In the Mood for Moxibustion: The Meridian

This TCM clinic is not your average spa. No flowery fragrances and dimly lit spaces – instead, you’ll catch whiffs of herbal medicine wafting through bright rooms furnished with Oriental antiques.

Treatments range from massage to acupuncture and cupping. The deep-tissue therapeutic massage (RMB 280), which focuses on relieving joint pains rather than stress, may have you yowling in pain; meanwhile, “clearing the Meridian” (RMB 399) sends strangely discomfiting yet soothing jolts down your back, which the therapist promises will, over time, reduce daily dizziness and fatigue.

Anyone hoping for touchy-feely pampering will leave unappeased, but fans of rigorous TCM therapy will find exactly what they are looking for.

The Meridian 明经堂
Daily 10am-11pm. 9-10-A, Si’de Park, Fangyuan Xilu (300m east of Xiaoyun Qiao, opposite Greenland Garden), Dongsihuan Lu, Chaoyang District (8456 7010)
朝阳区东四环芳园西路四得公园9-10-A号(东四环霄云桥向东300米路北,嘉林花园对面)

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