Finding Shangri-La

…in Singapore

The Shangri-La hotel in Singapore has everything you would imagine that its auspicious name connotes, one that may seem difficult to live up to, but the hotel more than lives up to the task. Oasis, paradise, retreat? Yes, all of the above. Upon landing, an in-room, jet-lag busting massage was requested, and in a snap, a soft-spoken therapist arrived and quietly set up her massage table, bedside. Within the privacy of your room, it is much easier to relax and feel at ease, without having to change in a locker room, wait for your therapist to take you to the treatment rooms and then get dressed again all oily. My therapist inquired as to my health and what my condition of the day was (bad sleep, jet lag, dehydration?), and then put her well-honed hands to work. After 60 minutes of deep-tissue and shoulder and neck focus, I was nearly passed out, so drained from the jet lag and so relaxed from her touch. When she was done, she not only ensured that I was awake, she also helped me into my dressing gown and then tucked me safely into bed for a late afternoon disco nap. Shangri-La, indeed.