Songtsam (which means “paradise” in Tibetan) is an award-winning luxury collection of hotels and lodges located in Tibet and Yunnan Province, China. Founded in 2000 by Mr. Baima Duoji, a former Tibetan documentary filmmaker, Songtsam is the only collection of luxury Tibetan-style retreats within the wellness space focusing on the concept of Tibetan meditation by combining physical and spiritual healing together.

The 12 unique properties can be found across the Tibetan Plateau, offering guests authenticity within the context of refined design, modern amenities, and unobtrusive service in places of untouched natural beauty and cultural interest. Songtsam Tours is a Virtuoso Tour Operator Preferred Supplier and provides guests an opportunity to curate their own experiences by combining stays at its different hotels and lodges designed to discover the region's diverse culture, rich biodiversity, incredible scenic landscapes, and unique living heritage.

Songtsam Linka Shangri-La, which is situated between Tibetan villages and Himalayan barley fields facing the back of Songzanlin Monastery in Xiaojiezi Village, is home to Songtsam’s flagship spa. The spa includes four therapy rooms featuring handmade bronze bathtubs, a Zen-style lounge, and offers a wide range of personalized wellness experiences and spa treatments that incorporate local ingredients and traditions.

We interviewed Spa Manager Helen Peng, who shared insider tips, recommended treatments to try, and more.

Why You’ll Love It: Guests have different preferences for spa treatments due to their different physical conditions and needs. Guests whose main purpose is to relax will usually choose the "Songtsam Linka therapy." The therapist uses skilled techniques and massages with different strengths to help the guests dredge the meridians of the whole body so as to achieve the effect of deep relaxation; guests who want to focus on back massage will choose "Chen Nai massage", which is a traditional massage from the Himalayas. The massage focuses on the dredging of the various passages on the back.

The healing effects of Tibetan and Chinese therapy techniques can heal the body and mind. It has a better soothing and healing effect; for guests who want to experience Songtsam’s signature programs, "Tibetan Ghee Therapy" is a more popular program. Therapists use local yak ghee and highland barley tsampa to massage the guests. The skin is fully moisturized and also has detoxification effects.

Key Features: Songtsam currently has 10 different therapy programs ranging from 30 to 180 minutes, from partial to full body. For guests who want to relax their whole body better, we provide comfortable and pleasant "Songtsam Linka Therapy," "Tibetan Ghee Therapy" for moisturizing and detoxification, and "Chenna Massage" with a soothing healing effect. For partial tension of the body, we provide "Songtsam Soothing Foot Massage Treatment," "Shoulder and Neck Head Massage" or "Back Massage."

The facial treatment program uses natural and non-irritating local raw materials to help guests moisturize and repair skin that is invaded by the plateau sun and dry climate. There are body scrub products including "Himalayan Rock Salt Moisturizing Scrub" and "Songtsam Featured Moisturizing Scrub," which are also popular among customers, 

"Tibetan medicine bath" is a representative of the hydrotherapy bath treatment using traditional Tibetan medicine to boil water and add it to the bathtub while soothing the body, helping guests improve their physical and mental state, relieve joint muscle pain, and improve skin conditions.

All of the above items are suitable for tired and exhausted guests traveling on the plateau. If you have plenty of time, you might as well try the 180-minute luxury spa "Himalayan Body and Mind Reshaping Journey," which includes foot cleaning, Tibetan medicine bath, a body scrub, Chennai massage, Tibetan medicine hot compress, and other services that can be experienced all at once.

Snacks Served: Songtsam hotels are located in unique and beautiful villages in Yunnan and Tibet. Each hotel is located in a different geographic location and climate environment. Combining the characteristics of each destination, Songtsam Spa at different hotels provides guests with suitable local enjoyments, drinks, and snacks.

For example: In Shangri-La, due to the high altitude and dry climate, we prepare carefully stewed white fungus soup and roselle tea for our guests for nourishment. Songtsam Spa in Lijiang prepares guests with antioxidant cassia seed tea and dried cranberry. In Bome, stewed rock sugar with pear and Puer tea with tangerine peel will comfort guests on the go.

Insider’s Tip: Compared with plain areas, experiencing the spa on the plateau has some points to pay attention to. For example, some guests have severe altitude sickness. We don't recommend the spa for such people. At the same time, people with high blood pressure, heart disease, allergies, pregnant women, and people after drinking alcohol will also give risk warnings. It is not suitable to do spa in high-altitude areas.

Bonus: We will provide guests with a dry fruit platter (including banana slices, raisins, plums, etc.) as well as hot roselle tea as a free welcome drink, which will be enjoyed while waiting for the physical therapist to prepare.

Unique Treatment: Songtsam Spa not only provides guests with relaxing body enjoyment, but also hopes that through a peaceful Zen space atmosphere, artifacts and steps with Tibetan cultural imprints, unique spa products and techniques, and warm services—a "healing journey" where local culture is integrated into the spa.

Our physical therapists are from local villages. Before the treatment begins, they will light up the incense of essential oils and sound the singing bowls to guide the guests to relax their nervous mind and body, and enter a state of physical and mental peace. Afterward, the physical therapist will recite the prayer in a low voice and end the ceremony with the Medicine Buddha mantra.

Songtsam Linka therapy, Tibetan ghee therapy, and Qinnai massage are all unique treatment methods. The massage techniques, strength, massage oil, and efficacy of these three products are different. Take Tibetan ghee physiotherapy as an example. Our therapist will use heated local yak ghee to massage the guests. The ghee is melted and put in a small bowl, and a small wooden barrel is used to hold tsampa powder.

First, warm the ghee in your hands, then gently apply to the physiotherapy area, knead gently, and finally sprinkle a layer of tsampa powder, rotate and polish, and finally wipe it clean with a towel. The skin is abnormally smooth, and it can also relieve the fatigue of the guests when traveling on the plateau. When doing this treatment, the whole room is filled with the aroma of butter tsampa, and sometimes the guests become hungry halfway through.

Qin Nai massage is also one of Songtsam’s most representative massage treatments. Ku Nye is a healing massage from the southern foot of the Himalayas. Songtsam has improved its traditional techniques and combines Chinese and Tibetan styles. This method not only relaxes the body and mind, but also has a healing effect. During the massage, attention is paid to the dredging of the various energy channels of the body. The physiotherapist will add meditation and pranayama content in the process so that the physiotherapist can be more focused and the guests can be more relaxed.

Splurge Treatment: If you want to experience the complete Songtsam signature treatment, we recommend the "Himalaya Body and Mind Reshaping Journey" treatment. In 180 minutes, you can get the ultimate health enjoyment with a sense of Tibetan ritual from head to toe. This unique Tibetan therapy includes foot cleansing, Tibetan medicine nectar bath, Himalayan rock salt moisturizing scrub, Chennai massage, and Tibetan medicine hot compress.

Insider’s Favorite: Personally, I like many therapy programs at Songtsam Spa very much. For example, "Songtsam Linka Massage Therapy" uses techniques to help guests unblock the shoulders, back, and other areas where the meridians and collaterals are not smooth. With different functions of compound massage essential oils, guests can fully relieve muscle pain in the fragrance and improve blood circulation. Everyone likes different treatments. Chennai massage and Tibetan ghee physiotherapy are also items that we highly recommend and are worth experiencing.

Featured Products:  At present, the products used in Songtsam Spa are mainly concentrated on natural essential oils, as well as local raw materials such as plants, medicinal materials, and dairy products.

The base oil used in the Songtsam Spa is all edible-grade raw materials. The "ghee" is handmade ghee from yak milk in Kena Village where the hotel is located. In addition, there is also raw squeezed thorn fruit oil, which is quite rich in nutritional value and vitamin E. The local people will use the thorn fruit oil to stir-fry, to mix salad, and young mothers use it to rub the baby's body, which can help the baby's fetal skin fall off and has a good anti-inflammatory effect on skin issues like rashes, etc. The effect is very good.

The climate on the plateau is dry and the ultraviolet rays are strong. which is not suitable for some guests with sensitive skin. For facial problems, we use local yak milk mixed with local wild honey to care for our guests, which has a very good moisturizing effect. For guests who are allergic to ultraviolet rays, we will use local yak yogurt as the main raw material to help guests repair their damaged skin. 

In the body treatment, the raw materials of the "Himalayan Rock Salt Moisturizing Scrub" are mainly rock salt produced in the Mangkang Salt Well in Tibet, as well as wild honey and thorn fruit oil produced in Tacheng; while the raw materials of the "Songtsam Featured Moisturizing Scrub" include locally fermented yak yogurt, coffee, and Tacheng wild honey. 

In addition, we specially tailored three different function compound massage essential oils for plateau travel, which are blended with single essential oils on the basis of the thorn fruit base oil. The three essential oils are:

• Deep tissue massage oil: Contains Indian frankincense, cinnamon, marjoram, etc., which can relieve muscle stiffness and soreness, fatigue, and other symptoms, and promote microcirculation. If guests use it after a long walk, it can help muscle and joint pains quickly repair.

• Soothing massage oil: Contains vetiver, Rhodiola Rosea, Ou Baizhi root, etc., can improve hypoxia tolerance, deepen breathing, and relieve heart discomfort. If guests have mild high-allergic discomfort, massage with this oil can be effectively relieved. If there is obvious altitude sickness, this oil can be directly applied to the nasal cavity and throat.

• Good night massage oil: Contains Kashmir lavender, vetiver, tuberose, etc., which can relax, calm and soothe the nervous system, improve the problem of shortness of breath in high altitude areas, and improve the quality of sleep.

Tibetan medicine is also one of our special products. In the “spa bath” treatment, we use authentic Tibetan formulas, adding juniper, rhododendron, Tibetan ephedra, and other Tibetan medicines to help guests effectively mediate their emotions, relieve physical fatigue and muscle pain, and can also improve skin conditions.

For guests who have just finished hiking, climbing, and other activities, we will recommend the "Songtsam Soothing Foot Massage Treatment." Firstly, soak your feet with Tibetan foot powder for 10 minutes, then massage your feet with olive wormwood oil for 35 minutes. Foot fatigue and body tension are very effective.

For more information, visit the website and follow them on Instagram: @songtsam

[Photos courtesy of Songtsam Linka Shangri-La]

Songtsam Linka Shangri-La

Songzan Green Valley Hotel, Songzanlin temple,

Shangri La, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,

Yunnan Province, China

+86-400-0000-830

info@songtsam.com