriental Taipan Massage Tucked away on the second and third floors of a Donghu Lu storefront, this spot offers fantastic amenities for a mid-range massage spot, with long hallways of quiet rooms and some of the most comfortable beds we’ve tried. But what makes this a good deal is the 30 percent off discount they’re offering until the end of the year on all treatments over RMB100. It brings the price of their basic one-hour massage down to RMB138, and that includes food (options include everything from curry rice to sandwiches and peanut butter on toast) and drink. So book in a private room with a special friend, shower, eat and enjoy one of the more senusous rubdowns on this list—it’s as good a RMB300 date as you’ll get.

Zen Palace
This hot stone massage is one of the best in the city (RMB480 for 90 minutes), and Zen Palace’s current two-for-one discount makes it one of the city’s best deals as well. The experienced masseurs at this blissful retreat are trained at a special school in Henan and know just how to rub and where to press at every pressure point and in between sore muscles. After an intense Swedish-style massage, hot, smooth rocks glide up and down your back arms and legs, softening every spot and finally lining up along your spine so you feel like a seriously spoiled stegosaurus.

Dragonfly
Sometimes you’ve got to spend money to save money, so if you’re a Dragonfly junkie then it's worth investing in one of their membership cards. Next time you make a visit to their new Anfu Lu, throw down RMB3,000 for the 12-month card. You’ll get the money back in credit, plus a 30 percent discount on all massages (bringing a basic massage down to RMB117.6), a RMB600 voucher to use on any service and a couple of extras. Sign up for longer and get an even bigger list of bonuses. The best part about it is that you can split the membership with three others, so you can share the savings with your friends.

Huangpu

Hyatt on the Bund
There's not often much value to be found at hotel spas, but this Yuan Spa deal (RMB600 plus surcharge) is an exception. The massage itself is a deep-tissue treatment, 60 minutes of pure luxury set in a private sanctuary of pale wood and tranquil music with all the five-star touches you'd expect (including one of the plushest bathrobes our skin has ever known), but it's the perks that make this worth it: the package gives you free reign over the hotel’s fitness center and expansive indoor pool as well as a buffet meal at Aroma. So kick back and spend the whole day there―you’ll leave feeling infinitely relaxed and, if you’re anything like us, impossibly full.

Gifted Blindman Massage
Both the Pudong and Puxi spots under this brand are a little hard to find, but they’re both supremely popular among locals. As the name suggests, some of the masseurs here are blind, but even those that aren't are talented. Full-body massages clock in at just RMB78 an hour (RMB68 for a foot massage); the surroudings are spartan and service is mostly no-frills, but the massages are solid and the servers are warm and more welcoming than the surroundings would suggest. Book ahead or be prepared for a short wait if you're there specifically to get a massage from a blind masseur. Open until 2am.

Pudong

SkinCity 5.5
This quickly expanding chain’s Dagu Lu location is always packed on weekends and we expect that their new spot on Fumin Lu will be too, so take the quick jaunt out to the just-opened Kerry Parkside and get the same top-notch experience in relative solitude. Hour-long massages start at RMB198, but they’re currently offering 30 percent off all weekday treatments in celebration of their new location. Plus, if you get a facial, they'll throw in a bonus gift. We especially like two of their quick, half-hour rubdowns: the “weary solider” leg massage and the “urban head” massage (both RMB125).

Spa InterContinental
This is one of the most beautiful hotel spas we’ve seen. The treatment rooms are immaculate and imbued with an almost supernatural calm. But despite its palatial trappings, the spa is surprisingly inexpensive, with massages from RMB160 for a 30-minute head, shoulder and neck treatment. Currently there’s an autumn special consisting of a 60-minute, full-body aromatherapy oil massage followed by a 45-minute green coffee wrap. Skilled therapists smear you with a thick, rich, sweet-smelling treacle and then tuck you up in a body bag, dim the lights and massage your head until you drift up to a higher plain. Considering the opulence of this super-luxury spa, it’s a great deal at RMB550 (all prices plus surcharge).