MAke a Day out of it: Landmark Mandarin oriental spa in hong Kong
A girlfriend and I recently made a day of it at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, also known as a spaceship spa that lifts you off into a timeless world of comfort and indulgence.
Four hours had passed before I looked up from my heated lounge chair to see the time. This was after a 1-hour reflexology appointment to soothe my runner's legs, an express facial that gave me a rosy glow--more on that later!--and putting away more than my share of the tiny snack plates of almonds and apricots while reading the Wall Street Journal in the recovery room.
Were it not for the fact there was a clock on the wall and my girlfriend was getting a massage in the dark and peaceful cavern of treatment rooms I would have popped back into the recovery room for some almonds and had another nap.
So, the facial. One of my girlfriends in finance swears that the best facial she ever received was here. She has traveled around the world, including Asia, home to some of the best spas in the world. The story is that she did the express facial the day before she got on the long haul back to New York. She has had problems with dry skin, especially on planes, but her skin stayed soft and glowing until she arrived back in Manhattan. This same friend was with me on this trip and again had the facial. She ended up buying the whole line of Aromatherapy Associates products at the spa and has been delighted with the results.
Four hours had passed before I looked up from my heated lounge chair to see the time. This was after a 1-hour reflexology appointment to soothe my runner's legs, an express facial that gave me a rosy glow--more on that later!--and putting away more than my share of the tiny snack plates of almonds and apricots while reading the Wall Street Journal in the recovery room.
Were it not for the fact there was a clock on the wall and my girlfriend was getting a massage in the dark and peaceful cavern of treatment rooms I would have popped back into the recovery room for some almonds and had another nap.
So, the facial. One of my girlfriends in finance swears that the best facial she ever received was here. She has traveled around the world, including Asia, home to some of the best spas in the world. The story is that she did the express facial the day before she got on the long haul back to New York. She has had problems with dry skin, especially on planes, but her skin stayed soft and glowing until she arrived back in Manhattan. This same friend was with me on this trip and again had the facial. She ended up buying the whole line of Aromatherapy Associates products at the spa and has been delighted with the results.
After enjoying the same facial I also experienced the same rosy glow. But my skin rests on the more oily side of the face scale and prefer more exfoliation. Although I will certainly return to the Landmark Spa, the coordinates for my favorite facial lie in Washington.
Just what am I paying for all of this...Spa services rests on the high end, but you get what you pay for. You also have access to the recovery room, spa, sauna, pool and heated stone lounges. This is coming from someone who gets regular $8 massages in Southeast Asia and is generally satisfied.
The men's side of the spa enjoys different amenities, including a hammam, where attendants scrub off so much dead skin that the resulting byproduct is thin, gray spaghetti. I guess I will need to return to Morocco or Syria.