Living And Working In Hong Kong

Living And Working In Hong Kong

SPA AND BEAUTYThere 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 WellBeing Centre Kowloon Club (24 Salisbury Road, TST; tel. 2269 7833) offer grooming including Brazilian waxing, body sculpting and the irresistiblesounding on Earth spa experience.

The Elemis Day Spa (9/F, Century Square, 1 D Street, Central; tel. 2521 6660) offers facials, rituals for couples and individuals, nail buffs and massages try their famous Wave Four Hands Massage The Frederique Spa body worship includes Oil Ceremony Sea Glow and Mud Booties (4/F, Wilson House, 19 Wyndham Street, Central; tel. 2522 3054). 2537 7736), which offers services including massage for mumstobe, 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. 2111 2767) caters specifically to men. 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 Cantonesespeaking friends or colleagues to help you book. For details of trained blind masseurs, contact The Hong Kong Society for the Blind 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 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 50minute foot massage and $200 for a 50minute 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 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 pickup from Lowu station they can drop you back at the railway station when you finished. Again, you need to be able to speak Cantonese or Putonghua for booking.