Venus Spring Massage
What: Stardust Hot Spring Foot Massage & Oil Body Massage (120 mins)
Where: Venus Spring Massage. Room 101, Bldg 5, Lane 550 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Jianguo Zhong Lu. Tel: 3461 8726. Web: www.venus-spring.com
Why: Because this massage has what it takes to make you see stars.
How much: RMB 480 (Summer combo set price)
Entering the Venus Spring spa, nestled in a small corner of Jiashan Market, is like entering a small doll’s house. Here, the soft, neutral shades of beige, powder pink and cream that characterise the interior make it easy to transition into a state of childlike innocence and relaxation despite the nagging urgencies of the outside world.
Still, don’t be fooled. Venus Spring Massage specialises in offering, what this reviewer found, were fully firm and intense therapies. This is not one for the weak hearted.
My treatment began with an introduction to the different scented oils that would be used in my massage, each said to rejuvenate a specific type of fatigue through its aromatic properties. My nose gravitated to the Harmony Oil, which gave off the scent of Asian fruits and flowers and, I was told, is beneficial in calming the nervous system. Whimsical, I thought, but the oil did seem to work its magic because one whiff did have me feeling surprisingly refreshed.
I showered before being led to a special room lit with a projection of constellations across the ceiling, a new fad, I was told, in Japan. As a precursor, my masseuse worked the kinks out of my shoulders, back and arms with a surprisingly firm pounding of his fists, to the extent that I felt, had I not already been seeing stars, I would be. Still, at the end of my sixty minutes ‘under the stars’ I was feeling surprisingly calm and caressed, the tight knots and kinks in my shoulders and back newly unravelled.
This was followed by a surprisingly intense but fully professional full-body oil massage treatment that I didn’t want to end. The stiffness in my neck, shoulders, back and legs disappeared with the kneading of my talented masseuse’s hands and I soon felt enveloped in a sense of overwhelming calmness and tranquillity.
