Home Spa and Beauty InstituteTraditional Chinese massages at Spa Lanqi

Traditional Chinese massages at Spa Lanqi

by Melle Bon Plan
Published: Updated:

You know how important (dare I say, essential!) I think it is to take care of yourself and your body. And the more time passes (translation: the older I get), the more I realize that it is truly vital, because unfortunately, I’ve passed the age where they say the body begins to decline… I really don’t believe that’s a fatality; however, I do believe that you clearly need to dedicate time, energy (and sometimes a bit of money) to try and live as well as possible with our organism.

Anyway, all that to introduce you to the magnificent Spa Lanqi, which practices traditional Chinese massage and for which I had the chance to test several treatments that I am going to talk about below. What I always appreciate when I go to Spa Lanqi is the very special attention paid to my current problems and my general physical state. Moreover, before each treatment, the owner of the place, Ms. Lanqi, always comes to see us (or speaks to us on the phone) to carry out a quick diagnosis and give some additional instructions to the masseuse, who are all qualified in traditional Chinese medicine. It is knowledge learned from generations to generations with her grandfather!

All massages on the menu are performed with the “TUINA” technique: TUINA, practiced for over two thousand years, is the pillar of Chinese medicine and is based on the principle of toning the body and its functions in their entirety (physical, mental, and emotional). The brand has three locations (two in Paris and one in Neuilly-sur-Seine), but for my part, I have often visited the address located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, and in 2023 I tested the new address opened in the 15th arrondissement.

Red Chinese tea set adorned with characters on a cherry blossom background.

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This energizing facial treatment is offered exclusively at the new Lanqi Spa address in the 15th, which has 15 cabins and spans an area of 262m2. The treatment releases tension, restores radiance to the face, brightens the eye contour, reduces puffiness and dark circles, minimizes double chins, and makes the complexion glow.

How does it work?

For this treatment, the practitioner uses several tools: Cow horn, which accelerates blood circulation, removes toxins, and provides energy / The Jade Roller, which was the preferred accessory of Chinese empresses. They used it as a daily routine to keep their skin young thanks to its regenerative action. The coolness of the jade closes pores while the roller moves over the skin of the face to activate the lymph, which will reduce puffiness, smooth, and plump up wrinkles. The cow horn will also accelerate blood circulation, remove toxins, and provide energy. The treatment mainly focuses on the face, but the practitioner also massages the cervical area, the head, and the arms as well as the hands.

My impressions

The results of the massage are visible very quickly on the face, which already regains its radiance at the end of the treatment. Unlike other massages at Spa Lanqi, this massage is quite gentle and less tonic than other treatments offered at the location. It can therefore also be a good entry point to discover Chinese massages if you are not familiar with them, for example.

Price: 1h – €106 / 1h30 – €159

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Foot Hammam

This specific treatment for legs and feet improves blood circulation and relieves heavy legs by alternating steam baths, leg massage, and foot reflexology.

How does it work?

Comfortably settled in a chair, you place your feet in a steam bath containing plant extracts for 20 minutes. During this time, the practitioner massages your upper back, scalp, arms, and hands to promote total relaxation. After the hammam, the leg massage begins, followed by 40 minutes of foot reflexology. The practitioner performs a leg massage with acupressure points on the meridian pathways that will improve circulation in the legs.

The foot reflexology session consists of pressing on points (meridians) to address issues such as digestion, stress, insomnia… It should be noted that the feet contain nearly 7,200 nerve endings, each connected to a specific organ.

My impressions

The massage itself is not necessarily pleasant because some points can be (very) painful under pressure, but I am convinced that, deep down, it did my body good because it removes tension and revitalizes energy.

Price: Foot Hammam – €88 – 1h

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Beautiful Summer Treatment

This treatment performs significant work to promote the functioning of the liver, which is often compared to the general of armies, because it is thanks to it that all the functions of the body are organized. For traditional Chinese medicine, the Liver, of Yin nature, belongs to the Wood element (liver/gallbladder).

It has 5 main functions that deserve special attention to keep it healthy: stress and fatigue management, energy circulation in the body, blood circulation, maintaining the good health of tendons, ligaments, and nerves, and finally, the liver also helps the stomach and spleen in their digestive function.

How does it work?

To support this general of armies in all its functions and to release stress and fatigue, the practitioner provides 30 minutes of Tuina massage to strengthen energy. For the next 30 minutes, she works on “treating” the liver meridian on 5 specific points (meridians that can be quite painful depending on your general condition) to promote the detoxification of the liver accumulated during winter. By stimulating them, toxins will be evacuated via the lymph, and the balance of Yin and Yang will be strengthened.

My impressions

I must say that the first 3 points of the liver meridians were very painful for me, and I left the massage feeling exhausted. I always advise not to plan anything after a massage of this type and to do it later in the day if possible, so you can rest afterward. For this massage, it was particularly beneficial. As with most of the other massages in the establishment, the practitioner takes care during the treatment to massage the entire body (from head to toe).

Price & duration: 1h – €88 / 1h30 – €132

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4 Seasons Treatment

This treatment helps restore strength, energy, and relaxation by stopping the humidity in our body that produces toxins and energetic disorders. Traditional Chinese Medicine considers there to be 5 climates: heat, cold, dryness, humidity, and wind. For them, the most disruptive element for the body is humidity.

How does it work?

The practitioner provides 40 minutes of Tuina massage to strengthen energy, then for 20 minutes, she works in a specific order on 10 precise meridian points, from head to toe. By stimulating them, toxins are evacuated.

My impressions

I think I had accumulated a lot of tension in my body, so the massage was particularly painful on certain points (especially on the left side, strangely) and I felt exhausted for about 2 days afterward. Overall, I think it did my body a lot of good, but it also gave it a lot of work, which I think explains the fatigue I felt afterward.

Price & duration: 1h – €106 / 1h30 – €159

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Serene Winter Treatment

In traditional Chinese medicine, there are Five Movements linked to 5 seasons, which proposes stimulating vital energy via meridians according to the key organs of each season for maximum tone. According to this knowledge, in winter, one must strengthen the Kidney, the organ producing energy, by recharging its batteries. This treatment, launched at Lanqi Spa at the beginning of winter 2018, allows you to start the winter period with a body full of energy, and I think I really needed that.

How does it work?

The practitioner provides 30 minutes of Tuina massage to re-energize the whole body, strengthen energy, and stimulate the body’s immune defenses, then for 30 minutes, she works in a determined order on the 9 meridian points of the kidney.

My impressions

Once again, I think I had accumulated a lot of tension in my body, so the massage was particularly painful on certain points (especially around the cervical area, where I’ve had a problem for a little over a year now) and I felt exhausted and sore for about 2 days afterward (but the masseuse had warned me that this would be the case during the massage).

Price & duration: 1h – €88 / 1h30 – €132

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Beautiful Winter Treatment

For the first time at Lanqi, this winter 2022/2023 treatment begins with the scalp, neck, arms, and hands.

How does it work?

The session therefore begins with a scalp massage, neck massage, and then the arms. The practitioner presses on invisible feng chii points (head), shang mai (cervical), and 3 other points for the hand. These actions will address problems of digestion, stress, insomnia, and tension. This improves internal exchanges and harmonizes the whole body. At first, the practitioner makes a diagnosis thanks to the scalp, arm, and hand massage. She then sets out to adjust the massage, from feet to head, to treat the different areas where tension and dysfunction were felt during the scalp massage (diagnosis).

My impressions

As always at Spa Lanqi, the practitioner ultimately adapts her massage to the tensions and needs of your body, so that she will inevitably dwell on the points of blockage and the problems. As always, it was for me a fairly painful massage but one that did my body a lot of good again.

Price & duration : 1h – €88 / 1h30 – €132

Spa Lanqi interior decoration with sculpted phoenix and orchids.

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Scalp-Harmony Treatment

This treatment offers a protocol thousands of years old that reconciles Yin and Yang to restore body balance.

How does it work?

The protocol begins with a massage of the hands and forearms that activates the acupuncture points related to the head, neck, and face. Then comes the scalp and neck massage. The masseuse performs varying degrees of pressure on key zones to promote deep relaxation.

The benefits of this massage: fights against fatigue, reduces stress and relaxes, alleviates headaches, combats insomnia, rebalances energy, and improves digestion.

My impressions

As every time I go to get a massage at Spa Lanqi, I had accumulated tension in my body and certain acupressure points were painful, but I think I’m starting to get used to it… Leaving the spa, I felt much lighter and more relaxed. And in the days that followed, I had some stiffness in my neck, but I think it’s due to the tensions released by the masseuse during the treatment.

Due to Covid, a mask is mandatory for the entire duration of the massage, but honestly, it didn’t stop me from relaxing at all, nor from enjoying the treatment.

Price & duration: 1h – €106 / 1h30 – €159

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Chi Nei Tsang: the art of visceral massage

This treatment focuses on the belly, which carries the traces left by all our traumas and our most intimate secrets. Chi Nei Tsang relieves fear, pain in the neck, back, and shoulders.

How does it work?

The protocol begins with a 40-minute massage on the belly and stomach, then it ends with 20 minutes of massage on the meridians of the arms, thighs, legs, and feet. Chi Nei Tsang, a branch of Qi Gong, consists precisely of deep abdominal massage to release negative energies. This ancestral Chinese practice allows you to reconnect with yourself and regulate internal conflicts by stimulating our self-healing potential.

The benefits of this massage: this treatment allows, through gentle and deep touch, the manipulation of abdominal energy, which in traditional Chinese medicine is the organ of the pure and the impure where what must be stored and rejected enters, and which can create energetic blockages.

My impressions

As every time I go to get a massage at Spa Lanqi, I had accumulated tension in my body and certain acupressure points were painful, but I’m used to it now. I was struck by how difficult it is to let someone massage your belly, a part of the body where you feel very vulnerable when someone touches it. I was also surprised to notice that by pressing certain precise points on my foot, the practitioner had managed to relax areas of my belly that were very hard and tense.

Price & duration: 1h – €106 / 1h30 – €159

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Immunity Treatment

This treatment stimulates the immune system, which can weaken in autumn and winter. The goal is to preserve and strengthen it to face external aggressions. The organ affected by humidity is the spleen. When it is weakened, it struggles to move energy up to the orifices. The solution is to focus on good blood circulation to boost vitality, because a healthy immune system is a guarantee of good health.

How does it work?

The masseuse performs 45 minutes of Tuina massage to unblock tension and revive energy (QI) and then 15 minutes on the spleen meridian point (feet + belly + legs + head + arms).

My impressions

As every time I go to get a massage at Spa Lanqi, I had accumulated tension in my body and certain acupressure points were painful, but I’m used to it now. This massage is quite tonic and even if you are tired after the massage, you then regain tone and energy with this treatment.

Price & duration: 1h – €82

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This signature custom massage aims to relieve the body and mind by performing a deep massage on points that hurt and are therefore problematic. A treatment that takes care of the body from head to toe and uses the Tuina method, a Chinese medicine method that has existed for over 2,000 years. A method that regenerates and invigorates the body and allows you to remove accumulated tension in order to rebalance internal energies, or Qi.

It is a custom massage, provided with Himalayan plants on the whole body and with special “attention” on the points you have pointed out to the masseuse. This technique is based on the principle of toning the body and its functions in their entirety (physical, mental, and emotional).

This global massage helps to rebalance the body’s energies well, I find. I felt lighter coming out and quite tired, as is often the case when I leave Spa Lanqi.

Price & duration: 1h – €106 / 1h30 – €159

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This treatment, completely customized according to your needs of the moment, allows you to regain your emotional and body energy, pep, a smile, and above all, your well-being!

According to your voice and by discussing your feelings and your current problems with you, Ms. Lanqi will make a diagnosis by phone or face-to-face. Based on her recommendation, she will determine which custom treatment to receive to regain a good balance and will establish the protocol with the masseuse!

This time with this treatment, I really had a massage very different from the other massages I had already experienced at Spa Lanqi. The treatment started with a fairly firm foot reflexology, then a long massage of the belly area and the organs of the digestive system. It is never very “pleasant” to be massaged in this area, but it provides incredible benefits, and it is a very important area in Chinese medicine to ensure good overall body health. And then the massage ended with a fairly long part, lying on the side, between the pelvis and the cervical area, because Ms. Lanqi had detected a blockage problem in my cervicals (which is unfortunately very common for me). As always, the massage was quite painful on a number of areas where I had quite serious blockages and you feel quite exhausted afterward (you can even have aches in the days that follow) but then the body is always better, and that is ultimately why I go to Spa Lanqi.

Price & duration: 1h – €106 / 1h30 – €159

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The tip: if you come on behalf of Mademoiselle Bon Plan (code MBP) to Spa Lanqi, you can benefit from several discounts (see below) :

  • -25% for the 1-hour ancestral body massage
  • -15% for the 1-hour visceral chineistang massage
  • -15% 1-hour energizing taiji body chi massage
  • -15% for the 1-hour taiji chi facial harmony massage
  • -20%for the 1-hour tourmaline massage

Lanqi Spa
48, avenue de Saxe, 75007 Paris
68, rue de Lourmel, 75015 Paris
18 rue Beffroy 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine

Open from 10am to 10pm, 7 days a week

Link to the spa’s website


Relaxing back massage with dark grains, likely in a wine tourism context.

Find all my massage reviews below:
⇒ My Beauty Institute and Spa reviews

MY FAVORITE WELL-BEING ADDRESSES IN PARIS
⇒ Spa Lanqi and traditional Chinese massages
⇒ Le Spa dans le Noir
⇒ Spa Terre d’Iris in Neuilly-sur-Seine
⇒ Thai massage at Ban Sin Thaï
⇒ Maison Suisen
⇒ L’Institut Menard
⇒ Le Spa Mamabali


Photo credits: Melle Bon Plan
Photos are not royalty-free, photographer authorization is required before any use

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