Yishengtang: Stone therapy in Shanghai
Each stone on this pebble floor was imported from Japan for their mineral-rich composites.Equal parts beautification and biochemistry, Japanese stone therapy is geared as much toward making the body look and feel good as it is improving its function. Legends speak of miracle-worthy changes in people's health after sessions. Since becoming hugely popular in Japan over the last decade, the practice has hopped to mainland China for Shanghai’s first foray into the treatment at Yishengtang.
Although a popular treatment back home, the Shanghai reception has been low-key thus far due to Yishengtang's location outside of downtown Shanghai, off the regular spa circuit, and in the heart of Shanghai's Japanese community.
Stroke patients carried inside could walk again after a few days of treatment.— Zhong Liping, Yishengtang owner
Miracle treatment
Owner Zhong Liping, who called Japan home for two decades, was initially intimidated by the prospect of sustained 44 C heat during her first visit to a medical stone spa. Within moments of stepping in though, she found herself amazed by how readily her body purged itself of toxins at these high temperatures. This is the main medical benefit associated with the practice in Japan. The spas are also said to clear pores, improve circulation, diminish joint and muscle pain and even, some claim, alleviate cancer symptoms.
Zhong’s practical interest in the therapy however went beyond merely detoxing. She was intrigued by the stories of healing associated with the practice. "I heard about stroke patients carried inside could walk again after a few days of treatment," she recalls. "And, I saw a little boy who had psoriasis fully recovered in just three months. It was amazing and had a great impact on me."
When Zhong left Japan to return to her native China, she felt hot stone therapy would be just what her rapidly developing motherland needed and opened Yishengtang in Shanghai.
Health and relaxation
A far cry from a hospital, the experience here is supposed to relax the mind as well as cleanse the body. After changing into cotton kimonos, guests lie down on pebbles in a room at 45 C and 80 percent humidity. Once you're set, assistants enter and drape small, heavy bags of pebbles imported from Japan over your joints. The stones are specially chosen for their iron ore content.
The premise here is two-fold: vibrations from the ore speed up circulation so that heavy metals and food additives are sweated out, thereby increasing the flow of purifying negative ions into the bloodstream.
The steam surrounding you is also thought to move through the layers of rocks on your body, absorbing iron and calcium and releasing negative ions, which stone spa believers say helps produce serotonin. This helps you to feel completely relaxed.
Treatments can vary in length, but Zhong explains that they are generally divided into three, 10-to-15 minute intervals to allow participants time for re-hydration. Following a quick shower to wash the sweat from their bodies, patrons can complete their experience with either a cup of Japanese tea or a traditional Chinese massage.
Spa junkie Denisha Trouard has become a loyal fan, citing the otherworldly relaxation that follows each session, as well as the detox health benefits. She also offers advice to prevent calamity beforehand. "Yishengtang's not visible from [Gubei Lu], so you have to walk down a parking-lot kind of passage -- it's hidden among a bunch of Japanese restaurants, behind a big sign that says ‘555.’"
And if you get hungry after your stony session, these restaurants can deliver to the tea lounge, says Zhong.
