Chuan Spa at The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai
Chuan Spa at The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi, sitting in the lower level of the hotel in the Xintiandi luxury shopping and lifestyle hub, is a pocket of quiet respite from the busy city above.
The focus at Chuan Spa is on balancing the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine with modern ingredients. As the shiny wooden floor leads from the reception area, winding through a series of circular moon-shaped gates commonly found in traditional Chinese gardens, it’s easy to feel the pressures of today’s world outside slipping away.
The décor is a simple, relaxing layering of neutral colors, with soft robes, pillows and fluffy towels adding to the feeling of being cocooned in the spa’s peaceful surroundings, with muted light from rows of lanterns and accents of pale wood adding to the atmosphere of serenity.
- Treatments at Chuan Spa are based on the five elements — water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Customers fill out a pre-treatment questionnaire, which includes queries about seasonal, food and color preferences, to help identify their element.
- Nothing feels rushed at the Shanghai spa. Guests are encouraged to arrive for appointments early to enjoy time in the steam room or sauna before treatments. (A pre-service visit is better as oils used on the skin during treatments are recommended to stay on for several hour to reap their maximum benefits).
- For visitors to the sanctuary during Shanghai’s damp, cold winter months, the Chuan Stone Therapy, which includes a massage with hot stones, not only has therapeutic benefits but is also one of the most effective ways of banishing the weather’s chill.
- The treatment rooms at Chuan Spa are enormous, many featuring their own bathtubs and showers, armchairs and treatment beds.
- Following treatments, guests are led to “The Contemplation Room,” a space lined with loungers, separated by curtain dividers, where tea and little cakes from the hotel’s pastry chef are served to round out the experience.
- The spa’s two signature massages, Chuan Balancing and Chuan Harmony, are almost identical full-body massages, though the former uses oil — selected according to the results of the pre-treatment questionnaire — only on the back while the other uses oil throughout.
- There is only one foot massage service on Chuan Spa’s menu, but it is a doozy. The 90-minute Heavenly Jingluo Foot Treatment utilizes heat, acupressure and moisturizers to leave your tootsies as supple as a baby’s.
- The luxury spa also offers facials that utilize high-end Spanish brand, Natura Bissé.
Indoor pool
Spa shop
