WHAT WOMEN WANT

More hotels are offering women-focused wellness programmes rooted in ancient wisdom

- By Coco Marett

You've probably seen the surge of women on social media claiming they're in their “Chinese baddie” era, or the phrase “You've met me at a very Chinese time in my life” trending on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The phrasing borders on problematic; but the sentiment of the trend sees a growing number of non-Chinese influencers embracing practices rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, like drinking warm water instead of iced drinks, doing lymphatic exercises in the morning, and brewing tonics made from ginger and red dates.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long placed women's health at its centre, viewing menstruation, fertility, perimenopause and menopause as natural rhythms—and recognising that women need different forms of care and nourishment at different stages of their cycles and hormonal phases. From a young age, the menstrual cycle is seen as a key reflection of a woman's overall vitality. Irregular periods, painful cramps, PMS, and heavy or scanty flow are understood as signs of disrupted qi, or vital energy, and blood flow or organ system imbalance.

In TCM theory, hormonal health is inseparable from the strength of the kidney system, which stores essence, or jing, and governs growth, reproduction and ageing. As modern stress and poor sleep drain this foundational energy, women may experience the effects of hormonal imbalances, such as irregular ovulation, mood changes, fatigue or conditions like polycycstic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and subfertility. TCM responds to this with therapies designed to nourish kidney yin and yang, harmonise liver qi, and calm the nervous system to support more balanced hormone signalling.