A Few Recent Spa Trips

I haven't indulged in any luxe spa pampering sessions in Sydney for a while and so have tried to visit at least one each time I've gone to HK these past months. And since the list of places I want to try always seems to be growing, I made it a point to try three I had never been to before.

I first read about Spa L'Occitane over at Sassy Hong Kong (don't know how I would survive in HK without this site) and took advantage of the Sassy Discount promotion which was on a few months back: HKD500 off the original price of The Journey To Provence treatment which included a 75minute facial and a 60minute massage, bringing the total cost down to HKD1,100 - bargain! The spa itself doesn't have the kind of facilities you would find at your swanky hotel spa but I swear my skin has never looked so good after a facial, I think probably in part to the most painless extraction process I have ever experienced. And the massage was pretty great too, especially given the fact that my entire body was aching after just having moved in to our place a few days prior.

really like how you can sample the facial care and makeup range products after the treatment

This is the flagship Spa L'Occitane in HK located on Star Street in Wan Chai and you can view their treatment menu here.

Another place I've been wanting to try for quite some time now is the Bliss Spa over at the W Hong Kong in Kowloon. Given that the spa is located on the 72nd floor of the hotel, the view is absolutely phenomenal and hits you as soon as you step in to the locker room. The facilities here are great and if anyone were to ever ask me which is the best vitality pool with a view in a hotel spa I'd say this one pretty much takes the cake.

However that's pretty much the best thing about this spa. I always judge a hotel spa by the cleanliness and tidiness of their facilities and sadly, this one just didn't live up to HK's high standards for me. Some of the products such as the body lotion had not been refilled and there were showers which hadn't been cleaned after the previous person had used them. Granted it was near the end of the day..but still. I didn't even manage to find the famous brownie buffet I had heard so much about!
I had booked in for the Feeling Fabulous package which included a 30minute scrub deluxe, 45minute rapid rub and 60minute fabulous facial for HKD2,012 and while my therapist couldn't have been lovelier I really hate it when I look into a mirror afterwards only to see that my face is all sore and red from the extractions. If I were to go back it would definitely be for the body treatments only.
Detailed information about Bliss Spa can be found here.

And to finish off, the Spa at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental where I had a 1hour Oriental Essence body massage followed by a 1hour 30minute Customised Aromatherapy Facial at a cost of HKD2,730. Having been to the Mandarin Oriental Spa a few years ago I was expecting a lot in terms of service and professionalism - and I was not disappointed. The spa was so quiet and serene it absolutely did not feel like I was in the heart of Central and the facilities were spotless even though it was extremely late on a Friday night.

This does bring me to my one gripe though which is why some spas feel the need to charge 'Weekday' and 'Weekend' prices - and since when is Friday considered a weekend?? But back to the treatment - both the massage and the facial were great and my therapist was so very nice and really managed to put me in such a deep state of relaxation. This was also the only time the temperature of the bed was absolutely perfect since she didn't feel the need to put the bedding heat on given it was 30+ degrees outside. I will most definitely be going back, although will probably schedule my visit on a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday next time to make the cost a little more bearable.
All the information about the spa including the treatments menu can be found here.