The strangest Shanghai spa treatments

Whether it’s injecting you with bits of other people’s bodies, ramming candles in your ears or setting carnivorous fish to chew on your skin, ‘no pain no gain’ seems to be the attitude of many of Shanghai’s health and beauty practitioners. There are some pretty bizarre treatments out there, so in the name of well-being, we double-dare you to try some of these out.

1. Placenta injection

Best for: Cannibals with wrinkles.
Your skin is injected with a placenta preparation that allows the tissue’s effective elements to be absorbed into your bloodstream. The treatment is supposed to rejuvenate aging skin by stimulating cell renewal, and Diva Life says: “Skin will appear young and vibrant.” Our advice? Placenta consumption in one form or another dates back thousands of years, so there must be something to it, but if you’re squeamish … well just don’t think about it too much. Prices quoted on enquiry.
Diva Life (multiple locations), 2266 Ruijin Er Lu, near Taikang Lu 瑞金二路266号, 近泰康路 5465729, www.mydivalife.com

2. Fish exfoliation

Best for: Brave-hearted novelty-seekers with dry skin.
No awkward small talk required with these little aquatic beauticians -- just strip off, lie back and let the doctor fish do their work.

Bosstown bathhouse has a bath filled with tiny fish who nibble away at your dead skin while you soak, leaving you smooth and exfoliated.

Devotee Ben Thompson says, “It’s not exactly 100 percent comfortable, kind of ticklish, but it doesn’t hurt at all.” A dip is included in the admission fee of RMB 128.
Bosstown, 189 Changning Lu, near Jiangsu Lu 长宁路189号, 近江苏路, +86 21 6240 5050

3. Ear candling

Best for: Traditionalists with waxy ears. 
This ancient treatment -- a long hollow candle is inserted deep into your ear and set alight, supposedly creating a vacuum that sucks out the dirt and wax into the center of the candle -- is quite controversial. The experience gets pretty dramatic when the flame burns right down to your face. 

Our therapist told us it can “help with headaches, deafness and sleeplessness” but we’ve heard some customers complain of wax deposits left behind. RMB 240 includes the ear candling and a back and shoulders oil massage.
Congen/Kangjun Massage Healthcare Club, 3/F, Huafu City, Lane 500, Tianyaoqiao Lu, near Xietu Lu 天钥桥路500弄3楼, 近斜土路, +86 21 6438 0277, +86 21 6438 0229, www.shkangjun.cn

4. Divine cleansing

Best for: Hippies with spiritual malaise... and money to burn.
We quite honestly didn’t know where to start with the wacky treatments on offer at this venue, which range from super-sonic wave facials to crystal healing therapy. But for the truly weird, you need to head to one of their events. These vary each month, but think aura drawings, spiritual readings and cosmic alignments. 

Gobbledygook or the ultimate beautification of body and soul -- who knows?

Expect to pay anything from RMB 1,000 to 9,000.
Frank n Sense Urban Retreat, 3/F, 24 Xinhua Lu, near Huaihai Xi Lu 新华路24号3楼, 近淮海西路, +86 21 6280 6075, www.franknsense.cn

5. Ginger massage

Best for: Toxed-up partygoers.
This 25-minute treatment harnesses the power of ginger to detoxify the blood and suck out all the “cool, damp energy.” Warm ginger oil is applied to the back before you are wrapped up tightly in a towel to allow the ginger to seep its way into your system. It burns like hell, but you’re left feeling energized and thoroughly warmed, inside and out. Treatment: RMB 98
Yogaspace, 3/F, 35 Gao'an Lu, near Hengshan Lu 高安路35号3楼, 近衡山路, www.yogaspace.cn