Wish upon a spa: Shanghai's best men's treatments

If you’re one of those men that borrows their girlfriend’s nail file or under-eye concealer from time to time, you’re not alone. Men of the 21st century like to pamper themselves too and Shanghai’s spas will tend to your every need.

Here are five men’s treatments that even the manliest of men will enjoy. Who doesn’t want to look good with the clock strikes midnight on Jan 1, 2010?

1. Treat your eyes at David’s Camp

Don’t worry, there’s nothing remotely girlie about this place. David’s Camp sees to men’s pampering fancies only. Ease yourself in gently with a quick 45-minute Golden Caviar Anti-Wrinkle Eye Treatment to smooth out lines, bags and dark circles. The eye mask contains a sprinkling of today’s beauty buzz ingredient golden caviar (believed to enhance skin's oxygen supply). While the area around your peepers absorbs the fishy goodness, you can enjoy a hearty head and shoulder massage. Cost: RMB 480 (45 mins).

David’s Camp, 2/F 200 Yan'an Xi Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu 延安西路200号2楼, 近乌鲁木齐北路, +86 21 6247 3602, www.despa.com

2. Relieve stress at Chuan Spa

For those not man enough to try a full-blown mani/pedicure, Chuan Spa’s Executive Indulgence treatment is the next best thing to tend to over-worked hands and feet.

Your hands and feet are soaked in warm water infused with masculine-smelling essential oils followed by an exfoliation to soften the soles of the feet (you can’t tell us they don’t need it) and an acupressure massage. Attention is then turned to your head with a conditioning hair treatment and scalp massage. Beats washing your hair in the shower. Cost: RMB 580 (60 minutes).

Chuan Spa, 3/F, The Langham, Yangtze Hotel 740 Hankou Lu, near People's Square 汉口路740号, 近人民广场3楼, +86 21 6080 0722, www.chuanspa.com

3. Glow at Wellness Spa

The Wellness Spa’s men’s facial is (according to the menu) “for the real men.” If that’s not enough to reassure you that you’re doing the right thing, let’s see how you feel after an intensive moisturizing face mask of birch sap, vitamin C, olive leaf extract and cologne and a 25-minute face and neck massage.

“The whole treatment is designed especially for men’s skin,” assures Estelle Li at Wellness Spa. Let’s face it, dry patches and shaving rashes are not a good look. Cost: RMB 880 (90 minutes).

Wellness Spa, JC Mandarin Hotel, 4/F, 1225 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Jiangning Lu 南京西路1225号4楼, 近江宁路 +86 21 6279 1888, www.wellnessspa.com.cn

4. Get buffed at Diva Life

As one regular male client at Diva Life points out, “Men like to have nice nails just as much as women do. And most importantly, women prefer a man with nice nails too.”

If this is your first-time, go all out and get the King’s Pedicure and Executive Manicure which not only includes serious filing, buffing and cuticle care to get your nails looking nice, but a moisturizing paraffin mask (think warm wax) and hand and foot massages too. They even have a machine on hand to remove stubborn calluses. You’ll be surprised at how satisfying it feels to watch the hard skin fall off. Nail polish doesn’t even come into the equation, unless you ask for it.

While you’re there, you might want to consider some manscaping. Diva Life has all areas covered from the neck to the shoulders, chest, buttocks and feet. Cost: Executive Manicure, RMB 280 (70 minutes); King’s Pedicure, RMB 350 (70 minutes).

Diva Life, 266 Ruijin Er Lu, near Taikang Lu 瑞金二路266号, 近泰康路 +86 21 5465 7291, www.mydivalife.com

5. The full works at Bund Five Spa

Once you’ve surrendered yourself to the spa-frequenting lifestyle, it’s time to try a full session of head-to-toe pampering. Of the two treatments on Bund Five Spa’s menu for gentlemen, we recommend Treatment A. After a relaxing flower foot bath, choose between a Chinese Tui Na (sans oil) and Oriental body massage to smooth out niggling knots, followed by a facial specially formulated for him using top-notch Pevonia products.

Request a room with a bath looking out onto the Pudong skyline. Lying in a bath sipping tea with the Pearl Tower twinkling back at you, you won’t regret your new-found indulgence in life. Cost: RMB 1,180 (180 minutes).

Bund Five Spa, 5/F, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu 中山东一路5号5楼, 近广东路, +86 21 6321 9176, www.bundoasisspa.com