Anantara Spa at Commune by the Great Wall Kempinski Review

I wouldn't necessarily advise a visitor to China to drive to Commune just to try the spa, but if you go anyway, then why not have a massage while you're there. If you've got kids with you, drop them at the superb kids' club and book a treatment for you and your partner. It's certainly a relaxing way to get rid of the traveler's aches and pains, put jetlag far behind you and relax in the calming presence of the Badaling mountains.

Up at Commune with friends for the day, we decided a massage was in order. After seeing how great the kids club at Commune is, I figured my toddler would have few problems spending a few hours playing while we relaxed in the Anantara Spa.

We drove up to Commune by the Great Wall Kempiski from near the airport in Beijing in about an hour. This surprised me, as it was October holiday week so was expecting traffic to be bad. Also, Commune wasn't crowded with day-trippers. I guess everyone goes to the Forbidden City. Anyway, having arrived and toured a bit, we made our way to the spa to book.

Anantara Spa is set a few meters apart from the main clubhouse and you arrive via a beautiful terrace overlooking the Badaling mountains and the Great Wall. You enter the spa and are immediately met with calming fragrances and an invitation to sit in one of their lovely chairs to peruse the spa menu.

Having decided on a hot rock treatment, we adults went to round up the kids for lunch at the clubhouse. Lunch took longer than expected and my toddler flaked out in his stroller much to my chagrin as now I'd have to park him at the Spa while I had my treatment...not a restful thought.

But China being what it is - a vastly welcoming country especially to children - my stroller-bound son was invited into the treatment room with us. He snored while we enjoyed a footbath and then our massages.

Now, perhaps it was my poor choice that allows me to give the Spa only four stars, but my hot rock treatment seemed more about my therapist messing about with rocks than about massage. While lovely, I felt like I was simply being patted down with warmed river stones. That aside, the treatment room was beautifully outfitted and included a huge wooden bath basin I longed to immerse myself in.

As stated, don't go up to Commune for the spa, but do indulge if you're going anyway.