Chun Hui Yuan Hot Spring Resort
Our verdict Comfortable, discreet and great for a night under the stars
What’s it like?
Chun Hui Yuan
bucks the trend in the world of
Beijing hot springs, forgoing kitsch
adornments and faux tropical
scenes for something more stylish,
with classic wooden trellises and
sleek stone furnishings dominating
the decor. The baths are divided
into three areas – one indoors, two
outdoors – and vary in size with
plenty of options for both couples
looking for a bit of privacy and large
groups. The Garden Baths garner
the most attention: ten steaming
open-air pools offer different types
of aromatic-infused waters to help
relaxation; stay here into the evening
for a soak under the stars. The next-door
Lakeside Baths shouldn’t be
missed either, offering views of Chun
Hui Yuan Hotel’s grounds beyond.
Facilities
Alongside the 30-odd
baths, Chun Hui Yuan has a heated
indoor swimming pool, hot stone
resting beds, steam rooms and
saunas – the ‘hot’ sauna even
has a plunge pool and television
for optimum chill time. There’s
an onsite spa offering a range of
treatments, including a 40-minute
foot massage (88RMB) and a whole-body
oil massage (398RMB). Yu Zhuang, Gaoliying town,
Shunyi district (6945 4433 ext
1030; chunhuiyuan.cn). Open
9.30am-midnight Mon-Fri;
9.30am-1am Sat-Sun. 168RMB
Mon-Fri; 268RMB Sat-Sun.顺义区高
丽营镇于庄村
Feng Shan Hot Spring Paradise
Our verdict Surreal surroundings ideal for those
with a sense of the ridiculous
What’s it like?
Feng Shan offers
paradise from the perspective of a
particularly sleazy toddler, bashing
you over the head with a landscape
of concrete caves, plastic rocks,
frog-shaped fountains and semi-submersed
basketball hoops until
you have no choice but to grin and
embrace the out-and-out chutzpah
of it all. It’s huge, it’s tasteless –
unless your taste runs parallel to
that of Hugh Hefner – and it’s open
24 tacky hours of the day.
Provincial leisure centre on
acid it might be, but we enjoy this
psychedelic idyll precisely because, at the end of the day, lying on a bubble bed next to a
model elephant is always going to be a giggle. And if you look
beyond the glare from the fairylights
and illuminated swans, the outside
spring area offers spectacular views
of the nearby mountains.
Facilities
Feng Shan offers stacks
of reasonably private pools both
inside and out, with noticeably
different water temperatures
and mineral levels. There’s also a
25-metre swimming pool complete
with disco-tastic decor, some toasty
kang beds, saunas and a cinema. 10 Mangshan Lu, Changping district
(60713942). Open 24 hours daily.
198RMB Mon-Fri; 238RMB Sat-Sun.
昌平区蟒山路10号
Longxi Hotspring Resort
Our verdict A faux-tropical mega resort for salt baths and herbal soaks
What’s it like?
Longxi Hotspring Resort’s system of small tubs and larger swimming pools offer a great mix of relaxing getaway vibes and waterpark thrills. While the resort’s heyday may have passed – the wood-panelled walls and kitschy decor could use a bit of a revamp – Longxi is still great for a warming winter soak.
Designed to look like a tropical paradise, upon entering the steamy hot springs as you navigate your way through lush paths lined with real plants and rock walls, you’ll find the mineral-rich baths hidden around corners and under wooden pagodas and infused with wine, tea and other delicious smells. Given the number of tubs inside, chances are high bathers will always be able to find one that’s unoccupied.
Facilities
As well as a spa offering various treatments at an additional cost, there’s a children’s play area, medicated baths and – our favourite – a crystal salt bath said to detox the body and soothe aching joints (bring a swim cap). 8 Shunjing Lu, Daxing District (8928 2222) 龙熙温泉度假酒店，大兴区庞各庄顺景路8号
Shunjing Spa
Our verdict Peaceful spa within the Fourth Ring
What’s it like?
Shunjing Spa’s baths
are clean, tastefully decorated and,
with more than 90 indoor pools to
choose from, finding a quiet spot is
simple enough. Like something out
of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the
setting is fairly mystical: sunlight
streams through the glass roof, soft
lanterns create an ethereal glow
and smoky wooden bridges link rock
pathways to the pools. The fake
trees and plastic castle in the kid’s
pool shatter the illusion somewhat,
but fortunately aren’t too invasive.
Outside, vivid evergreens, springs
and wooden pagodas feel authentic
for the most part, but with fewer than
a dozen baths in the garden – all of
which back onto the Fourth Ring
Road – for outdoor bathing, you’ll
want to look elsewhere.
Facilities
Inside, there’s a pool for
everyone with waters measuring
from 30-50°C – including
particularly nourishing 'extra-mineral-rich'
pools. There are
saunas, hot stone beds and a
range of spa treatments, like body
massages (298RMB for an hour)
and pedicures (98RMB for 45
minutes). A reasonably priced bar
and buffet (98RMB), free Wi-Fi and
cinema deliver sustenance and
entertainment. 2 North Fourth Ring
Road, Chaoyang district (5827
1888 ext 1). Open 24 hours daily.
238RMB.朝阳区北四环东路2号
Jiuhua Hot Spring
Our verdict Forbidden City meets Atlantis – it’s
the emperor’s pool party
What’s it like?
Purportedly situated
on a site where emperors past used
to revel in toasty volcanic aqua,
Jiuhua’s recent renovations have left
it with more of a lido-cum-spa feel, so its connection with nature feels
somewhat lost. Nevertheless, it
still sources hot water from 1,230m
below the ground and its wide range
of pools and reasonable price
point make it a decent choice for a
rejuvenating dip. And from higher
vantage points, the distant northern
mountains are visible, provided the
skies are clear.
Facilities
The outdoor space
sees a whole host of herbal and
heated baths surround a central
swimming pool – all with different
properties and health benefits – to help soothe the skin, tired
muscles, blood pressure and
the soul. Indoor facilities include
numerous saunas and steam
rooms, therapeutic showers and
even a fish pedicure pool. The kids
can be dropped off at the pool and
play area, while complimentary
post-soak rubdowns are available
in the pleasant changing rooms. A
basic range of snacks and drinks
are also on sale. Xiaotangshan town,
Changping district (6178 2288;
jiuhua.com.cn). Open 9am-midnight
daily. 180RMB. 昌平区小汤山枯柳树
环岛东400
米
No. 8 Hot Springs Club
Our verdict A nudist hot spring next to
Chaoyang Park
What’s it like?
Located west of
Chaoyang Park, this city-based spa
feels more like a classy bathhouse
than the usual sprawling resorts
found in the suburbs. The spring
here is natural and has been
tapped from 2,500m below ground.
Facilities
Men and women bathe
in separate areas and nudity is
mandatory. Submerging into the
soothing water feels like entering an enormous bath, and each area
also includes a spacious sauna and
a steam-filled Finnish bath. While a
basic buffet is included in the price
(the club also provides faux silk peach
pyjamas to protect your modesty),
massages, manicures and scrubs
are available for an additional cost.
8 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xi Lu,
Chaoyang district (6591 8888).
Open 24 hours daily. 198RMB for up
to 18 hours.朝阳区公园西路
8
号
WTown Hotsprings
Our verdict The one with the view
What’s it like?
WTown resort
is located 130km northeast of
downtown Beijing, where the Simatai
Great Wall partitions the capital from
surrounding Hebei. A stone warren
of villas and meandering canals,
WTown’s picturesque setting is an
interesting backdrop for the sing
‘n’ soak KTV bathtubs that make
up one of the resort’s several hot
spring offerings.
From nightfall, the Great Wall
is lit up and offers a spectacular
backdrop if you opt for any one of the
al fresco pools. If not, it’s
your partner’s gaze.
Facilities
There are two distinctly
different hot spring experiences
on offer at WTown Hotsprings, and
while both of them involve KTV, only
one offers pole dancing. For the
couples, luxurious private rooms
include the spring, KTV screen,
microphones, unlimited reverb and
seasonal fruit platter. For the racier,
there’s a wet hall with roughly ten
disco-lit personal pools encircling
a podium complete with floor-to-ceiling
pole, 'hired entertainment' and a Gongti-style bar that delivers
drinks to your pool. WTown Beijing,
Gubeikou town, Miyun county
(8100 9999 ; wuzhen.com.cn).
Open 1-11.30pm daily. 258RMB.
北京市密云县古北口镇
