Halloween Weekend in Macau: A Sauna for Friday and Sunday

Around six on Friday evening, the lighthouse on top of Guia Hill is still white, and the walls of the small chapel beside it hold the last pale yellow of the daylight. The trees on the slope darken layer by layer, and below them the rooftops of the peninsula light up, the near ones and then the far ones, all the way to the sea. If Halloween has brought you to Macau for two nights this weekend, this piece introduces one Macau sauna for the day you arrive and one for the day you leave.

Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31 this year. When you book through us, a private car picks you up downstairs from where you are staying, and at the venue you can choose two free add-on services. Both venues are on the Macau peninsula, and Sunday’s is in NAPE, close to the ferry terminals.

The Dining Hall at Empire

Empire Sauna is on the Macau peninsula, its interior a blend of modern luxury and Eastern Zen calm. We put it on Friday because of its dining hall: cream round-backed chairs around small round tables, a dark floor that holds the light, a band of blue and violet light on the left wall above a long counter lit by table lamps, and walls of blue water pattern.

On your first night in Macau, you will not have to head out again to find somewhere to sit down. The dining hall serves hot food, such as seafood and soups, and there is a lobby rest area as well, with room to sit or lie down for a while.

Saturday

October 31 is Halloween, and the day is entirely yours: where you go, who you meet and when you get back are your call, and this piece recommends no venue for it. If you change your mind on the day and want to go to one, just send us a message.

Sunday, Batangyu

Sunday, November 1 is the day you leave Macau. Batangyu opened on August 26 on the 4th floor of NAPE’s New Orient Landmark Hotel, roughly 1 km from Fisherman’s Wharf and 2 km from the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, right on your way out. The venue keeps a hinoki-wood dry sauna in the Japanese style and a glass steam room.

The Massage Room

At both venues the hour is spent one to one with a therapist in a private room, and that stays the same from one venue to the other. The details are yours to discover, and friends who have tried it say they still remember it. Therapists are on shift from 14:00 to 06:00 at Empire and from 13:00 to 06:00 at Batangyu.

The Rest Lounge

The two free add-on services take place on the recliners in the rest lounge, looked after by a different massage therapist from the one in the room. You choose them on the spot, for example a back scrub, a foot massage or ear cleaning, depending on what needs it most that day.

At the Bill

Both venues charge by menu series. Empire’s bill carries 5% service and 5% tourism tax on top, while Batangyu’s carries 10% service. The quote on the day is what counts, and we check every line with you at booking.

Before You Set Off

Do I need to plan all three days in advance?

No, not all at once. Telling us a day ahead is only a suggestion, and deciding on the day works too.

I have a ferry on Sunday. How should I time it?

Tell us your sailing, and we will work back from it to set the time you arrive at the venue.

This Weekend

Send us a message with the date, the size of your party and your hotel. The car will be waiting downstairs, and we arrange the visit for you. That first step is a free consultation, and you can decide after you ask.

Guia Hill, Sunday

Two days later, on Sunday evening, the walls of the chapel on Guia Hill catch the same pale yellow light. Below, the rooftops of the peninsula light up once more, the near ones and then the far ones, the lights around NAPE among them, all the way to the sea.