(That's Shanghai)
Updated: 2007-11-09 11:17

Several lush new spas have sprung up in the past month catering to Shanghai's seemingly insatiable desire for pampering. The long-awaited SHUI on the rooftop at Ferguson Lane is the fourth spa venture for high-flying Filipino friends BJ Macatulad and Geraldine Acuna-Sunshine, self-confessed spa devotees who met while studying at Harvard.

"There's still a need here for a stylish and professional day spa that can provide high-end products and services without the prohibitive prices of hotel spas," says Macatulad of her decision to open in Shanghai. SHUI uses Dermalogica products for facial and body treatments and virgin coconut oil for aroma massages.

Experienced therapists from the Philippines converse easily in English and perform a comprehensive range of treatments from massages, facials and scrubs to manis, pedis and waxing. There are also specialized treatments for men and pregnant women. The white-on-white design (you gotta love the albino rubber duckies) is both stylish and calming. Other delightful new initiatives include personal DVD players in the tiny nail lounge, and a boudoir-style change room/relaxation lounge that opens out to a rooftop terrace for morning yoga or SHUI Soirees.

The Renaissance Yuyuan Shanghai also opened last month with Bill Marriott himself cutting the ribbon on the four-star brand’s trendy new-look flagship designed to appeal to 25-40 year olds. Its upbeat two-storey Quan Spa, designed by Czech glass artist Borek Sipek, is a reflection of this – in vibrant hues of aqua, mauve and lime, with petrified palm trees, Vichy showers and views over the winged roofline of Yuyuan. Quan, which means ‘white water’, draws on the restorative elements of pure water in spa treatments that feature marine salts and algaes, hot seaweed poultices and products from French marine skincare brand Algotherm. In a nod to local culture, they also grind their own TCM herbs from the apothecary in Yuyuan. Marriott International is set to unveil 12 of their popular Quan Spas over the next two years throughout Asia and the Pacific, starting with Shanghai and Beijing.

A. F. S. SHUI
Location: 5/F, Ferguson Lane, 376 Wukang Lu
Tel: 021-61267800

Quan Spa
Location: Renaissance Yuyuan, 159 Henan Nan Lu
Tel: 021-23218888