SPA AND BEAUTY

Western-style spas

There are several luxurious city spas offering body pampering and skin beautifying treatments. New spas often offer special opening deals, or you can get a facial, manicure and pedicure as a practice model, at $80 per treatment, at The International Spa and Beauty College (10/F, Silver Fortune Plaza, 1 Wellington Street, Central; tel. 2526 8818). The Beautiful Skin Centre (Shop 344, Pacific Place; tel. 2877 8911) and The Well-Being Centre Kowloon Club (24 Salisbury Road, TST; tel. 2269 7833) offer grooming including Brazilian waxing, body sculpting and the irresistible-sounding ‘Heaven on Earth’ spa experience.

The Elemis Day Spa (9/F, Century Square, 1 D’Aguilar Street, Central; tel. 2521 6660) offers facials, ‘spa rituals’ for couples and individuals, nail buffs and massages – try their famous ‘Hawaiian Wave Four Hands Massage’. The Frederique Spa’s body worship includes ‘Body Oil Ceremony’, ‘The Sea Glow’ and ‘Self-Heating Mud Booties’ (4/F, Wilson House, 19–27 Wyndham Street, Central; tel. 2522 3054). Visit these spas at www.paua.com.hk.

Other well-regarded spas include Ellespa at The Repulse Bay (www.ellespa.com; tel. 2537 7736), which offers services including massage for mums-to-be, Indian head massage, hot stone treatments, oxygen facials, simultaneous manicure and pedicure and reflexology. Downtown, Retreat at the Firm (15/F, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street; tel. 2525 6696) offers ‘pamper parties’ for between two and twenty people, where you get to choose the treatments, ‘Hair Miles’ and a treatment ‘that honours self-love and worthiness’. Nearby Ziz Skincare (5/F, Hang Shun Building, 10–12 Wyndham Street; www.ziz.com.hk; tel. 2111 2767) caters specifically to men.

Indian beauty parlour Khoobsurat in TST can offer reasonably priced pedicure, eyebrow waxing, henna tattoos, bleaching and so on (www.geocities.com/khoobsurat_hk).

Chinese massage

There are many Chinese masseurs operating in Hong Kong, and massage parlours in Mongkok, Central, Wanchai and Causeway Bay charge a fraction of what you pay at Western-style spas. These places generally score low on ambience, with no chirruping bird calls and rose petals, but high on value for money. Note, however, that you may need to ask Cantonese-speaking friends or colleagues to help you book. For details of trained blind masseurs, contact The Hong Kong Society for the Blind’s Career Support and Development Centre (tel. 2778 8332).

Foot reflexology and massage

Centres providing foot reflexology as well as body massage include The Only Herbal Steam (17–19 Percival Street, Causeway Bay; tel. 2572 2223) and Zhong Yi Guan (30 Yik Yam Street, Happy Valley; tel. 2832 9339). Expect to pay around $180 for a 50-minute foot massage and $200 for a 50-minute body massage. Cheaper options for foot massage (under $100 for 45 minutes) include the Heartlink Therapeutic Reflexology Centre (Unit 802, 8/F, Wellable Commercial Building, 513–517 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay; tel. 3962 8422) and the Blessing Leisure Centre (1/F, Tai Kun Mansion, 452 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay; tel. 2572 8192). All of the above can speak some English.

Over the border in Shenzhen, it costs from $30 an hour for a back massage, $25 an hour for a foot massage and extra for pedicure. One place that gives a reasonable service for the price quoted above is Xinghe Lie Fallow Center: tel. 6551 2289 to arrange an appointment from Hong Kong or 0755 2629 1513 for a complimentary pick-up from Lowu station – they can drop you back at the railway station when you’ve finished. Again, you need to be able to speak Cantonese or Putonghua for booking.

FACIAL SURGERY AND INVASIVE TREATMENTS

Clinics offering more invasive treatments such as Botox, peels and intense pulsed light treatment include:

• The Face Magic Heaven (2B, 30/F, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central; tel. 2524 6565);
• Neoface Clinic (Room 430, Prince’s Building, Central; tel. 2530 2338; www.neofaceclinic.com); and
• Bella Skincare (Room 1722, Tower 1, New World Tower, 16–18 Queen’s Road, Central; tel. 2526 6352).