The complete Dagu Lu Shanghai massage guide
One of the biggest issues locals and visitors in Shanghai face is where to get a massage.
With so many options dotting the city, do you choose the blind massage? Maybe your simple local rub down or a luxe detox? Hard choices.
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The main drag of Dagu Lu has just about any Shanghai massage you could want. The western side of the two-block long street boasts almost a dozen massage places, making it one of the most massage-dense areas of the city.
Here’s the lowdown of which places to hit.
Taipan Massage
By all accounts Tiapan is a Dagu Lu anchor. This branch of the China-wide chain pioneered the beloved formula of massage, TV and camaraderie.
It’s the city’s best hangover diversion: enlist a friend, grab a DVD from the savvy businessmen who operate the wagon in the middle of the block, then settle in for Taipan’s signature 90-minute foot and shoulder rub in front of the LCD.
Relative cost: Moderate
Perk we love: The menu of tea, fruit juice and beef noodles -- all free.
Go for: The 90-minute all-you-can-eat and foot and shoulder massage (RMB 138). But be sure to book ahead. Walk-ins almost never make it past the door.
Taipan, 370 Dagu Lu, near Chengdu Bei Lu 大沽路370号, 近成都北路, +86 21 6340 0366
Congen [Kangjun] Massage
Like a cheap motel without the kitsch, Congen has broom-closet rooms, a brown-on-brown color scheme and a 45-minute hour.
That said, staff are organized, friendly and sensitive -- practitioners (who comes in two skill levels, three and five stars) dwell on the tight spots and respond well to your incomprehensible grunting.
That thumb in your armpit? Feels better than it sounds.
Relative cost: Cheap to moderate
Perk we love: Congen’s saving grace (other than quite skilled masseuses) is the classic-rock Muzak over the sound system. Particularly soothing: the pan-flute rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is."
Go for: The Royal Treatment (RMB 278), a 90-minute oil massage that covers head, feet and everything in between -- though some swear the hour-long ear massage (RMB 146) will cure all that ails you.
Congen, 436 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路436号, 近石门一路, +86 21 6340 1161
Damo Reflexology
Damo doesn’t mess around with bells and whistles -- unless you think highly of synthetic bloomers and vanilla tea. Decor here resembles other Dagu Lu joints: lounge chairs, ottomans and wall-mounted TVs (don’t expect them to work, though).
All the places on the block tend to open at 11 a.m., but Damo gets bonus points for welcoming us at 10 a.m. when others have turned us away (it’s never too early for a foot rub). Top marks, too, for the reflexology treatment of a lifetime. Our practitioner got it just right.
Relative cost: Cheap to moderate
Perk we love: The total absence of hassle, pain and disappointment is rare in these parts, so we’ll call it a perk.
Go for: The Special Damo Experience, a 60-minute foot massage that hits pressure points you didn’t know you had. Normally RMB 115, when we went it was available at a 30 percent discount.
Damo Reflexology, 432 Dagu Lu, near Chengdu Bei Lu 大沽路432号, 近成都北路, +86 21 6375 1008
Bamboo Massage
It’s on the opposite end of the block from Taipan and, from its sorry veneer paneling, it might seem a mile away from Taipan’s successful formula.
Surprisingly though, Bamboo has a recipe of its own which is -- to quote Charlie Sheen -- winning. In fact, when we went, our strong-armed practitioner was called Sheen (no relation).
Our full-body session exceeded the 60-minute time limit and left us smiling for the rest of the day.
Relative cost: Cheap to moderate
Perk we love: The intimate creep of Sheen’s fingers could have been a liability, but we were in a good mood and Sheen quickly moved on.
Go for: The one-hour oil massage with rose oil, whose “key effect” is meant to “improve one’s looks,” according to promotional material. We can’t say that it fulfilled its duty to the letter, but for RMB 233, down from RMB 388, we can’t complain.
Bamboo, 508 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路508号, 近石门一路, +86 21 3366 2778
Skin City 5.5
For visitors pining for a beloved masseuse back in New York or London, here’s a body shop with Manhattan service and Mayfair standards.
True to the name, "Skin City" is better known for its attention to epidermis than deep tissue -- it’s one of the only places in town to practice microdermabrasion -- and its facialists have waiting lists. The massages are deeply gratifying.
Relative cost: Expensive
Perk we love: The multilingual receptionist, European magazines and music menu: choose your favorite classical pianist, or laze with Ella and Billie.
Go for: The hour-long Spirulina Detox Facial (RMB 598). It smells divine and leaves your cheeks soft as a baby’s bum for a week. If that doesn’t grab you, at least you’ll nap like a champ.
Skin City 5.5, 476 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路476号, 近石门一路, +86 21 6340 1235, www.skincity55.com
Dragonfly
Does anyone really go to Dagu Lu for Dragonfly? The nationwide operation seems a bit aspirational for this no-frills stretch of concrete, more suited to its Xinle Lu location, perhaps.
The good news is that Jing'an Dragonfly keeps it real. Prices were reasonable for our first-rate aroma oil massage (RMB 252 for an hour), which was served with a smile and a cup of tea. Though is it too much to ask for a lounger on which to enjoy it?
Therapists even attend to your tummy -- there’s no better alternative to a spoonful of Metamucil.
Relative cost: Moderate to expensive
Perk we love: The hot-cloth wipe-down at the end.
Go for: The 120-minute Give It to Me One More Time massage (RMB 530), which includes an hour-long aromatherapy massage, plus an hour of foot, head or shoulder massage -- by four hands no less.
Dragonfly, 458 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路458号, 近石门一路, +86 21 6327 1193, www.dragonfly.net.cn
Peony Aroma
Customers get just the right balance of boudoir chic, friendly service and expert care at Peony, a multi-level parlor near trendy Italian restaurant Nolita.
Hands are attentive and discerning, covering all the tender spots -- even our troubled elbows, which had never seen such love. Much the same could be said of our “pectoral” region. Our craving for a cigarette post-massage was no surprise.
Relative cost: Moderate
Perk we love: Anyone who spends 10 minutes ministering to our head and scalp without our constant hounding gets our vote.
Go for: Peony’s raison d’etre: aromatherapy. The Vitality Aromatherapy massage (RMB 240) fills an hour with slick, Swedish-style kneading.
Peony Aroma, 426 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路426号, 近石门一路, +86 21 5666 1776, +86 21 6340 0951
Sunny Massage
Were we the only fools to have ascended Sunny’s steps that fateful evening? The rooms were frosty, employees were barking down their phones in the corridor (then clearing their throats) and the guy performing our Aroma Oil Massage (RMB 218) was outside with his buddies having a smoke before we could pull up our pants.
A hot-towel rubdown that should have brought goodwill just made us colder.
Relative cost: Cheap
Perk we love: Ten minutes with our feet in a warm bath upon arrival was a nice, although a common, touch. Considering the state of our feet as we sat down, we're unsure who benefited most from the soak.
Go for: If you must, keep it short with one of the 60-minute oil massages, from RMB 218.
Sunny Massage, 500 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路500号, 近石门一路, + 86 21 6340 0636
Fino
What do you do about the prudish client who insists on wearing her underpants? Why, pull them down, of course. But that’s OK, Fino. We forgive you. Masseuse Tony, too, despite what some might call his unhealthy obsession with our bottom.
Tony was all thumbs, in the nicest way possible, a Swede in Shanghai pajamas. The drab “Motel 168” interior at Fino was a ruse -- this was the best RMB 198 we ever spent.
Relative cost: Cheap to Moderate
Perk we love: The deft abdominal massage and the rubber mallets they pull out to massage the pads of your feet at the end of a foot massage.
Go for: The RMB 198 Health Meridian massage, or any of the acupressure massages (from RMB 138).
Fino, 486 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路486号, 近石门一路, +86 21 6359 1155, +86 21 139 1786 0903 (Japanese)
