To the best of health

The decor of Sanxiutang draws inspiration from Chinese tradition, with antique furniture and display cabinets full of collectible tea sets and vintage teas. Ye Jun/ China Daily

In a quiet park to the southwest of Beijing, a healthy, relaxing experience waits for those who appreciate all the finer things in life. Ye Jun reports.

Sanxiutang Health Garden has congregated the best elements of a healthy lifestyle, and visitors to this club-style restaurant can enjoy a foot massage, spa, specialist teas and great vegetarian food.

It is located in a corner of Taoranting Park, a long established green lung in Beijing's Xicheng district. Inside, the decor complements the exterior, with two tea rooms on the first floor setting the ambience with antique Chinese furniture, and display cabinets full of collectors' tea sets and vintage teas - all for sale.

Here, a professional tea brewer, appropriately dressed in traditional Chinese garb, will make you a pot of pu'er of proper pedigree. This is an excellent black tea from Yunnan province known for its health-giving properties. It also aids digestion and is judged as having the best flavor and strength. The brewer will serve you tea either from a clay teapot and cups, or in a Chinese teacup set with bowl, cover and saucer.

In the basement, there are more than 10 adjustable beds set up. The male and female masseurs are very experienced, with skillful, soothing hands. The first step is a foot bath in a bucket of warm water infused with herbs, to get the blood circulating.

After that comes a massage of the shoulders, arms and hands, before the formal foot massage begins. This may remind you of any recent health problems, because an experienced masseuse can usually tell just by massaging the pulse points on your feet.

In foot reflexology, the pulse points on your sole correspond to different organs and parts of the upper body; if a particular section of your foot aches when massaged, that's where the problem lies. An experienced reflexologist can even tell if you have not slept well, or have a headache or digestion problems.

The other half of the lower level houses the restaurant, which has a private dining room. The dining area is very well-decorated with semi-partitions for privacy.

Sanxiutang breaks with tradition by serving a fruit platter before anything else, in the belief that fruits cleanse the palate and whet appetites.

The restaurant offers some tempting vegetarian choices: assorted vegetable salad, poached bamboo shoots, sliced fragrant mushroom with pine nuts served on lettuce.

They also make the so-called imitation meat dishes with soy protein: vegetarian chicken, "meat" ball, sour and sweet fish, and fried "mutton" slices with cumin.

Soup options include a light seaweed soup and a flavorful golden pumpkin soup. The kitchen also prepares a healthy "farmers' basket" filled with corn on the cob, Chinese yam, sweet potatoes and peanuts, all steamed or boiled.

It is a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a healthy meal away from the noise and bustle of the city center. And after your meal, you can always walk it off in the park.