Chinese New Year is now a distant memory, and like us, you're probably dreaming about your next oppurtunity to escape the Shanghai bubble. But why wait when you have these awesome wellness retreats right on your doorstep?
naked stables
Where is it? One of the first healthy boltholes near Shanghai, naked stables are based in the popular Moganshan mountainous area, a short skip from Hangzhou but leagues away in landscape terms.
What’s the deal? Set in fresh mountain air, the resort’s emphasis is on nature and health, and these folk are all about embracing the good, simple life. Stay in Earth Huts and Tree Top Villas and follow naked’s holistic approach to wellness through diet, treatment and exercise. Everything about this resort screams health, from its green building credentials to its three organic restaurants, with no cars allowed inside its borders. The naked Leaf Spa and Wellness Centre offers a choice of gym and yoga classes, along with plenty of outdoorsy things like hiking, biking and horse riding, being set around an authentic horse stables. There is also a choice of three pools, for those days when one pool just isn’t enough, and you can join tea picking, visit the on-site organic farm, or take craft classes such as pottery and allnatural candle-making.
How much? naked isn’t the cheapest option around (an Earth Hut is upwards of 2,400RMB per night, plus service charge), but is constantly top-notch quality and promises to be a nature retreat you won’t forget in a hurry. Until the end of March, naked is offering a detox package including consultations, a detox massage, hot yoga, detoxifying body wrap and facial, plus a detoxifying menu from 6,776RMB. Visit nakedretreats.cn for more information.
Sangha Retreat By Octave
Where is it? Those familiar with the work of The Living Room by Octave on Jianguo Xi Lu will be rightly excited by this latest addition to the health brand empire. The new health and wellness retreat in Suzhou is situated in an enviable spot next to Yancheng Lake – yes, the one famous for hairy crabs – and is aiming to be a haven for body and mind.
What’s the deal? Not yet open for bookings, some of the details are still to emerge, but confirmed is a 8,500sqm fitness centre, a healthy eating restaurant in the spirit of Octave’s Thought For Food restaurant here in Shanghai, and a centre for resident artists. Along with fishing and golfing options, there are also two pools, both indoor and outdoor, as well as plenty of views of the lake. Mixed between individual rooms, apartments and villas, there will be 132 residences available in total when Sangha finally opens its doors, mostly in the At One Wellness Hotel, which sounds promising for stressed-out Shanghai residents seeking retreat. Along with 69 guest rooms, its facilities include health assessments and treatment, mindbody practices like mindfulness, spiritual coaching and counselling, spas, along with mindful dining.
How much? Sangha is set to open to the public after Chinese New Year, with prices still a closely guarded secret. Keep an eye on livingoctave.com for opening dates.
Huzhou Hot Springs Resort
Where is it? Just a few hours out of Shanghai at Taihu Lake, the Sheraton Huzhou hotel offers plenty of healthy options for a feel-good retreat with a plethora of hot springs to soak away your worries and detoxify your skin. The Ma Yansong-designed Sheraton Huzhou received a considerable amount of international attention for its architecture when it was finished in 2012 and is worth a visit just to witness its unusual shape – a large letter ‘O’ that rises out from the edge of the water. The landmark architecture means rooms are afforded great views of the lake and natural hot springs behind.
What’s the deal? The healing properties of hot springs are widely documented, but the most convincing factor is just how bloody lovely they are. The Huzhou site includes over 100 natural spring water pools, 39 of them as part of a string of private villa complexes that run between the main hotel and a spectacular hot springs centre, with a healthy eating restaurant and a wide range of flora inside. The impressive Moon Spa is based around an open-air hot spring with 20 treatment rooms, and also offers a fish foot spa, tearoom, and a series of zones based around different elements. Back in the main hotel, the fitness centre is open 24 hours a day, with indoor and outdoor pools, a Jacuzzi and sauna, plus table tennis and activities for kids. Along with personal training sessions, there are also yoga and cardio classes, if you can drag yourself away from the springs for long enough.
How much? Rooms are available from 1,440RMB per night. Click here for more details. Visit starwoodhotels.com for more information.
Sun Island Resort
Where is it? This hideaway might smack a little of beach-resort tackiness, but it’s a great option if you don’t want to go too far out from Shanghai and need a wellness pickme- up that doesn’t break the bank. This healthy option, situated across a surprisingly large island in Qingpu district, can be reached by the Shanghai metro, meaning you can spend even less time travelling and more time focusing on recharging.
What’s the deal? The huge Sun Island Resort boasts plenty of options for a healthy break, including indoor and outdoor pools, fitness centres, yoga and even the option to go horse riding around the island. Hole up in one of the resort’s villas for a weekend and settle in for some nurturing sustenance – you can even pick your own vegetables at Sun Island’s eight-acre farm. Tuck into healthy food in the resort’s organic restaurants, play a few rounds of golf across two enormous courses – or just enjoy walking round – and indulge in some late-night KTV (a crucial component to emotional and mental health).
How much? Room prices range from 780RMB to 1,100RMB per night. Check out sunislandclub.com for more information.
Yejo Circle
Where is it? All over. This group of professional holidaymakers organise a variety of trips to heal your body, soul and mind within a very reasonable budget.
What’s the deal? Join chanting monks on a temple yoga retreat, hike along a mountaintop before plunging into hot springs, and learn tai chi in a forest. These are the trips of holiday brochures, designed to whisk you quickly out of Shanghai’s city streets into a haven of tranquillity and simple goodness, mostly in neighbouring provinces and countryside. Coming up this month, and still available to book, is the two-day Temple Yoga Retreat including chanting with temple monks, plenty of meditation, vegetarian food and – obviously – lots of yoga, plus hiking and time for breathing techniques. The retreats whisk their pilgrims away from the city and promises to return them two days later, in a state of Zen-like calm. Note that these retreats don’t allow alcohol or smoking and the amount of health and wellness crammed into two days will set you up for a month of the city life. It’s like an instant re-up for your wellness reserves.
How much? To book the Temple Yoga Retreat for 599RMB per person, or find other yoga and detox trips at visit yejocircle.com.
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