Water’s Edge at The Park Hyatt Shanghai

What: De-stress Muscle Release (90 minutes)

Where: 85F, Park Hyatt, 100 Shiji Dadao. Tel: 6888 1234

Why: It’s been a tough week, and you deserve it

How Much: RMB 1,100 + 15%

Like a tributary to the mighty Huangpu 80 odd floors below, the infinity pool that greets visitors at the entrance of Water’s Edge seems to run down the hotel’s many storeys and straight into the river. It’s breathtaking, and the perfect entrance to a spa treatment designed to help your mind escape the pressures of the workday. After all, from this high up, every problem looks small.

All treatments at Water’s Edge start with a selection process – and trust us, these will be the best decisions you make all day. There are no wrong answers here. First, you choose the music to accompany your massage – jazz, classical, spa and more populate the harmonious list – then you opt for a post-massage tea. I made my decisions (classical and rose), then was led to my treatment chamber, a sprawling room with ceilings high enough to accommodate nesting birds.

Once settled into the oversized massage bed, the treatment begins. Each stroke of the masseuse’s capable hands pulled out stress and pushed in relaxation. After an hour and a half of easy bliss, my joints and limbs were more limber than they’d been in weeks, and the stress of the work week melted away.

Still in a heady state of relaxation, the therapist led me to my perch beside the pool. I sipped my tea and nibbled on oatmeal cookies as the Bund and its boats lit up the Huangpu, contemplating nothing but the view and the flavours of my miniature feast in front of me.