FANTASY LAND
Fantasy Land - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Fantasy Land | |||||
| By: Kate De Brito. Issue 29- Summer 2007 | |||||
| (The Peninsula Spa by Espa. Hong Kong) | |||||
| Thunder crashes in the distance, lights flash and the first heavy dollops of warm tropical rain splash against my thirsty skin. I’m just getting used to the heavenly experience of being drenched by a temperate storm when the weather shifts and I’m sprayed by a delicate, mint-scented mist. If I listen closely I’m sure I can hear leaves crunch underfoot and the soft sound of bird song. When the rain stops, so does the fantasy. Happily, I’m still cocooned in luxury on the 9th floor of the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong at the new Peninsula Spa by ESPA, rather than some rustic outdoor setting. The ‘lifestyle’ shower, complete with lighting and sound effects, is a signature of the new spa’s thermal suite, which includes a glossy blonde-wood sauna room with dramatic views over busy Victoria Harbour, and a dimly lit crystal wet room. An hour before my spa treatments begin I’m in the hot, damp, disc-shaped wet room, where we sit on a curved bench around a massive hunk of rose quartz inhaling the rejuvenating scent of eucalyptus. Then it’s off to the relaxation room to slip between clean white Egyptian cotton sheets on a day bed overlooking the harbour, pull on some headphones and wrap myself in a soft doona to await my therapist. The thermal suite is an integral part of the new 1116sq m Peninsula Spa by ESPA, which opened in May 2006 and rambles over two floors of the Peninsula with 14 individual treatment rooms, one private individual treatment suite and one private couple’s suite. For complete seclusion, private suites come with their own treatment rooms, bathroom facilities, and thermal suites. By the time my therapist appears in the relaxation room in a black Mandarin collared tunic and loose-flowing trousers, and ushers me down the winding, dimly lit corridors to my treatment room, I’m already in a state of utter relaxation. And the real pampering hasn’t even begun. I sip tea as my therapist draws the blind on the harbour view – and the rest of the world – for the next wonderful two hours. The heated treatment bed and the graceful expertise of the therapist lull me into deeper ease. ESPA, the world’s leading global spa consultancy, has created a range of treatments for the Peninsula, fusing Oriental, Ayurvedic and European therapies. Treatments range from hot stone massage to herbal body masks, age defying facials and the luscious fresh ginger foot buff. Everything from the organic oils, right down to the music and lighting, are selected by the therapist to suit your personality and mood. There was never much doubt that the Peninsula, one of the world’s finest hotels, would produce a first-class spa. But the result is even better than the imagining. Somehow, in one of the world’s busiest cities they’ve managed to combine premiere spa treatments with a deep and permeating sense of peace. ESSENTIALS Cathay Pacific flys from Sydney to Hong Kong Daily. http://www.cathay.com.au | |||||
| Where: Peninsula Spa by ESPA, Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong Details: +852 2920 2888 Email: spaphk@peninsula.com | |||||
| Most indulgent treatment: Four hour Escape from the City package, includes massage with hot stone, salt and fresh ginger foot buff, body scrub, and facial, $A670 (HK$4000). | |||||
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