Guide to the Best Spas in Hong Kong

From a quick mud pack to a day-long retreat, you’ll find the world’s best spas in Hong Kong.

The city’s residents are absolutely spa crazy, and for tourists in town for a couple of days, it can be tough to pick out the best spa in Hong Kong.

The city’s most luxurious spas are generally (but not always) headquartered in the city’s most luxurious hotels, with prices topping HK$1500 for a basic two-hour treatment. The majority of treatments are aimed at locals with 60 and 120-minute sessions. You get what you pay for – service that’s worlds better than the cheapo massages you find at Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok.

We’ve sifted through the city’s endless spa retreats looking at what’s on offer and at what price; picking out six of the finest.

01 of 06

Spa at Base Camp, Kerry Hotel

With interiors created by Andre Fu and a world-beating Kowloon location overlooking Victoria Harbour, the Kerry Hotel’s Spa at Base Camp is merely the linchpin of a holistic fitness experience that includes a 24-hour gymnasium with five dedicated zones of training for cardio, free weight, strength, functional and spin or yoga; a heated outdoor swimming pool; a steam bath, sauna and Jacuzzi; a jogging track; and professional coaches by appointment.

The Spa experience here is as good as you’d expect from the ultimate “urban resort” - from a “Look Good, Feel Good” package that includes a 60-minute personal training session and 90-minute body massage; to a four-hour “Escape for the Day” that includes 60 minutes physical therapy/yoga and two hours of your choice of spa treatments.

The Asian-inspired interiors offer an abundance of natural finishes and curves – hardly any angles or harsh reflective surfaces to harsh your spa-induced buzz.

4/F 38 Hung Luen Road, Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon (location on Google Maps); thekerryhotels.com

02 of 06

Hong Wo Lok

Despite not being attached to a hotel, Hong Wo Lok shines nonetheless with its vision of “restoring balance to the body and soul” as Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine health club.

Located inside a high-rise on Hillwood Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Hong Wo Lok uses a mix of scientific theories and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to help its clients bounce back from urban stresses. TCM therapists create personalized treatments for guests, ranging from ginger moxibustion to meridian conditioning to tea therapy.

After a relaxing Chinese-style massage in one of their eight treatment rooms, guests can imbibe in custom tea blends with multiple benefits – from womb-strengthening tea for expectant mothers to allergy-relieving tea for nasal blockages. You can take your tea at their balcony overlooking the pleasantly-forested Hong Kong Observatory grounds.

16/F, 38 Hillwood Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui (location on Google Maps); hongwolok.com

03 of 06

Oriental Spa at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Just like the hotel it’s set in, the Oriental Spa is a boutique experience, offering an intimate session within designer surroundings. Built around the principles of fire, water, wood and earth, the spa’s award-winning design has rightly received many plaudits and while you may not believe the promotional leaflets about Yin and Yang, the setting is undoubtedly relaxing.

The spa hosts a full complement of treatments, including VIP couple’s rooms and a selection of recommended signature massages. Their “Time Rituals” are a series of treatments fitted around your own daily routine and body clock—priceless for jet-lagged visitors.

15 Queen’s Road Central, Central (location on Google Maps); mandarinoriental.com

04 of 06

I-Spa at the Intercontinental

This is one of the world’s best spas, fittingly set inside one of the world’s best hotels, just off the Avenue of the Stars. The I-Spa’s royal luxuries include three infinity pools with underwater music piped in, and a rooftop deck and garden with a waterfall and views over the city.

Treatments are world class; however, where I-Spa truly excels is in its full-day retreats. These involve a choice of custom designed treatments as well as a personal three-course lunch fitted into your program.

I-Spa also offers a series of traditional Chinese-inspired face and body treatments in their rooftop spa pool which comes highly recommended.

18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon (location on Google Maps); hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

Continue to 5 of 6 below.

05 of 06

Chuan Spa at the Langham Hong Kong

Chuan Spa at Langham Place — Courtesy of Langham Hotels

If you’re looking for a local spa experience, the Chuan Spa inside the Langham Hong Kong is the place for you. Based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, on arrival you’ll be given a full ‘sensory’ assessment, finding out about significant experiences in your life, as well as looking at your favorite colors, scents and seasons.

Your results will determine which treatments you need and which ingredients to use. Treatments include the usual massage and scrubs but also diet tips, breathing exercises, and acupuncture.

8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (location on Google Maps); langhamhotels.com/en/chuan-spa

06 of 06

ESPA Peninsula Spa

The legendary ESPA’s first Asian spa is an absolute lesson in pampering, boasting a 3.5 -1 staff to client ratio. Their decadent Garden of Eden design, with creeping plants and trickling rivers, is a suitably soothing start to your spa experience.

Before you pick a treatment from their encyclopedic selection, you can enjoy thermal baths, ice rubs and tropical showers and many more personal luxuries.

You can also take advantage of their personal spa suites, which feature superb views over Hong Kong harbor.

Salisbury Road, Kowloon (location on Google Maps); peninsula.com