The Deal: Choice between two spa treatments, 83rmb for an 80-minute facial massage (normally 238rmb) plus a 40-minute complimentary essential oil body massage (normally 168rmb) OR 174rmb for a 90-minute pore cleansing facial and essential oil body massage.
It's valid until the end of Chinese new year, but only for first time customers.
The Experience: Holly Beauty has 30 stores in China and a couple internationally. The Shanghai store opened in December 2019 on a quiet street across from an old church. Look for the beechwood and mint green décor. The first floor is for client reception and warm tea, while the basement holds the sauna, and the second floor has the treatment rooms; a three-bed, a two-bed and a single-bed room.
They do have English pamphlets with all of the treatments detailed, but their English isn't great. When I visited, my aesthetician checked in regularly about pressure (albeit in Chinese). If your Chinese isn't great, good old grunts or interjections work effectively.
I tried both packages. Both facial packages start with a 40-minute essential oil back massage. This is a classic Chinese back massage. It's going to hurt a little in order to get all that qi flowing.
The pore cleanser facial gets rid of the gunk on your face. The facial starts with a plastic wrap and heated face mask for 30 minutes to open your pores. Your eyes are covered by the mask, so it's a great time for a power nap or some alone-time with your thoughts. Then comes the scraping of dead skin, sebum and dirt from your face with a metal device. There is a lot of prodding and extracting. If you've done this before, you know it's going to hurt a bit. Unfortunately, my skin didn't take too well to this treatment, leaving me with a couple new pimples.
If you opt for the acupressure facial massage, it utilizes a jade bar for some vigorous unblocking of qi. Again, it will get a bit uncomfortable, but that's the style. Both facials end with moisturizing, two facial masks, one green tea and one brown seaweed puddy.
Part of the beauty journey involves the "before" and "after" photos of your face. I acquiesced to the request, but if you insist enough, you could get out of the photoshoot.
The Verdict: If there's a catch, it's that you might think the Chinese style is a little rough, but for the price of an ambitious lunch, you get a two-hour pamper session. That's a good deal. The discounted price is only valid until the end of Chinese New Year (and only for first time customers).
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Holly Beauty Salon is at 53 Wanhangdu Hou Lu, near Changning Lu / 万航渡后路53号, 近长宁路. SmartTicket has the deal .
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