1. Spas are hiring
registered Chinese
medicine practitioners
to take advantage of
growing interest in
traditional forms of
treatment, writes
Rachel Oliver
The yin
Cupping is used to improve blood flow; Gladys
Leung (right) administers gua sha at Chuan
Spa at Langham Place. Photo: Edmond So
H
ongkongers are no
strangers to either
traditional Chinese
medicine (TCM) or
spas. Now the two
are being brought together
under one roof.
TCM is based on balancing
yin and yang, increasing the flow
of chi, and restoring vitality to
the patient. A number of
methods are used, such as
Chinese herbal medicine,
qigong, tui na massage,
acupuncture, acupressure,
scraping (gua sha), cupping and
bone-setting.
There are more than 6,500
registered TCM practitioners in
the city, says the Chinese
Medicine Council of Hong Kong.
TCM spas offer another way to
tap into these methods.
Chuan Spa at Langham Place
dedicates itself to TCM. The idea
when it launched in 2005 was to
provide a different kind of TCM
experience. “When the brand
was developed, they were
looking at a holistic spa
experience, with a five-star
environment to experience it
in,” says Victoria Childs, spa
director.
Chuan Spa has hired a TCM
doctor, who gives consultations
and also designs treatments and
has a team of in-house
therapists who are all qualified
in gua sha and cupping.
The Mandarin Oriental also
uses a TCM doctor for guests to
consult, and the therapies have
been “meticulously researched
in consultation with experienced
Chinese doctors, chemists and
holistic practitioners” says Yumi
Kwan, treatments manager.
But outside of hotels, a
number of independent spas in
Hong Kong are widening their
repertoire by incorporating
TCM-themed treatments and
bringing in TCM doctors.
“If you read magazines like
Cosmopolitan you find lots of
ads with TCM-oriented
treatments offered in spas, not
always in big ones but in the
smaller operations,” says Kelly
Chain, a registered TCM
consultant who runs Chain’s
Medicare Centre. “Before it was
quite rare but it is a trend now.
Even one-man operators will
team up with a TCM
consultant.”
New TCM practitioners are
flooding into the market each
year and targeting spas, she says.
“We are producing 200
graduates a year and we also
have graduates from China.
They are young, educated and
open-minded,” says Chain.
For smaller outfits, hiring
TCM doctors has been too
costly, so bringing in outside
help makes sense, says spa
consultant Rhett Pickering, who
runs Vast River Consulting.
“The therapists have to be
skilled in everything the spa
does, but you get watered-down
kinds of treatments, so the way
around this is to get a specialist
TCM consultant.”
Spa consultant and CEO of
Conceptasia Management &
Consultants, Suzanne Ng, notes
that the increase in interest in
spa-based TCM treatments has
been driven mostly by tourists.
“Travellers coming
into hotel spas are
very interested in
trying something from
the region,” she says.
“Hong Kong locals would
already have a strong
interest in TCM anyway, so
they probably wouldn’t be going
to the spa.”
In the case of the Four
Seasons Hong Kong Spa, for
example, treatments such as
jade stone therapy (based on gua
sha) are designed to give
international visitors a “taste of
the orient” when they are in
Hong Kong, says Claire
Blackshaw, director of PR at
Four Seasons Hong Kong.
“We want to reflect the
environment so people can have
an experience of the country
they are going to. But our
therapists are Western trained.
We wouldn’t claim to know how
best to do this,” Blackshaw says.
The inspiration behind the
Four Seasons Beijing’s decision,
this January, to bring in a
qualified TCM doctor,
came from a foreigner –
the hotel’s Sri Lankan
general manager, Sanjiv
Hulugalle, says Jennifer
Sun, director of public
relations.
“When our GM
arrived in China, he had
back trouble and he
had seen a lot of
Western doctors who
didn’t do anything
other than give him
painkillers,” says Sun.
“So he saw Dr Lan
Jirui twice a week [for
some massages] and
after a few months
his pain was gone
and no medication
was given. So he
became fascinated
with TCM.”
Lan speaks fluent English so
is accessible to foreign guests.
But he is proving as much a pull
for locals as he is for visitors,
notes Sun. “Dr Lan is very well
known in the TCM field, so
people come to Beijing to see
him,” she says.
Curiosity about ancient
wellness disciplines is increasing
worldwide, says Childs.
“I think it is more well known
now. Our property in Boston
launched a workshop on TCM. It
started out as a half-day event
and ended up as a sold-out
three-day event,” she says.
Clients now come to the spa
seeking a TCM doctor before
consulting a Western medical
doctor, she adds.
Chain sees a match between
the principles of TCM and
those of spas. “TCM practices
have a lot in common with spa
treatments such as massage.
Normally, what you do in a spa,
like get a facial or anti-ageing
treatment, has a lot to do with
TCM,” she says.
Spas look set to morph into
overall wellness clinics, with
TCM being a natural component
in each of them, says spa trainer
Victor Rinaldi.
“The next generation will be
wellness centres, where more
specialised treatments and
services will be provided,” he
says. “They will certainly look to
include a TCM specialist, in the
same way they would hire a
naturopath, for example.”
life@scmp.com
thing
6,500
The number of registered
Chinese medicine
practitioners in Hong
Kong
Therapists have
to be skilled in
everything the
spa does, but you
get watered-
down treatments
RHETT PICKERING, SPA CONSULTANT
Terr’loire Red Beetroots
HK$37.90 for 500 grams,
Gourmet
This is as basic as it gets:
peeled and steamed beets
from France with no added
preservatives.
Verdict: I love beetroot, but
I hate the way it stains
almost everything. Sliced
and tossed with some
salt, pepper and balsamic
vinegar, this is a brilliant
way to enjoy one of my
favourite foods.
Straumeni Living Slow Dried
Beetroot
HK$49 for100 grams, Just Green
Raw organic beetroot is slow dried
at 38 degrees Celsius to preserve
its enzymes and vitamins. It
takes 445 grams of fresh
beetroot to produce one 215-
calorie pack. It’s said to help
control obesity and cure colds.
Verdict: dense and chewy, the
natural sweetness of beetroot
shines through but its
juiciness is missed. It’s a
convenient way to enjoy
the vegetable.
Lydia’s Organics Rawkin’
Beet Chips
HK$65 for 85 grams, Just Green
These aren’t just beetroot;
the thin crisps also contain
carrots, parsley, celery, lemon,
green onion, and sunflower and
flax seeds. Chilli powder, cumin
and cayenne give it some heat.
Verdict: earthy and spicy, the
beetroot flavour is lost among
the other ingredients. It is not
particularly crisp, and it tastes a
bit too dry.
Stationary cycling is one of the most exhausting
exercises you can do, Ben Sin discovers
There are two types of
classes: Torq de Hong Kong is a
race, with teams or individuals,
through various terrains. You
simulate uphill riding by twisting
a knob to increase pedal
resistance while pedalling
standing up. The second,
TorqBody, is a full body workout
that combines boxing, Pilates
and yoga with cycling.
That’s the class I take. It’s
non-stop, all-out riding for 50
minutes, and includes standing
up, leaning forward, holding
dumbbells while doing bicep
curls, shoulder presses and other
weight-training routines.
Three trainers take the helm
during my class. The first,
Jennifer Wathall, is a teacher at
Island School. Her routine is
easy to start with, but becomes
increasingly challenging.
The second trainer is
certified trainers with degrees.
And they’re all super fit.
It’s no surprise the trainers
hold such elite pedigrees, since
everything about Torq feels high
quality. The lockers uses an
electronic lock that requires no
key or password, and the shower
room feels like one you’d find at
a high-end spa.
Then there are the bikes – the
latest in the Schwinn Authentic
Cycling series. These feature a
long list of fancy technical specs,
like “magnetic brake system”
and “perimeter-weighted
flywheels”. But all you need to
know is that riding it feels exactly
like cycling on the streets.
Each bike is also wirelessly
connected to a computer
console that tracks RPM
(revolutions per minute), heart
rate, speed, distance, calories
burned, watts and time. All that
information is displayed on a
screen in front of the class and is
uploaded to Torq’s online
database.
With the exception of the
actual riding session, Torq aims
to make things as easy as it
possibly can for the riders. There
is no membership, and classes
can be purchased individually or
in packages.
Classes can be booked, with
bike reservations, up to two
weeks in advance. All of this is
done online with a few clicks.
Owner Margaret Kao says a
hassle-free experience was a
main part of her vision for Torq:
“I don’t want our customers to
ever have to wait in line or deal
with salespeople. You book
everything online, you show up
at class time, and you ride.
“When you’re done, take a
nice shower, and you’re free to
go. All your information – like
how many calories you burned –
is uploaded to the server
automatically. You can check
online any time, and these stats
stay with you from session to
session,” she says.
In January, Lance Armstrong,
after years of denial, finally
admitted to cheating. The
superstar cyclist, who won a
record seven straight Tours de
France, did so with the help of
illegal performance-enhancing
drugs.
The saddest part? Doping in
professional cycling is not
uncommon. According to the
US Anti-Doping Agency, 80 per
cent of Tour de France
medallists between1996 and
2010 also used similar drugs.
As a huge sports fan, news of
the widespread cheating in
cycling left me disappointed and
insulted. But then I took my first
class at Hong Kong’s first
independent spinning studio,
Torq Cycle. I now almost want to
forgive Armstrong, because I’m
typing this the morning after the
50-minute cycling session, and I
still can’t feel my legs.
I’m joking, of course. There’s
no excuse for cheating, but
spinning – indoor, stationary
cycling – is one of the most
physically draining exercises
around. One of the trainers at
Torq is a former professional
rugby player and professional
muay Thai fighter named Adam
Fabbian. Spinning is how he
keeps in shape.
“I can’t think of another
exercise where you work as hard,
burn as many calories, but have
zero risk of injuries,” he says.
Fabbian isn’t the only trainer
at Torq with an impressive CV.
One was a professional gymnast
in Canada; another was a
championship cheerleader in
Florida; the others are either
competitive triathletes or
I can’t think of
another exercise
where you burn
as many calories,
but have zero
risk of injuries
ADAM FABBIAN, TRAINER
Spin and bear it
Fabbian, the professional
fighter. He pushes us to go as
fast as we can, and he swaps my
light dumbbells for heavier ones
when he realises that my arms
aren’t shaking enough during
the lifts. Fabbian says he hates
the notion that spinning only
works the lower body, so he goes
out of his way to make sure your
arms and shoulders are
exhausted during his class.
Last up is champion
cheerleader Loretta Yuen, whose
routine is energetic with
stretches, on-bike push-ups,
and breathing techniques.
I finish first in the class, but
I’ll have trouble walking straight
tomorrow.
For more information, go to
torqcycle.com. Classes are sold
individually (HK$250) or in packages
(various prices).
Ben Sin is put through his
paces. Photo: Jonathan Wong
C6 Tuesday, March 19, 2013
FITNESS & WELL-BEING
THE TASTE TEST
BEETROOT
................................................
Jeanette Wang
jeanette.wang@scmp.com