The Good Life.(spas, restaurants, travel, gadgets)(City overview)

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Travel: Medicinal Spas

By Alexandra A. Seno

Traditional Chinese medicine has come out of the apothecary and into the most chic five-star spa resorts. Leading the pack: the major hotels in Asia, which have recently begun offering treatments based on ancient Asian health practices.

Asian-medicine experts were often brought in to design the programs. Chinese doctors formulated the exclusive herbal potions used at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. Their

CHI ("energy") in Bangkok, Cebu and Shanghai use oils and body gels made with ingredients like ginger and cardamom to harmonize the body's five basic elements: water, wind, earth, metal and fire. The CHI spas have also introduced a variety of signature treatments--including acupressure ($85) and Himalayan hot-stone massages ($200)--aimed at maintaining good health by balancing yin and yang. As Chinese medicine gains more mainstream acceptance in the West, the group plans to broaden this spa trend; over the next four years, Shangri-La (Shangri-la.com ) plans to open more than 20 CHI spas, not just in Asia but in such locales as London, Doha, the Seychelles, Vancouver and Chicago.

Mandarin Oriental guests in New York can now sign up for classes in tai chi, a form of Chinese exercise that improves the flow of the body's energy. In Hong Kong, both the boutique Landmark Mandarin Oriental and the recently refurbished flagship Mandarin Oriental (mandarinoriental .com ) include classically Chinese deep tissue "Tui Na" massages ($140) to stimulate the body's energy points.