Among China's trendsetters, the power lunch is out and the power massage is in. An increasing number of power brokers and business people in the Chinese mainland are negotiating, and finalizing, deals over one-hour, Chinese-style foot massages which aficionados believe have almost-magical healing power and traditional Chinese medicine.
Customers enjoy a session of foot massage at a parlour in this August 22, file photo. Of course, the foot washing is quite different from the way people wash their feet at home. In essence, it is a foot massage with traditional Chinese characteristics. It helps people relax, it improves their bodies and helps treat diseases. Zhao Xin, a year-old private entrepreneur, frequents Liangzi store, the largest foot massage chain in China.
He even bought a VIP card. He regularly treats his parents to foot massages. Changes in people's traditional concepts of foot massage have surprised Zhu Guofan, founder and general manager of Liangzi Group, China's first professional foot massage enterprise. He never expected massaging feet would grow into an industry in China, let alone the world. Zhu in opened the first foot massage outlet in Xinxiang, a medium-sized city in Central China's Henan Province. He now operates more than directly controlled or franchised shops nationwide.
Last year, Liangzi's first overseas outlet opened in Seoul, capital of South Korea. The firm plans to open an outlet in Turkey in the near future. He is negotiating, with potential partners, the opening of outlets in France, Spain, the United States, Tunis and Cyprus.
Liangzi's customers include wealthy business people, celebrities and ordinary people. Last year, Liangzi's Jianguomen outlet, which neighbours one of Beijing's embassy areas, served more than 30, foreigners, including tourists.
