Feel like being set on fire? How about floating naked in the dark for an hour? Time Out hunt down some of the more unusual therapies available in Shanghai.
What is it? A traditional Chinese
treatment that’s become
particularly, err, hot in the past year
or so, with practitioners claiming it
can cure everything from back pain
to the flu.
What happens? We spot Quanjian
Natural Health Centre as soon as
we step out of the lift on the 16th
floor of a tower block opposite
Grand Gateway in Xujiahui thanks
to the large pull up banner featuring
pictures of people being set on fire,
decorated with a background of
firework graphics. Quanjian is set
in a converted apartment and to
begin with we’re ushered into the
bathroom to strip naked and change
into single-use paper underwear
(we’re not given a dressing gown)
before being taken to the ‘treatment
room’. We walk in to find another
patient lying on her back with her
face on fire. Well, the towel lying on
top of her face is on fire at least. It’s
a little unnerving.
Having opted for treatment on
back pain, we’re instructed to lie
down on the second massage bed
in the room, head down, and the
centre’s founder, Helen Feng, covers
our back with warm towels. It’s then
that we realise that being unsighted
may actually make the experience
even more nervewracking.
We hear
a squirting noise
– roughly akin to the
sound made when
someone in a bad
crime thriller covers
a car in lighter fluid
shortly before it
combusts – then the
click of a lighter (in
our mind it’s one of the cheap ones
sold at the counter in Alldays) and
the unmistakable sound of a lick of
flames running across the towels on
our back.
The flames are allowed to spread
for around 30 seconds before
Feng covers them with another fire
retardant towel and pats it down
across our body, causing the heat
to seep into our skin. We begin
sweating, which Feng tells us is part
of the intention though we’re unsure
if it’s due to the heat, nerves, or a
mixture of both.
The process is repeated six times,
and after a particularly thorough final
fire session, where
Feng goes over and
over the towel with
the lighter to ensure
it’s all been lit,
we’re given a herbal
rub and wrapped
in clingfilm, which
we’re instructed to
keep on for the next
six hours. The whole
thing is over in around half an hour,
though we’re then given a drink of
water and told to lie down and relax
for the next 45 minutes, which just
about allows us to recover some
semblance of composure.
What’s the verdict? Despite our
initial misgivings, the treatment
is professionally carried out and there’s not the slightest hint of
pain. Feng is careful to check with
us regularly whether we’re feeling
too hot and to see how much we’re
sweating; she also reassures us
that we seem generally healthy,
which helps. She’s knowledgeable
and friendly, suggesting that we
shouldn’t be too quick to strip down
to shorts and T-shirts as soon as the
weather gets a little warm as this
can impact upon our health.
At its root, the treatment bears
similarities in sensation to hot stone
massages and saunas, but whether
you believe the medical benefits or
not, it makes for a much better story
to tell your friends afterwards. How
often can you start a conversation
with ‘So, I got set on fire today’?
How much does it cost? 78RMB.
Quanjian Natural Health Centre is at 28 Caoxi
Bei Lu, near Hongqiao Lu. See full address details
What is it? Based on traditional
Chinese therapy, this is a series of
massages and herbal treatments
that’s supposed to treat minor
illnesses and prevent soreness
during PMS.
What happens? This one is
(obviously) just for the ladies – and
yes, the therapist is female too. It
starts simply enough, with a back
and neck massage, before rolling
over to have moisturising and
exfoliating creams applied around
your chest. Heated herbal pouches
are then placed over your breasts
(we let out a high-pitched yelp when
these are applied, resulting in a
towel being placed between the
herbal pouches and our skin), and
left to work their magic. We suspect
this treatment is designed for
slighter frames, as the hot pouches
have a tendency to roll off more
curvaceous shapes, despite being
put back in place with determination
several times.
The treatment ends with a relaxing
and thorough cleanse, shoulder
and neck massage, and some
deliciously comforting warm tea.
What’s the verdict? Green Massage
is a lovely, relaxing spa that instantly
makes you forget the outside world,
and every visit is a treat. But it’s
not the cheapest place in town and
frankly, it feels pretty odd to lie on
your back with two large heated
pouches on your boobs – afterwards
we can’t feel any real difference.
It feels, frankly, pretty bizarre. We
recommend putting your hardearned
cash towards one of their
exceptional back or head massages,
and treat yourself to something a
little less odd.
How much does it cost? 480RMB.
Green Massage is at 300 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near
Huangpi Nan Lu. See full address details
What is it? Basically, floating in a tub
of salt water for an hour, wearing ear
plugs and not a lot else. Supporters
say it helps a range of conditions,
including stress, muscular pain,
insomnia and weight loss. The
water in the flotation pod is over
40 percent Epsom salt (shipped in
especially from Europe), meaning it
is very sterile and works to detoxify
the body during floating.
What happens? We’re brave enough
to admit to being terrified ahead of
this treatment. Bobbing in a dark,
enclosed tank full of saltwater
sounds akin to a watery grave.
Luckily, the staff at Floatessence
are very friendly and reassuring, and
from their professional handling
we can tell they’ve seen plenty of
nervous claustrophobes before.
First, we’re shown a video about
the treatment and its benefits,
and then given a selection of small
bottles of scent to smell. These interpret (with worrying accuracy)
any ailments you might have, and
inform the scents used in the
treatment. Next we’re taken for
a thorough shower and cleanse,
before being bundled into a fluffy
dressing gown and escorted to our
tomb – sorry, room. The fact the
door locks automatically behind us
doesn’t really alleviate our fears.
There are several different types
of tank you can choose from, ranging
all the way up to an open pool. Ours
is an enclosed tank and is decked
out with lights on
the top designed
to resemble stars.
We lie back and
wait for a sense of
Zen. Despite being
given instructions
on how to avoid
getting salt in our
eyes, within about
30 seconds we’ve
failed completely and managed to
pour what feels like piles of salt into
our eyes and nose. After scrambling
about for a towel, we lie back again
and stare at the stars through salty
eyes. We’re aware of our heartbeat,
a vague motion sickness, and a
feeling of just how enclosed we are.
It’s recommended that you turn
off all the lights via a button inside
the tank, and after a deep breath
(more salt water), we switch off the
star lights. And then – nothing. No
light, no sound, no gravity. We can
hear our heart racing, and the walls
closing in (probably, although we
can’t actually see them). Has it been
10 minutes or 50? It’s hard to tell,
or to know exactly how to feel. Quite frankly it’s not every day that you find
yourself rendered deaf, blind and
naked in Gubei.
What’s the verdict? After we
manage to get over the initial sense
of panic, which might have gone
on for two seconds or 20 minutes
(we can’t really tell), we do manage
to achieve a pretty calm frame of
mind. So calm, in fact, that we’re
pretty sure we dozed off at one
point. The room, air and water are all
heated to body temperature, and it’s
increasingly hard to even tell where
the water ends
and the air begins.
But afterwards we
feel very relaxed,
very clean, and
our skin feels
fabulous.
Manager Wan
Chenchen tells us
that one hour of
floating is equal to
eight hours sleep, and that studies
have shown that the space between
being awake and asleep is where
the brain repairs most effectively.
We certainly feel a deep sense of
serenity afterwards that floats us
through the rest of the day – at least
until we get on metro Line 2 at rush
hour. Overall, this is definitely an outof-
your-comfort zone therapy that’s
well worth trying.
How much does it cost? 380RMB
for a one-hour float.
Floatessence is at 96 Ronghua Dong
Dao, near Gubei Lu. See full address details
What is it? A therapy that draws
on elements of both Western and
Traditional Chinese Medicine,
which is designed to focus on the
meridians (energy channels) of
your back, readjust your spinal
cord and treat an imbalance of
spinal muscular tension. This
reconditioning and realignment of
the spine is believed to cure a broad
range of different ailments.
What happens? First, the doctor
assesses us by getting us to
perform a number of bends,
twists and stretches. After his
examination, the doctor tells us our
spine is a little twisted, probably due
to bad posture, and that this could
be responsible for a whole range of
symptoms including headaches,
stomach aches and back pain.
To treat this, we lie face down on
a somewhat complicated piece of
furniture that resembles a massage
bed but with a number of collapsable
shelves. The doctor probes our
back, massages certain areas and
asks whether they are painful. When
we reply in the affirmative, he slams
our back with his hands, making the
shelf beneath us collapse. As part of
our body falls in a rather undignified
slump, the spine is supposed to be
nudged back into the right place.
This process continues up the
back from shoulders to hips; painful,
tense areas are moved back into
place via the collapsing bed and a
fair amount of the doctor’s heft. It’s
a somewhat exhausting process
(probably more so for the doctor),
and each area is firmly massaged
after being ‘adjusted’; the
treatment really is a blend between
a chiropractic treatment and a firm
back massage.
Afterwards, we are bundled up
in towels and told to lie on top of
a heated bed for 20 minutes, to
prevent soreness from our newly adjusted
spine.
What’s the verdict? For all that it
feels a little strange – particularly
at one point where we lie face down
with only our backside elevated into
the air – we can’t deny that our back
pain feels significantly alleviated
afterwards, and the warm bed rest
is spot on for aching muscles and
joints. To get the full benefit, the
doctor recommends a 10-week
course of readjustment, but even
after one visit we can feel that our
back is less tense.
The medical centre is clean, sleek
and professional; most doctors
speak both English and Chinese,
and we would recommend this
treatment for anyone looking to
tackle back pain.
How much does it cost? 800RMB
for a 40 minute treatment.
Din Hang TCM Clinic is at 1602
Zhongshan Xi Lu, near Liuzhou
Lu. See full address details