Cure for tired travelers
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Aching feet tired out from hiking are revived with pampering at the spa. Provided to China Daily |
What better way to relax than to soak in a luxurious herbal infusion that will ease away the aches and pains? Xu Xiaomin takes the plunge.
After snapping hundreds of photos in Hailuogou and leaving countless footprints in the snow, I dragged my tired aching feet back to Chengdu where I decided to spoil myself with the best hotel in Chengdu.
The Shangri-La Hotel Chengdu is the city's top hotel, according to my gabby cabby.
And it was true.
The hotel staff is dedicated to pampering tired travelers, and I had The Horizon Club room on the 33rd floor, which gave me a panoramic view of the city and the Jinjiang River flowing through its heart.
The hotel is a convenient 15-minute walk from the Chunxi Road shopping malls, which gave me the opportunity to sample some very delicious snacks - Zhong's dumpling and chuanchuan, the famous meat skewers peppered with chili and Sichuan peppercorns.
If you are wary of street food, you can chose to dine in the hotel.
The Shangri-La has four restaurants and bars including Cafe Z, which showcases nine open "food theaters" that deliver creatively presented and enticing international dishes; Shang Palace, Shangri-La's signature Chinese restaurant that serves fine Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine; Mooney's, the most traditional Irish Pub in town; and the lobby lounge that provides refreshments and live music.
But it was my poor feet which finally found what they needed most - special treatment at the spa.
Chi, The Spa at the hotel now incorporates the use of amber and crystal, considered to hold mystical powers of healing, into the spa treatments.
The therapy is relaxing and also uses local herbs such as ai ye or mugwort, ginger and saffron.
These are combined with salt and crystals to relieve lower back aches.
After a soothing aromatic foot bath and reflexology massage, warmed salt packs and a back massage to help me get a comfortable sleep, I was energized again, and almost ready to tackle the snowy slopes of Hailuoguo once more.
(China Daily 11/21/2010 page16)
