The Welcome

We stepped into the grounds of Shangri-La’s Chi – The Spa and stood there for a moment taking in the beauty and admiring the landscaped gardens with the island backdrop, before being pleasurably interrupted by a gentle wafting of a indistinctive scent that begged to be identified.

Even before we could venture a guess, Spa Manager Alyssa Lim greeted us and within seconds had us seated, sipping cool cinnamon and pandan tea, an appreciated chilled beverage in contrast to the heat and humidity.

As we settled in we were introduced to the spa’s concept of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, water or metal) meant to balance a person’s energy.

Based on ancient Chinese and Himalayan beliefs, Chi works on the philosophy of helping one’s life force flow freely throughout the body and harmonising the Yin and Yang energies.  Therapies at Chi – The Spa are inspired by ancient healing treatments and rituals from the Himalayas, where Shangri-La, the legendary utopia that James Hilton wrote about in his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, nestles.

A range of spa treatments, from all-in-one packages, to hot stone treatments, massages, wraps, scrubs, hand and foot treatments, and skincare all beg to be enjoyed.  Sabahbah.com chose the Pulau Bayu retreat, which, according to the menu, includes a footbath, uplifting himalayan bath therapy, a body scrub, and a Borneo Therapy Massage.

“Traditionally, we try to identify our customer’s element of the day first to determine the best scent to use during treatment to balance out their energy,” said Alyssa, handing us a form, which asked for info such as medical background and preference in food tastes and colours. After determining our elements for the day, a therapist showed us to our villas.

Chi – The Spa Experience – The Pulau Bayu Retreat

Filled with anticipation we arrived at our private villa after a short stroll through the spa gardens. Both single and couple villas are available to suit customers’ needs and spa treatments.

Our private villa was equipped with a changing room, treatment room, outdoor shower, steam room and outdoor bath with sun beds.

Our footwear come off at the door, while our daywear had to wait till the changing room. The robes provided were ultra plush and light, different from the usual heavy cotton or terry cloth.

For most people, disposable underwear found at spas are an uncomfortable and unflattering necessity, but the Chi experience provides a breathable, albeit see-through, garment, which is suprisingly comfortable and will sculpt itself around body shapes ample and slim.

A sarong for ladies or a pair of shorts for the men will protect any modesty you may have.  A ring of the bell later we were welcomed into the treatment room and the real pampering began.

Up first was another soothing cup of tea, served in cups fashioned out of pure jade, while our therapist explained the flow of the session.  A foot soak started us off, with warm water peppered with lemongrass, lime, betelnuts, lime leaves, ginger and cloves, topped off with a foot scrub.

The outdoor bath, already thoughtfully filled with hot water, beckoned us to perpetuate the relaxation from the footbath throughout.  Soaking in the tub amidst the creeping vines, looking out into the garden where we caught a glimpse of the South China Sea, is one of the most indulgent things yet we had the pleasure of doing here at Sabahbah.com.

After reluctantly getting out of the tub, we were lured to the treatment tables where it was time for the pearl cocoa scrub. Like its name suggests, the scrub is a scrumptious combination of crushed pearls from the east coast district of Semporna and cocoa beans, mixed with soya, ginger and pegaga leaf. It certainly smelled good enough to eat.

Our modesty was always protected by the therapists who respectfully veiled their gazes by lifting the sheets as we got comfortable on the table, either when lying down or turning over. Before the treatment begins, ladies are asked about their preference of having their chest area massaged.

After a shower to rinse the sinfully delicious smelling coconut off our bodies, a lovely experience with the outdoor-esqe rain shower, we once again were directed to the treatment beds.

This is where the Borneo Therapy Massage, a signature treatment of the spa,  promised to get rid of any stubborn tenseness that remained in spite of the prior pampering. The massage treatment is inspired by the traditions of bobohizan, the Kadazandusun native healers, and uses palm and thumb pressure that releases wind in the body and promotes good circulation.

The soothing music did wonders to while away the two and a half hours and before we realised, the treatment had come to an end. Another few sips of tea later, we were back in the changing room preparing for our imminent return to the real world.

But fortunately or not, a whiff of Borneo Therapy seemed to have rubbed off on cellphone or notepad, and continued to linger around us for days after, a wistful reminder of the indulgent escape we had at Chi The Spa at Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa.

Relax Yourself

Chi – The Spa’s garden is extremely conducive to relaxation. With stone elements intertwined with lucscious greens, surrounded by calm blue ocean, the garden’s western corner features a glass-walled hut, which overlooks the nearby islands.

This is Chi – The Spa’s Yoga & Tai Chi room where everyone with a health-concious mind in Kota Kinabalu is welcome to join a class to de-stress and refocus their energies.

Yoga Sessions
Monday & Sunday: 8am – 9am
Wednesday & Friday: 5pm – 6pm
Price: RM 70 per person or RM 100 per person for a private session

Tai Chi Sessions
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays: 4pm – 5pm
Price: RM 60 per person or RM 80 per person for a private session

For more information about Shangri La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa Yoga or Tai Chi session, or Chi – The Spa, please email tah@shangri-la.com.

Open from 10.00am to 9.00pm daily, Helen Beauty Reflexology has a veried menu of massages, foot reflexology, body slimming massages, spas, scrubs, manicure and pedicures and facial treatments.

Helen Beauty Reflexology
2nd Floor
Centrepoint Shopping Centre

Ph: +60 88 270 073

Featuring a range of half body, traditional foot, traditional Thai, Thai Herbal, Thai Aromatheraphy and Sport Massages as well as Body Scrubs.

Thai Odyssey is a member of Thai Spa Spa Association.

Thai Odyssey
Traditional Thai Massage in Kota Kinabalu (KK)
D’ Junction Square
1st Floor Lot D
Jalan Penampang
Ph: +60 88 703 332

Open Daily from Monday – Sunday (10:00 – 23:00)

“A slice of Bali” we proclaimed as sabahbah.com walked into the central garden of the new Spa village at Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. “Actually”, our host said, “the concept’s influence is Tibetan”.

CHI The Spa is built on a little peninsula at the Tanjung Aru Resort, where for years an under-utilised hut, used as a venue for occasional dinners and cultural events, occupied this prime piece of real estate. Clearly not realising its potential as a corner of the resort with a beautiful view, Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort decided to build KK’s first Spa Village in the shape of CHI The Spa.

A year in the making, CHI The Spa finally stands as a proud feature of the resort. A little over budget so far as time and money is concerned, it’s worth every Ringgit. As you approached the village from a distance, seeing it secluded against the backdrop of blue ocean and distant Borneo islands, you already start feeling at peace.

The first thing you come across when you’ve passed the buzz around the pool and Coco Jo’s, is the jetty at the end of which is the first of two entrance portals. This is where you meet the first eastern elements, and it prepares you for a barrage of Asian philosophy designed to dissolve your aches and stresses and numb you with pampering bliss.

The reception area is airy with lots of wood, water and stone, featuring an abstract centrepiece designed to represent the five elements of fire, water, wind, earth and metal. Here is where you make your booking and get assessed, so that CHI The Spa can provide you with exactly what your ailing body needs.

Beyond the reception you step into the central garden. On sunny days, the green of the plants are dramatically contrasted by the stone and wood buildings with little glimpses of the ocean and islands visible in the gaps.

From here the earthy pathways lead to single treatment rooms, double treatment suites or to the Yoga platform perched on the outer most edge of the peninsula, where there is nothing but sweeping views of the ocean and islands.

The double treatment suites are clearly designed for serious pampering and extreme relaxation, preferably for a romantic couple. Able to function as a self-contained suite, it would be easy to spend a blissful night right there.

Aside from the changing area, shower, steam room and the small foyer that receives you, there is a main treatment area. The focus of this area are the two treatment tables, which occupies its centre. Imported from Tibet, as are many of the finishings, it’s all with quality of the overall experience in mind and no expense has been spared.

What attracts your attention is the enclave immediately behind the treatment beds. A full-sized double bed, half built into the façade of the room with chiffon drapes pulled back and looking very sexy and inviting, it’s intended purpose is supposedly for the relaxing sipping of tea presented prior to the start of the treatment.

Sensibilities might ignore this prudish suggestion and race to imagine a host of alternative uses and applications that such a comfortable and sensual cubbyhole could present. With most treatments lasting well over an hour and a half, the longest being a four-and-a-half hour relaxation and pampering marathon, being soothed and massaged and pampered with a loved one would inevitably include some quiet time… and this enclave.

In the outside area there’s a small garden of which half is covered by roof and the other by nothing more than the skies. Sun loungers perched on the grass verge provide an opportunity to relax in the sun between treatments. Under cover the Jacuzzi awaits to pelt with bubbles where massaging hands had been, perpetuating the serenity you undoubtedly would be experiencing by then.

The premium pampering of CHI The Spa at Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa doesn’t come cheap though, but after you’ve been exposed to the riches awaiting you in its treatments, you might still think it a bargain. An ample menu of 26 treatments starts at RM250 for a variety of hand-and-foot care treatments. From there the prices move upward with body scrub treatments, body wraps, men’s skincare treatments and facial treatments.

The massages include treatments with names like Asian Blend, Himalayan Healing Stone Massage, Aroma Vitality, Echanted Journey and Pulau Bayu Retreat, the latter two from the premium CHI Journey section. The two flagship treatments, Serenity Ritual and Paradise Found, are epic four-and-a-half-hour journeys of health, vitality and relaxation and is at the top of the price list at RM930 each. The prices are per person and excludes taxes.

As a complete experience from the moment you approach the Spa Village until you leave, CHI The Spa seems to have found their spa shangri la.