Looking within: The Hong Kong wellness scene turns inwards

Hong Kong with its bright neon lights, lightning fast taxis and speed walking pedestrians is not the first place you might consider when looking for a place to find your zen. Why not head to Phuket or Bali instead? But Hong Kong’s wellness scene is growing, and in a very specific way that might connect more with us busy, city-dwelling Singaporeans. 

“I think the pandemic, probably in conjunction with the protests here, kind of led people more on this journey inward because mental health was just at such a low and for such a long,” says Christina Ko, a former luxury editor and founder of Good Peoples, a content studio and community clubhouse that runs  wellness retreats and workshops. “There was a longer period in Hong Kong where you could go out, but you couldn't leave the country,” she says of the time, which also included mass quarantining at government facilities. “You could really see a shift. Gyms and spas were also closed. So a lot of people who normally found respite in those places, didn’t have those options.”

Amidst Hong Kong’s reputation for being a modern, fast-moving city, it’s easy to forget that the city is really heavily-rooted in Eastern religion. “A lot of people already get their Chinese Zodiac bazi astrology reading at the beginning of every year, they hire a Feng Shui master before they move into a new office or buy a new house,” says Christina. “So a lot of that stuff is already quite ingrained in Hong Kong culture.”

Now it’s becoming even more mainstream. Being indoors for so long made more people turn to other healing modalities, many of which were waiting to be found on Instagram. “People were really experimenting more.” says Christina, who herself has moved away from publishing and now runs wellness workshops and reads cards. Having said that, she still feels Good Peoples uses her best qualities as a writer. “What I’ve been exploring [post-pandemic] – and what I see other people questioning as well – is how do we unify and integrate these healing modalities into our lives?”

This is how her signature workshop “About Me” came about. “It was just a very simple thought, that writing a person’s bio is never a worthwhile job because you need to know so much about them in order to write 100 words,” she explains. “So one day I thought, I should teach a workshop on this.” Combining soft and hard skills, the workshop teaches you how to write about yourself, gives you the opportunity to have a professional portrait shot taken, but also involves meditation and a lot of introspection. “It's probably the only writing workshop you'll ever do, where you start with a card reading.” Laughs Christina. As a result, every workshop she’s taught has been very different. “Every single workshop I've run, we spent more time on introspection, to the point that people don't even necessarily finish their bio, because they don't care.”

Beyond Good Peoples, the Hong Kong wellness scene is leaning into this inward-looking “trend”, here are some other ways to experience it, from wellness centres to hotel spas who have also incorporated this element into their offerings.

Good Peoples

Credit: Good Peoples

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This wellness community and space launched by Christina Ko runs workshops ranging from breathing techniques to the popular aforementioned About Me. Healing practitioners often use the space to run their own workshops as well. With their website in the works and a recently launched Hong Kong-inspired set of cards, this is one space to keep an eye out. Rumour is Christina might be bringing her signature workshop to Singapore soon.



www.instagram.com/_good_peoples_

All About You Centre by Sonia Samtani

Credit: Sonia Samtani

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A clinical hypnotherapist, qualified mental health counsellor and two-time TEDx speaker, Sobnia Samtani is one of the most established wellness practitioners in Hong Kong. She runs private sessions as well as couples’ counselling and is also available for guest speaking roles and corporate training. She also has a book if you can’t make it to a session.

https://soniasamtani.com

The Upper House

Credit: The Upper House

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For a hotel that doesn’t have a dedicated spa, The Upper House has been very dedicated to providing their guests with an in-depth wellness experience. They have collaborated with Good Peoples on a series of workshops based around the seven deadly sins, and also house their own crystals store, Stone and Star, who offer card readings in addition to the store.

www.thehousecollective.com/en/the-upper-house

 

Asaya Wellness, Rosewood Hong Kong

Credit: Rosewood Hong Kong

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When it opened in Rosewood Hong Kong, Asaya Wellness was designed to support a lifestyle of wellness through curated experiences with expert practitioners. This is based around five distinct pillars; emotional balance, fitness and nutrition, physical therapies, skin health and community. Some modalities they offer include movement coaching and bodywork, naturopathy, tailored fitness and arts therapy -- tapping into the emotional realm to clear obstacles, facilitate expression, promote healing and cultivate self-care.           

www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/hong-kong/wellness

I Never Use Foundation Breakfast Club

Credit: I Never Use Foundation Breakfast Club

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A mindful and earth-conscious lifestyle concept store first launched in 2013 by Olive Wong Chui, I Never Use Foundation (INUF) Breakfast Club is about natural, sustainable skincare (including a range for children and mums) as well as a spa offering healing modalities such as Kundalini Chakra healing and crystal healing alongside more traditional facial treatments.

www.inuf.com