I have been on a bit of a mission to try out different spas and salons to get my pretty back this summer. Staying calm and looking fresh is my new mission, as I bike through Beijing. The city has plenty of great spots to get pampered. We all need some help looking and feeling our best, and I have tried out some treatments and will be sharing my experiences. Watch this space for more mommy beauty news from the frontlines.
I am a bit of a nail connoisseur, I love to have pedicures and manicures all around the world. I got hooked on pedicures in Texas during college. In the Netherlands its not very common to take care of your feet as they are in rain boots most of the time.
I found my salon on the second day we arrived in Beijing. We were in Sanlitun on the now demolished dirty bar street. My daughter got her nails painted by one of the ladies at the salon and since then I have been going to XIAOXIAO Nail Eyelash Spa. Its so good they named it twice. They have been taking care of my nails for ten months now, though sometimes I cheat and try another salon. I feel cheated myself then as XIAOXIAO knows just how to take care of my feet. They are simply that good. I feel like I shouldn’t share this secret, but here it goes anyway.
Since dirty bar street was destroyed the salon is not there anymore, but no worries as they have another location at 3.3 on the fourth floor. I met with the owner Tu Xiaoping, a mother of two boys. She tells me how she worked her way up ten years ago when she had a small salon in Sanlitun and would ask people on the street if they wanted manicures. Now she owns seven stores in Beijing and Wuhan, over 100 employees, and about 30 franchises across China. A true mom-peneur as we call it these days. Xiaoping will open a new salon in Solana in a few days. She explains that she is expanding the salon on the fourth floor of 3.3 with a skin care center to meet demand. The new skin care center is called Bella Luna, a name she always wanted to give her daughter, but she got two sons instead.
I get my nails done and then try out the new skin care center. Bella Luna looks new, fresh and modern. The spa therapists look like nurses and I cant help but think this is just what the doctor ordered! The lights are dimmed in the room the music is soothing and I get covered in a warm blanket. The girls take great care of me giving me a foot massage while giving me a facial. The hour was over in a whim and I felt relaxed and fell asleep. Make sure to head over to Sanlitun’s 3.3 Mall for the pampering of a lifetime with affordable prices to match. Manicures and pedicures will set you back between RMB 60 and RMB 350, and facials at Bella Luna run from RMB 160 to RMB 700.
Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of last year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.
Pictures by Pauline van Hasselt and Pixabay.com