Read our other features:
Leave me alone
Couples therapy
Time to sparty
The Weird World of Spas

Rosalyn Shih and Jessica Li get the girls together for a big spa day out.

Locking yourself up in a sauna, turning off your Blackberry and indulging yourself in a $5,000 essential oil massage seems like the epitome of self-indulgence, and the height of bad taste in these financially stressed times – ever hear of spreading the wealth?

We believe that if you are going to truly enjoy yourself, you need to share the experience, ‘get away from it all’ with friends and family. It seems that you agree: group manicures and facials are rapidly becoming part of the urbanista’s social agenda, which is why, in the interest of collective betterment, we present the group spa party, less formally known as the ‘sparty’.

The sparty is, at heart, a way for young urban professionals to relive the experience of a thirteen-year old slumber party – without the obligatory game of truth and dare (though by all means play if the mood takes you). All the essential elements are there. The inflatable kiddie pool becomes the private roof-top sauna. The bowl of chips and cups of soda pop provided by mum have been transformed into professionally catered canapés accompanied by flutes of bubbly. While the same music is blasting in the background, this time it’s on state-of-the-art speakers rather than a boom-box. The girly gossip, of course, is self-provided.

Getting drunk in front of your boss or ‘accidentally’ making-out with the co-worker whose surname you never learned is embarrassing enough. Indeed, there are enough awkward situations that could happen at an office party, let alone one where everyone’s wearing bathrobes, yet this hasn't stopped corporations from treating their employees to celebratory sparties. They are also proving popular for hen nights, baby showers, or even just preludes to a night out. With many spas offering special packages, and allowing for customised treatment, there’s no end to the wonderful world of group spas. Read on for our guide to the best places in town.

Bliss
1 Austin Rd, West Kowloon, 3717 2222; www.whotels.com/hongkong.
Overlooking the harbour on the 72nd floor may be breath-taking enough, but just for good measure, book yourself and a friend a triple oxygen treatment ($1,250 per person) at Bliss, in the W Hotel. Made popular by celebrities in the United States, the treatment involves cleansing, exfoliating, a fruit acid wash, an oxygen wrap followed by a calming milk mask, hydrating enzyme pack and a vitamin spray. Oh, and we didn’t even mention the brownie buffet. Alternatively, indulge your two closest friends with a Girl’s Getaway package sleepover ($3,425 for three people) or customise with their Nail Bar’s special ‘conveyor belt’ service that allows you and your friends to enjoy pedicures while you wait for your manicures to dry. The Getaway package includes a cocktail, Bliss hot cream manicure, movie of your choice and ice cream in a fabulous corner suite. Could there be any better way to celebrate good friendship?

EPSA
The Peninsula, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2315 3322; www.peninsula.com.
Your last spa treatment as a single woman should be an occasion to celebrate – or is it? No matter if you’re ready or not for your impending nuptials, you may as well make a sparty out of it. ESPA at the Peninsula allows guests to hire out the entire spa for three hours at a minimum charge of $30,000. Guests can customise their own treatments, but we highly recommend that the bride-to-be and her entourage enjoy the complementary champagne poolside. Should all the pampering leave you feeling peckish, there is also a special three-course Naturally Peninsula light and healthy menu starting from $350 per person. It’s almost enough to make you forget you’re getting married in the morning…

The Jasmine Room
15/F, The Loop, 33 Wellington St, Central, 2522 8353; www.jasmine-room.com.
If Marie Antoinette were a modern working girl, she would probably frequent the Jasmine Room for all her beauty needs. This chic interpretation of a classic French boudoir, decorated in a palette of cream and pastel pink, positively screams ‘pamper me, maintenant!’. Express treatments for a quick lunchtime pick-me-up are on the menu but it seems a shame not to make the most of their spacious 1,800 sq ft seating area for a private sparty. If you have three hours to spare we recommend the ‘Classical Girly Pampering’ party package ($8,400 for eight people), which includes manicure and pedicure, head and shoulder massages, two complimentary bottles of champagne and a tray of cupcakes – now that’s royal treatment.

Four Seasons
8 Finance St, Central, 3196 8888; www.fourseasons.com/hongkong.
This urban sanctuary offers one of the most indulgent bachelorette sparties in the city, starting at $1,800 per person. The special package involves a private yoga class, along with the use of the Vitality Lounge’s Finnish sauna and crystal steam chamber. Let the pre-marital jitters melt away with a soak in the vitality pool, and an hour-long customised treatment – we recommend the deep pressure massage or the Chi Yin organic facial. Grab lunch or dinner at The Lounge or Pool Terrace, and end the day with a chauffeured ride home. After such a fabulous day out, we just hope the wedding isn’t a disappointment. 

Sense of Touch
1-5/F, 52 D’Aguilar Street, Central, 2526 6918; www.senseoftouch.com.hk.
Imagine partying on a rooftop in the middle of Lan Kwai Fong. Now throw in a manicure, facial, and flute of champagne. Famous for their ‘virtually’ pain-free Brazilian waxes, Sense of Touch also allow groups to customise their own spa treatment with anything from traditional manicures and pedicures ($460 per person) to nourishing hydrating spa facials ($680 pp). You and your girls can choose your vice of choice, but we like their signature 'For Heaven’s Sake’ treatment ($1,590 pp) which starts with a soak in a hot sake bath, followed by a full body rice rub and finishes with an hour long lymphatic drainage massage – guaranteed to leaving you feeling like you’ve died and, well, gone to, heaven.

Read our other features:
Leave me alone
Couples therapy
Time to sparty
The Weird World of Spas