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My Dive into Shanghai’s So-Called Spa ‘Ceiling’
Alright, so people kept talking about this one spa place in Shanghai. Kept hearing whispers, you know, “it’s the absolute top,” the “ceiling” they called it. After a particularly rough couple of weeks crunching numbers at my desk, I figured, why not? Let’s see what this “ceiling” actually looks like. Felt like I needed to practically melt the stress away.
First step, getting in. Making the call itself felt a bit formal. They asked a bunch of questions, what time, what treatment. I just picked something standard, a massage, nothing too wild. Didn’t want to overthink it. Booked it for a weekday afternoon, hoping it’d be quieter.
Showed up there on the day. The entrance was pretty low-key, actually. Not flashy like some places. Walked in, and yeah, it was quiet. Dim lighting, lots of dark wood, smelled like fancy oils. The usual spa vibe, but maybe a bit more… serious?
A staff member guided me. Very polite, almost too polite. Led me to the changing room. It was nice, clean, lockers worked smoothly. Got the standard robe and slippers. Robe was comfy, gotta give them that. Thick cotton, felt good.
The Main Event: Getting Worked On
Then came the waiting area. Soft music playing, offered some tea. Tasted like… well, fancy tea. Nothing groundbreaking, just tea. Waited maybe five minutes before the therapist came to get me. She introduced herself, asked about pressure preference, any problem areas. Standard procedure.
The treatment room was also dimly lit. Simple setup: massage table, some oils, towels. She started the massage. Deep tissue, like I asked. And honestly, she knew what she was doing. Found all the knots in my shoulders and back from sitting hunched over all day. The pressure was spot on. Didn’t chat much, which I appreciated. Just focused on the work.
- Pressure: Good, firm like requested.
- Technique: Seemed professional, hit the right spots.
- Atmosphere: Quiet, relaxing enough.
It felt good, definitely loosened me up. But was it some kind of earth-shattering, transcendent experience? Not really. It was just a very competent, very solid massage. Maybe my expectations were too high because of all the “ceiling” talk.
Post-Massage Wandering
After the massage finished, she left me to get dressed slowly. Pointed towards the relaxation area and facilities. Said I could use the steam room or sauna if I wanted.
So, I wandered over. Tried the steam room for a bit. It was… a steam room. Hot, steamy. Did its job. Didn’t feel particularly special compared to others I’ve been in. Maybe the towels were fluffier? Hard to say.
Sat in the relaxation lounge afterwards. Had another cup of that tea. Looked around. It was all very calm, very clean, very… controlled. You pay a premium for this level of quiet and polish, I suppose. But the core experience, the massage itself, felt like something you could get at other decent places too, maybe without the hushed tones and fancy tea.
My final thought leaving the place? It was definitely a high-quality spa. Everything ran smoothly, the service was impeccable, the massage was effective. But calling it the “ceiling”? That feels like a stretch. It’s more like a very, very high floor in a tall building of Shanghai spas. Solid, reliable, expensive. But maybe not the absolute peak experience everyone makes it out to be. Or maybe I’m just hard to impress after staring at spreadsheets all day. Good, yes. Mind-blowing? Nah. Just a really decent, pricey massage.
