The Best Spas to Book in Macau for Massage and Facials

Definitely a sanctuary for the senses. In addition to the superbly decorated treatment rooms that are surprisingly large and private (no communal changing areas), the real standout here is the standard of the spa therapists. Every spa therapist is trained at Banyan Tree’s renowned Spa Academy in Phuket, and it shows. The design of the place is spectacular, but the standard of service is even better – a true rarity. To experience heaven inside an hour and a half, opt for a 90-minute Balinese massage and let your worries and cares just melt away.

Since they first opened in 2015, ESPA at Ritz-Carlton Macau have won just about every kind of spa award going. In late 2017, they were awarded ‘Best Hotel Spa of the Year’ at the 9th SpaChina Awards and Men’s Spa Treatment of the Year at the 13th annual AsiaSpa Awards. The design of the spa itself is stunning and incorporates Chinese and Portuguese architecture to reflect the unique character of Macau. Some of the treatments are locally inspired as well, including the Macau Body Smoother Ritual. The 120-minute treatment includes a body exfoliation and a tailor-made aromatherapy massage. Your body will duly thank you for putting it through this. The facilities and amenities and overall design of the place is spectacular. However, the only minor snag here is that changing facilities are communal.

It’s just like visiting an old friend here. Service is always friendly and impeccable. They offer a series of treatments and therapies that incorporate Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which combine the powerful effects of Oriental meridian massage with custom-blended essential oils. Do try the full body massage using Bao Ding (Chinese meditation) balls; they are slightly heated and rolled over the body to ease muscle tension. The result is heavenly. The luxurious treatment rooms are spectacular, too, offering prime views of Macau, including the picturesque Nam Van Lake and Macau Tower.

Perched on the 38th floor of Macau’s prestigious St Regis Hotel, this is the city’s highest spa and the views don’t disappoint. However, the views are not the only thing that make this spa worth visiting. The spa works closely with Gemology, a natural mineral skincare and cosmetics brand originated in Paris. Before each treatment, the guests fill out a ‘Gemstone Questionnaire’, which identifies which gemstones are best suited for you and your selected treatment. The mineral qualities of these gemstones are said to provide an enhanced physiological response. The results speak for themselves, and the treatments here are all top of the range. If you’re in the mood to treat yourself, opt for a diamond facial experience, which harnesses the benefits of powdered diamonds to visibly reduce wrinkles and beautify skin.

To try a spa treatment that’s locally infused, you can’t do much better than the Macanese Sangria Ritual at the Spa at Grand Lapa. This indulgent treatment lasts for more than two hours and offers the works. It starts with a sensual body scrub using fresh grapes and crushed rice with a mixture of grape seed oil, rosemary and essential oil. The next part, the most fun part, is a revitalising sangria bath in an outdoor whirlpool, accompanied by a glass of specially made sangria for drinking. The journey ends with an 80-minute grape seed oil massage. Where else in the world can you take a sangria bath? Whether it stimulates the circulatory system and moisturises the skin as promised remains debatable, but it certainly is very relaxing – admittedly, the glass of sangria helps with that!

As a Forbes Five-Star spa, Altira Spa offers just about every massage and facial combination that you can imagine. However, the real standout here is the spa’s wet facilities. You can’t visit without taking a dip in their stunning infinity pool that was named by US Forbes Traveler as one of the 10 best swimming pools in the world. With floor-to-celling windows, and even underwater music, it’s easily one of the best places in the city to take in views of the picturesque Macau Peninsula. They also boast vitality pools, crystal steam rooms, saunas, an ice fountain, Rasul and experience showers.

With 9,000sqm (97,000sqft) of floorspace, Malo offers the most comprehensive healthcare and wellness services of any spa in Macau. Located on Level 5 of the Venetian resort, here you can enjoy excellent massages and facials, and they also offer a day hospital for minor cosmetic and wellness procedures. The team of well-trained healthcare professionals perform diagnostic and treatment procedures using only the latest medical equipment.

Formerly called Crown Spa. They were awarded Forbes Five-Star Spa in 2014 and endowed ‘Best Luxury Hotel Spa’ in the Luxury Spa Awards for four consecutive years. They boast exceptional spa facilities including vitality pools, saunas, hammam steam, a tepidarium and experience showers. Their salon is a local favourite, too, offering a full menu of hair and nail treatments as well as barbering services for men.

Unique to the area, Tria Spa at the MGM resort is the only spa in Macau to offer So Sound Therapy. The wellness therapy enables you to harmonise your mind and body by laying on the SoSound lounger – a bed that uses penetrating sound and vibrational oscillations to displace tension and stress. They also offer a Himalayan Healing Ritual – a deeply relaxing oil massage that harnesses the sound of Himalayan singing bowls to help you slip into a dreamlike meditative state and feel the body begin to heal itself.

Located on the first floor of Encore Tower inside Wynn Macau, the Spa at Encore is the epitome of the extravagant makeover that Macau has undergone in the past decade. This Forbes Five-Star spa offers the very best in spaces to luxuriate and live like a king or queen, at least for the duration of a massage. Its therapy suites are all private, and each contain their own steam room, sauna, hydrotherapy aroma bath and relaxation lounge. From facials to full-body scrubs, they offer more than 30 treatments for your specific choosing. If you’re going to indulge, this is the place to do it.