Nagomi Spa

What is a getaway without some R&R? Do I hear spa bells anyone? :)

Yes, while in Baguio... (OT: Yes I will be posting about my Baguio Trip probably the whole week, I'd be sharing my experiences, food, ambiance, adventures. So hold your horses for my beauty entries.) We simply had to have our massages. Yehey!

We searched the city for a quaint and nice spa and we ended up at Nagomi Spa. O got the Nagomi Stone Body Massage which uses hot stones to relieve the stress from the back and I got the combination of Swedish Body Massage & Foot Massage, since as you all know, I'm a sucker for foot massages.

As we waited, they had our feet soaked in warm water and rose petals. It was a relaxing feeling. Then we were escorted to our 20-minute sauna. It was O's first time and I couldn't help but laugh that O couldn't breathe inside. Hahaha! :p


Afterwhich, we were accompanied to our VIP room. Here's a photo before the massage started.




On to our massages:

O's Nagomi Stone Body Massage: P700
According to O, the stones were very very hot. In fact I heard him tell his therapist to remove some rocks a couple of times. As he said, he didn't know if the stones should be THAT hot or if they just didn't know what they were doing. At the back of my head, I thought I'm so glad I didn't get that massage or else I might not be able to nap as I would be talking to therapist over and over again just to get the right temperature. In my opinion, I wouldn't know also if the stones were really THAT hot. O has quite a thin skin when it comes to heat. He always puts the aircon to a cold temperature which is to cold for me. So we never know. But aside from that, he also got a body massage so he was relaxed and dozed off too.

My Swedish Body Massage & Foot Massage Combo: P795
My therapist was really really really good. Before she even started, she already asked me about the pressure, so I told her "hard". And that was it. I didn't have to tell her to make the pressure harder at all. The leg massage was really good too. And surprisingly, I dozed off when she was massaging my back. Normally I don't doze off, most especially if it's dry massage. But I was disappointed with the foot massage, because again it was Xiammen massage and not Thai. I asked them prior to the service if the foot massage was Thai or Xiammen, unfortunately, I don't think they know the difference. I was disappointed with that.

After our massages, we were handed hot towels to wipe and clean our bodies. Normally, in spas here in Manila, they'd be the ones to do this for you.

As we head to the receiving area, there was a tea set waiting for us. The tea, I don't know what kind smelled so good. It was delicious, very very relaxing.


Overall, the massage was okay. It was relaxing, just what we needed. But I don't think I'll go back again. Maybe I'll try another spa first and see and compare which is better. :)

Happy Wealthy Spa

I am quite giddy. Last week was good. Attended a party in the morning, ate some goody cupcakes, went to SSJ in GH, and finally went and got my pinakaaasam-asam massage! So I think it's time to share my experience with the world... or at least to my readers.

One of my favorites when it comes to affordability and really good massages is Happy Wealthy Spa. Talk about convenience, it's quite near our place in Ortigas, so double points for that. The services are reasonably priced. 1 hour foot and back for P350, 1 hour and 20 minutes for P400 (which I usually get), 2 hours for P600 (which I'm dying to get!)

I got the 1 hour and 20 minutes package. So as I wait for my place, they always serve hot tea while waiting. They have cubicles and not rooms, which some might not like, since you get to hear the chopping sound of the therapist right next to your cubicle. Or you might hear some customers talking while you're trying to sleep. They have 2 private rooms though, one is a couple's room, meaning there are 2 lazy boys. And the other, good for families, 3 to 4. I've tried their private rooms before when I went there to get my massage with O. I've also tried the cubicles.

This time, I was assisted to a cubicle and asked me to change to shorts. You see, this is the only down side for me. They do dry massage on your back. If you've been reading my entries about my massages, I love love love love oil massages and really dislike dry ones. I just find it eeky and it hurts because the clothes rub on my skin.

The massage starts with the foot spa and head massage. It wasn't hard and it wasn't soft, which is just perfect. The stress was instantly starting to decrease, thanks to Lorna's (the therapist) technique. Afterwards, she moves to the arms. This was the part when I dozed off. Haha! I know... it was premature dozing off. It just showed how stressed and tired I was. Later, was my favorite favorite part! Foot massage!!!!! It was Thai massage which I really like. I think I've only told Lorna to make the pressure harder just once, and she got it perfectly. The foot massage was terrific, I slept for the most part. Next was my back massage. Liked it? Not so much, because it was dry. :( Boo! I asked my therapist to go back to my head since my head was spinning and I really needed more massage. And she did.

I slept right after and I think took a nap for about 20-30 minutes. Haha! :) That was how good it was!!! After that, I left Happy Wealthy feeling relaxed and well... happy! :)

Happy Wealthy Spa
Unit 131-133 Julia Vargas Square
Julia Vargas cor Meralco Ave.,
Pasig
910-5168

Open: Monday to Sunday
1:30 - 11:30pm

Island Spa (Heaven on the Fifth)

Weeks ago, (sorry I've been so busy that I wasn't able to post an entry about this earlier) I had a really bad headache one day and it was pouring outside. I wanted, needed to have a massage and a good sleep. Before heading home, I went around Makati to find a good massage place. I went to several spas but they were close (it was around lunch time, 12:30?), most of them opens 2pm onwards. I had to take myself to a mall to check other spas. I ended up going to Heaven on the 5th at Rustan's. I knew there was a sanctuary there, although I heard it was expensive. There was Island Spa. I've been to Island Spa in Jupiter several times before. I have to say I love their ginger tea (the best ever!) and the massage was not so bad either. So I headed straight inside and got myself their famous Foot and Body Massage. It was much expensive than Jupiter's. It was about P900+ (I forgot how much it was, if I'm not mistaken it's P980.) for 1.5 hours. Yes, it was expensive, but I really needed it for my head was already cracking from pain.

The staff were very very friendly. I don't know if it's because I was their first customer or they wer just that way, friendly. I got a private room, I wasn't impressede with the room. It was a small cubicle. Compared to their branch in Jupiter, their bathroom was even bigger to this "room". I wasn't able to take photos of the room, because my stupid camera phone couldn't produce enough light/flash. Haha! :)

The girl in the photo is not me. :) Got this photo from the internet. (Sorry I forgot where.)

Anyway, back to the service. My therapist was really good. Her name's Cecille. Look for her if you want a hard massage like me. :) She started with the foot massage which lasted for about an hour. I loved it. The pressure was good, I didn't have to tell her over and over again to make it harder. I told her before the session started that I wanted her to focus on my feet and my aching head. Not so on my back. Anyways, after my foot massage (it was my kind of massage, it was Thai foot massage. If you remember the Xiammen foot massage that I didn't like? : / ) we started with my back massage. She used oil to do this which I appreciate. I don't really like dry massages and massages with your clothes on. I don't like the feeling when my clothes are rubbed against my body. It hurts most of the time. Since she knew that I wanted hard massage, she also used her knees while balancing her weight to put more pressure. I loved it. It didn't hurt, just enough pressure. Lastly was my head. My head was spinning so I really really wanted her to focus on my head, and she did! She pulled my hair very gently, pressed the pressure points and made me relax more.

I also liked the fact that they let me stay and sleep for awhile. I think I slept for around 30 minutes more. I don't know if it's because it was a weekday so there were not much people, or if they really let you stay. I didn't hear any interruptions and I was able to doze off. After the massage, I felt energized and I felt a lot better.

Overall, I liked the experience. I loved the therapist. I'll probably visit her again, but would probably go to the Jupiter branch instead. Rustan's branch was really more expensive. It's about P100-140 more expensive.

Just to share with you, here are some photos of their branch in Jupiter. (These were the only pictures I found in the internet.)

I was also able to find a price list of the branch in Rustan's.

Island Spa

Jupiter Branch:
2nd Level Jupiter Place 136 Jupiter St.
Bel-Air, Makati City
899-1234 or 751-8296

Rustan's Branch:
Level 5, Heaven on the Fifth
Rustan's Makati, Glorietta

Wensha Spa with my girls!

I haven't had the time to blog about my new spa experiences, I'm so behind! I have had about 3 massages and haven't posted them yet. Been so busy lately. :(

Anyways, for my kabarkada's birthday (Shout out to Cee!), we decided to treat her to a spa day! Gen has suggested we try Wensha Spa near the World Trade Center. So let's start with the photos!

(Note: The photos are from Anton of Ourawesomeplanet. I wasn't able to take photos during out stay. I've read Anton's review about it last year and have always wanted to visit it.)

Here is Wensha outside.



This is the locker room and the wet floor is here too.


This is the hallway. You'll see some tables for dining as well.


Now here goes the experience! The massages are for P580 inclusive of 8 hour accomodation and buffet. We'll get to the buffet part later. :) At first, I was hesitant with the price but considering we get to use the wet floor and there's food invloved, I thought maybe it's not so bad. So why not give it a try.

We were handed our robes and went to the common room for our foot massage. Yes, we only got foot massages and gave Cee a foot massage and mani-pedi package. I don't really like common rooms just because I'd rather have my private time for myself. I've only been in three common rooms to this date. Moving on, the chairs were okay, there were televisions and headphones each chair, which was pretty high-tech I must say. The therapists were men and female. And I don't know if you should request a female therapist if you're not comfortable with a male. It was my first time to have a male therapist since I didn't know we had to request. (It wasn't so bad, he was strong and I didn't have to ask him to make the pressure harder again and again.) It was my first time to have a male therapist. I would guess O wouldn't be comfortable with it, but then again we love going to massages that I'm not sure if he'd still mind.

The massage was good. It was a combination of head, back and foot massage. I love that my therapist was really strong and I almost dozed off. Well almost... my friends continuously talked and talked that I wasn't able to sleep. It was okay though. I had fun with my friends. :)

After our hour-long massages, we headed to the dining area. Honestly, when Gen and Diana reminded me that there was buffet, I thought there will be a variety of food and we can eat as much as we want. Unfortunately, there was only shabu shabu. You get to choose what ingredients to put, but that was it. No rice, no pasta, nada, zilch. Although you still get to eat as much shabu shabu as you want. It was okay, it's still food.

I think I enjoyed this experience not just because of the good massage, or the so-so food, but because I was with my barkada whom I love talking to. We actually stayed there for about 6 hours. We honestly couldn't believe it was almost 10pm! We chitchatted the night away. Haha!

Will I return? Maybe... I might bring O there, let him try. But I want to make sure there's more food and not just shabu shabu before going there. And well, honestly, this type of spa, it's better to bring your girls. :)

Wensha Spa
in front of World Trade Center,
Gil Puyat St.
832-0515

Blue Water Day Spa Foot Massage

One lazy afternoon, after wanting to have a complete package of massage, mud wrap and body scrub, I had to stick with Foot Massage. Don't ask why. :p I was in Makati that time and decided to try Blue Water Day Spa. A friend mentioned that she went there about a week ago and was satisfied with the service. Blue Water doesn't have a wet floor though, I'm not sure if they do in their other branches. But in their Makati branch, they don't. I went in for a 30-minute foot massage for P270.00.

There were not much people for I went on a weekday. I asked the receptiontist if they have private rooms, and she told me that they do have private rooms for body trreatments (such as body massages), and foot massages/spas are done in the common room. Good thing there was nobody in the common room, so I had it all to myself.

Again, I wasn't able to bring my camera, so there's no photo. The therapist brought in the foot spa, but instead of the usual hot tea, they used bubbly soap and water. I soaked my feet for about 10 minutes. I was already pretty bored that time and was so happy when the therapist finally came back in.

She started massaging my feet and used a spray instead of the regular cream as lotion. I dozed off, but I knew I wasn't fully satisfied. I'm used to and fond of the Thai massage where they use hard pressure and reflexology. This time, they used Xiammen massage which was more for relaxing. We finished about 30 minutes to 40 minutes all in all.

They also didn't massage my head, back or arms. According to the receptionist, that service is Foot Refloxology, and it's about P460 if I'm not mistaken.

So I think it's pretty obvious that I wasn't that satisfied with the massage I got. I'm thinking maybe I'll give them another chance next time. Maybe I'll try their foot reflexology next time. If you're into light hand relaxing massage, maybe you'd like it. But as for me, I really like hard pressure massages, and even though I asked the therapist to exert more and make it harder, it's still too light for my liking.

Have another so-so experience with a spa in a mall. I'll post an entry about that next time. :)

Photo source: Blue Water's website

Blue Water Day Spa (Makati branch)
G/F Tropical Palms Condominium,
103 Dela Rosa St. Legaspi Village, Makati City
817-3126 or 817-5455

Massage, Anyone?

One of my favorite things in the world is getting massages! I've had the opportunity to visit several spas, but since I'm a very practical person, I try to go to spas with reasonable and affordable rates. I remember back when I was younger, we used to have a therapist come to our house for massages. Then I was reintroduced by my dad to spas. Now, I usually go to massages when I'm stressed and when my body is killing me. It's really different; having your massage in a spa than your home. I find it more relaxing. I guess because it's a really soothing environment and there's aroma of the oils being used. Plus the fact that it's more quiet! Spas are my sanctuary!

I often go to spas with O. And one of our all time favorites is Family Health Spa in Tomas Morato. It's really far from our place, but when we feel that we really need a good quality massage, we go to Family. Family Health Spa offers a clean space, from common rooms to private rooms. We always get the private room. It's complete with a television, lazy boy which can be reclined for the back massage. They offer iced tea or coffee and lend clients a robe and shorts. We always get their signature foot and back massage. I'm a foot massage fan and O loves back massages! The foot and back massage combo is P550.00 and lasts for about 1.5 hours. They let you rest for a few minutes after if you want to sleep or watch tv. The therapist also have their uniforms and have their hair tied up in a bun and put mask on when they do treatments.

They start with the foot massage. I always end up dozing off with the foot massage. They also use a wooden instrument to push the circulation of blood. For the back massage, they ask whether to use mineral oil or eucalyptus oil. I get the eucalyptus one coz I love the minty effect. Even though it's foot and back massage, they still massage the arms and legs, which is great! I really love the fact that they can give you soft to hard massage. Some of the spas I've visited before doesn't compare to the quality of the massage of Family.

Family Health Spa is indeed one of the most affordable spas. To use their sauna and steam bath, you simply add a few bucks. This spa is great for those who are on the go; or like me, those people who will be visiting the spa with companions who don't like wet floor that much (usually men don't enjoy the wet floor, I wonder why. :p).

I'll be sharing another spa that I truly recommend when you're out with the girls! :) Stay tuned!

Family Health Spa
2nd Level, Tomas Morato Plaza, Tomas Morato cor. Roces Ave., Quezon City
Phone nos. 926-9322