A truly spine-melting experience

This tranquil, tucked-away spa is as relaxing as it gets in Shanghai. Our two-hour treatment at Yu Massage started off with a neck and shoulder massage before the focus shifted to our feet. We’re normally not big fans of foot massages–they’re usually either too hard (in traditional Chinese style) or too soft (we’re ticklish)–but this one, designed to stimulate the plantar reflex zone of the feet, used just the perfect amount of pressure. By the time it was over, even our hands felt relaxed. The full-body massage that followed deepened our state of bliss. With the help of some lavender-scented oil, the masseuse plowed gently through our knotted muscles with long flowing strokes, hitting stress-relieving acupuncture points along our back that we didn’t know existed. ¥260, ¥230 before 6pm.

Issue 7, April 8-21, 2010

Play Hooky | Foot & Chinese Massage Package

A small, discreet door on Wuyuan Lu reveals a quaint space which focuses primarily on traditional Chinese and aromatherapy massages. The menu is simple; the space, simple as well, with a touch of traditional Chinese decor and dark hues to encourage relaxation. We passed through the small outdoor garden on our way to the first part of our treatment—a traditional Chinese foot massage. As our feet soaked in a nice hot basin of water, the therapist gave us a thorough neck and shoulder massage. Then, she asked us to sit back in the chair, placed a warm pillow behind our neck, and began a targeted attack on our soles, pinpointing pressure points--stomach, kidney and so forth--and using long stroking movements to ease tension. Be sure to tell your therapist whether you prefer hard or soft pressure. A quick calf massage followed by a few hot towels for external warmth and a few sips of ginger tea for internal warmth and we were on to the next part of our treatment. After slipping into the pajamas provided, we clambered onto the massage table and our therapist began a full-body traditional Chinese massage, again using pressure point and kneading techniques, courtesy of hand, arm and elbow, to work out any remaining kinks in our muscles. If traditional Chinese massage isn't your thing, you can opt for an aroma oil foot and full-body massage, a more soothing approach using gentle pressure and longer strokes to alleviate aches and pains. The best part about this package is decidedly the price. The traditional Chinese rendition costs a mere RMB110 while the aroma oil version will set you back RMB230, but for two hours, it's definitely a good bargain. The only setback is that the package is only available Monday to Friday before 6pm, but perhaps it's worth playing hooky for.

RMB110 for traditional Chinese foot/massage, RMB230 for aroma oil foot/massage; Mon-Fri before 6pm