The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Mandarin Oriental Singapore,

Level 5, 5 Raffles Avenue

6885-3533

IT used to be that when you wanted a massage by a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, you would have to sacrifice a bit of comfort and style for efficacy.

That won't be a problem at the new Spa at Mandarin Oriental which opens in Singapore at the end of the month, and emphasises treatments jointly developed with TCM specialists and master aromatherapists.

The spa arm of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group - for which the Oriental Bangkok has long been its crown jewel - has been on a major expansion drive of late. After opening outlets from Hong Kong to Las Vegas to its most recent high-profile outpost at the Mandarin Oriental in Paris which opened last month, it's now launching its 22nd outlet in Singapore.

The local centre takes over the spa space that was previously operated by Fitness First. "You won't recognise a single thing," predicts MOHG's group director of spa Andrew Gibson. "We've literally stripped out the spa and given it a complete facelift. It will have an Oriental theme but it is fresh-looking and up-to-date."

According to Mr Gibson, the 358-sq-m space may be small but packs in an amazing amount of services. It includes six treatment rooms (one VIP suite, a double suite and four single rooms, areas for foot massages, quick treatments and manicurespedicures as well as a small relaxation area.

Treatments-wise, the spa will have a number of signature offerings including the Mandarin Oriental signature spa therapy treatment that includes consultation - diagnosis of your back and a questionnaire to determine your yin-yang balance and elemental inclinations followed by a smell test to determine the massage oil used.

Other treatments of note include the Fragrant Pearl - featuring an orchid body scrub, pearl body wrap and massage - and the Teh Hijau treatment that uses a green tea poultice. Both are unique to the Singapore market. In line with the busy nature of Singaporeans, quickie treatments will cater to guests with time-constraints.

Says Mr Gibson, "There are some very good spas here, but I think that we'll be able to come in with a slightly different angle and offer our guests an experience that will be a memory that they will want to keep."

This article was first published in The Business Times.