The first bathing school in China has officially launched in Shenyang, dedicated to cultivating high-skilled talent in the bathing leisure and health management sector.
Shenyang in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province is one of the top choice for bath travel in China. With the increasing popularity of “bathing consumption”, the unique bathing culture makes the bath centers in Shenyang a popular destination for tourists.
Shenyang Polytechnic College has recently established the country’s first bathing and health management college. It aims to supply high-quality, professional and versatile personnel to the bathing industry across the country. This marks a significant step by the city to maintain its position as the “Bathing Leisure Capital of China”.
“In recent years, Shenyang’s bath industry has flourished, with complete upstream and downstream industrial chains under the impetus of a series of favorable policies,” said Zhu Ling, director of the commerce bureau.
According to Zhu, Shenyang has 1,354 bathing businesses, with 49 enterprises over 5,000 square meters and the largest bathing enterprise covering an area of 100,000 square meters. However, the shortage of professionals has become a growing problem.
Since 2023, Shenyang’s tourism market has boomed, with many visitors enjoying the city’s bathing culture, said Tang Lizhong, executive president of the Shenyang Bath Industry Association.
When asked about the college’s target students, Tang explained that there are two main groups. The first consists of high school or vocational school graduates, who will earn an associate degree upon graduation. The second group is for specialized skills training; anyone aged 18 or older can enroll, including working adults, to learn skills such as foot care, ear cleaning, Gua Sha message, cupping, and traditional Chinese therapy. After gaining practical experience, students can enter the workforce.
Tang also expressed optimism about graduates’ job prospects.
In terms of income, Tang said grassroots employees earn about 4,000 to 5,000 yuan per month, while managers can make around 10,000 yuan or more. Store managers could obtain annual salaries of more than 400,000 yuan.
Written by Sha Liu, additional reporting by Xinhua, China Daily and Global Times.
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