Did you know that everywhere you massage, you generate and stimulate collagen production by activating micro-circulation?

End your day with a warm foot soak with powdered ginger, to ease fatigue and stimulate your blood circulation.

Then massage you legs with Elemental Herbology's Biodynamic Body Infusion METAL, for DETOX ( 150ml / 880rmb / vip: 792rmb ).

Made with Coconut oil, Almond oil, Peach Kernel oil, Jojoba seed oil and essential oils of Rosemary, Grapefruit, Juniper and Geranium, this tonic will help eliminate toxins, stimulate lymphatic drainage and encourage circulation.

Perfect for those feeling sluggish and run down or suffering with poor circulation, fluid retention and cellulite!

Want to know how to give yourself a leg massage?

Our new Spa Advisor poured too much tea leaves in the pot this morning, which made it too dark and bitter. Our Tea is a Darjeeling first flush, thus, its taste is very deep. My friend Marianne Niederer had brought it from her spiritual trip to India.

I decided to make it a Chai Tea. I added:

• 2 tea spoon of ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
• Honey or Maple syrup to your liking ( I don't like to use sugar)
• Milk to your liking ( can be replaced by soymilk)

You can find everything at the Indian Market next to the police station behind Yaxiu in Sanlitun.

To go with the tea, I also bought some Green Mukwhas! It's a mix of fennel seeds, aniseed, candied date sugar, and peppermint oil: It's an excellent breath refresher and aid for digestion.

Come and visit us for a taste of India!

Our new Spa Advisor poured too much tea leaves in the pot this morning, which made it too dark and bitter. Our Tea is a Darjeeling first flush, thus, the taste is very deep and earthy. My friend Marianne Niederer had brought it from her spiritual trip to India.

I decided to make it a Chai Tea. I added:

• 2 tea spoon of ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
• Honey to your liking ( I don't like to use sugar)
• Milk to your liking ( can be replaced by soymilk)

You can find everything at the Indian Market next to the police station behind Yaxiu in Sanlitun.

To go with the tea, I also bought some Green Mukwhas! Made of fennel seeds, aniseed, date sugar, and peppermint oil, it's an excellent breath refresher and aid for digestion. Come ad visit us for a taste of India!

Here is a super easy recipe to cool off this Spring. In addition, watermelon and mint are excellent detoxifiers and skin cleansers. Mint is known for its therapeutic qualities, improving mood and circulation.

• & 6 cups watermelon
• & 3 tablespoons minced peppermint leaves
• & Pinch of mineral sea salt

While the the watermelon and mint can be juiced with a juicing machine, not everyone has a juicer.  Here’s how to do it with a blender:  Blend all ingredients together.   Strain through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to strain the seeds or any unwanted pulp.  But actually, you really don’t have to strain this mixture.  Drink immediately or store up to 2 days in the refrigerator.  This recipe and others can also be found on Jennifer's website:  www.jennifermcclelland.com .

About Jennifer – 

Jennifer McClelland is an Eco chef certified in raw food cuisine.  Combining her experience of growing up on an Idaho farm with her studies at the renowned Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, Jennifer is the face of a new generation of eco chefs who merge culinary arts with sustainable living.  She started raw food cuisine in 2007 and has been teaching since 2009.

Upcoming Events:

April 22 Nut Cheese Class! (Shanghai)

April 24 Dinner in the Raw!  (Shanghai)

May 11 RAWktail Party! (Shanghai)

Visit:  www.jennifermcclelland.com

First thing in the morning: Get it over, and get WAXED@ STRIP, on Anfu Road.

This concept from Singapore is specialized in waxing service. It's done relatively alright, in a clean environment, with hygienic procedures. The theme is a bit factory-like, which makes it hard to relax, but the result is there! Then at 10 minutes bike ride,

SHOP@FLOW, 89 Wuyuan Lu.

This tiny cute shop in the French concession sells natural herbal soaps, floral lotions and shampoos, moisturizing balms, and essential oils at a very reasonable price. The Japanese owner will make you try all kinds of products that feels divine and smell dangerously delicious...such as the peppermint infused cocoa body butter for 90rmb!

Ride another 10 minutes to 3 Taojiang Lu, near Hengshan Lu, for a HEALTHY LUNCH BREAK @ ANNAMAYA

Japanese owned macrobiotics cuisine restaurant. Everything is delicious, made with love, and beautifully presented. I would recommend their set meals, which include choice of soup, salad, main course, and even a home made desert! Behind their backdoor, you can find Darshanaya yoga retreat.

After your meal, sip a CAPUCCINO@La Taverna on Fumin Road ( 15 min bike ride from Annamaya), then cross the street to enjoy a Silky Skin Body Scrub Treatment (45min / 200rmb)at Subconscious Day Spa.

After your power nap-spa break, ride 15 min to get to YOGA@RED DOOR YOGA, Rm. 903, 69 Yanping Lu, and join the FLOW class with Rob Lucas. Hailing from Canada, Rob is the founder of Red Door Yoga.

The "flow" class, is a powerful session focusing on your balance, flexibility, strength and breathing. It involves a lot of sweating and workout! But my mind and body fell incredibly well after each session, and I could feel my progress day by day. Especially because the class size is kept small, and Rob is a very passionate, supportive and attentive teacher!

After all this intense workout, you might want to leave your bike in their parking, and take a cab to the Japanese district, to do your HAIR@ URBAN ROOTS, a Japanese owned hair salon. Ladies can get their hair cut for 300rmb with Akima San. 

After this, make sure to stop by NATURAL COFFEE a japanese coffee shop style restaurant, a few steps South from the salon, behind Dunkin Doughnuts. Their organic coffee, beef burger and home made desserts were all delicious!

And after all this caffeine, workout, relaxation and pampering, you are ready to go out and embrace the Shanghai nightlife! On a Sunday evening, I recommend SUGAR's MUSIC JAM SESSION.

A great recipe for hot summers, you just need 3 ingredients! This sweet soup will clear heat and relieve thirst. Recommended for people with acne or oily skin.  

Honey

Coix   

Green Beans

1-Wash the beans and coix and soak them for at least 2 hours, so they are easier to digest

2-Put in an appropriate amount of water and boil until the green beans open and then simmer on low heat until well cooked

3- It is not necessary but you can add honey if you like it sweeter Find more TCM recipes and learn about Chinese herbs in this bilingual English -Chinese book (I found the whole series at Page One )

 Or visit this website which has the same content. Bon Appetit!

I have decided that part of my job will be to treat myself and indulge in a Spa every month. As my every day duty and passion is to take care of people, it is also important to remember to make space for myself to cultivate and thank my temple, the body that carries my soul...Of course, to you, I would recommend to come to Kocoon :)

ESPA @ Peninsula

Treatment booked: 

Aromatherapy Body Massage

What impressed me: 

& The Chinese decor with lots of stone and wood elements, all is tastefully decorated in a consistent way.

& The enticing retail space with reasonably priced spa products ( I almost melted for their Body Sea Salt Scrub!).

& The facilities with a sauna, steam room and dedicated relaxation lounge and the most inviting reclining sofa beds.

& The changing room facilities with all the Spa amenities and private area for changing, you can try some of the products they retail such as shampoo, body lotion etc..

Attention to details: 

& A basket of green apple in the relaxation lounge. & Plenty of water to drink at every station, including bottles of Apple juice.

& The ice fountain to scrub your body with crushed ice after using the steam room and sauna.

& I appreciated the nice green tea served upon arrival at the reception lounge, and also in the spa room before my treatment started. I was given the choice between green tea and Chrysanthemum  tea.

If I have to be picky...

& The Spa Advisor was very kind and welcoming but not able to explain to me the difference between the Balinese Massage, The Swedish Massage and the Aromatherapy Massage.

& The Spa Therapist gave me a good massage technically, but perhaps a little bit more of delicacy throughout the greeting-treatment-farewell, will make the experience even more relaxing. (This is actually something hard to teach someone...)

& Right after the end of the massage, when I sat up, the therapist tried to sell me a balm. Although done very discreetly, this made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

& The pool and gym facilities was included only for the guests opting for a half day Spa Package. Why make it so commercial?

Overall:

I would recommend to try the Espa for the whole luxury experience. It's a great way to pamper and indulge yourself or someone special. Visit their retail space for a nice spa gift. But if I focus on the treatment itself, I'm not sure if I would become a repeat customer. To me, what matters the most for a spa experience to be complete, it's the people giving it. But I am aware, that this is an eternal challenge... and it could be a hit or miss because consistency is so hard to achieve when you grow.      

Since the autumn wind has started to blow, the weather is amazingly pleasant. But if you are like me, waking up with nasal congestion, have itchy throat, feel irritable and tired, have troubles sleeping and blow your nose all day, then you have what we call "hay fever"!

You are allergic to outdoor airborne materials such as dust, pollens and molds traveling with the wind, and your immune system is reacting to it!

Here is what can relieve the symptoms, using aromatherapy*, and I have just prepared a blend for Kocoon's massage guests!

• & Lavender
• & Tea Tree
• & Eucalyptus
• & A carrier oil => At Kocoon, we use sweet almond oil

As soon as I applied it on my chest, neck and around my nose, I could feel myself breathing more comfortably and my nose stopped running immediately! You can also put the same essential oils in a air diffuser in your bedroom, and even add a drop of chamomile. I guarantee you will sleep deeply!

Dietary wise, it is recommended to stock up on Omega 3 Acids, by eating lots of fatty fish or add flaxseed in your cereals or smoothie in the morning.

Eat more of:

• & Apples ( especially the skin), red onions, garlic, green and black tea => Stops histamines production, the chemicals released by your immune system to fight allergies. It is produced to contain inflammation by suppressing white blood cell accumulation. Have you noticed you had lumps?
• & Carrots =>Beta carotene
• & Pineapple, orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, dark leafy green vegetables =>Vitamin C
• & Astralagus ( Huang Qi), a Chinese medicine herb, know for booting the immune system. Check this herbal chicken soup recipe!

You can find flaxseed, essential oils and organic coconut oil at World Health Store.

*Only use organic certified essential oils! Be aware of where you buy and what you buy, as sometimes essential oils are just synthetic fragrances in disguise. 

 ALL IN YOGA 300 POSES- by Arawella

300 Yoga positions and breathing exercises with pictures, videos, and audio instructions. Ready made routines for every day and every level, possibility to create your own program or to have a personalized training. This application is my new best friend! ;)