Wellness trips give escape from pressure

The pressure of daily life is sending more Chinese overseas for a wide variety of treatments, especially wellness care at overseas resort-style facilities. Thailand's Chiva-Som resort, the Mulia Resort & Villa in Bali, the Fusion Maia Resort in Vietnam and Japan's Hoshino Resorts are among those popular destinations.

There's no exam, no surgery - and no shopping. These medical guests check in and spend about one week enjoying healthy food, spas and treatments that offer an escape from hectic urban life.

Lavion International Travel Services Co Ltd, a Beijing-based travel agency focusing on private medical tourism, reached out to an online business called daizhe.cn at the beginning of 2013. The site provides resort information for its members.

"Daizhe" means 'just staying in one place' in Chinese. We don't encourage people to shop or sightsee," said Zhu Xuefei, chief operating officer at daizhe.cn.

Lavion, founded eight years ago, watched as health tourism grew rapidly overseas. What it saw prompted it to survey the needs of potential Chinese customers. Zhu's team found that most Chinese white-collar workers aspire to take a health vacation and can afford it. Most, however, didn't know where to turn for information.

The total cost of a one-day resort "retreat" can range from 2,000 yuan ($325) to 20,000 yuan.

"These resorts aren't famous. They're smaller facilities in quiet places," said Zhu.