Sun Island Spa, Bali

This is my first spa experience outside Malaysia since I started this blog. I was really excited to experience this especially in Bali.

This is my first time in Bali. I stayed at this wonderful private villa called Sun Island Boutique Villas & Spa in Seminyak. This villa is right smack in the centre of Seminyak and approximately 10 minutes drive from Kuta Beach. Location is fantastic. A lot of shops and a very busy area indeed.

I got this package from Matta Fair last April and the package includes 1 hour spa at the villa. When we checked in, the villa wasnt exactly ready so the kind General Manager of the villa Mr. Ismullah offered us an additional hour at the spa. At first I was only planning to get an hour massage but since we got another free hour, let's just make full use of that!

The Villa is nice with modern contemporary Balinese architecture. I had a very very warm greeting from the lady at the front desk.

The treatment room was ok. Nothing super fantastic, very basic, plain, modern and simple.

I opted for an hour massage and was given a free hour of facial.

Massage was alright, nothing too special. Pressure was a bit too soft for me. The therapist did ask me if the pressure was ok and it is my fault for not pointing out to her but since the whole thing was free (part of the package of this holiday), I didnt expect it to be good. Kind of like what I experienced in Cameron Highlands' Resort. Since it's free, dont expect too much kind of thing.

Next was the facial. I've never gone for facial at a spa before. It's because I am so used to Dermalogica facial that to me, other facials are just not as good.
Well, it's true.

Facial was ok, nothing great. I would say it was all average.
The mask was horrible tho. She left it a bit too long and I was getting a bit too bored and plus, I knew I would get breakouts after that. True enough!


So basically, my first spa experience in Bali is only average. It was a good experience tho and plus, it was free so I cant complain too much.
It was all ok..except for the mask in the end which was so totally bad for my skin.

Since the 1 hour massage was free and since the additional hour (facial) was also free, then I guess it wasnt too bad. I'm not sure if I'd pay to have anything done there but knowing me, I might.

Still it was very nice of the GM to offer us that free facial. At least I got a good face scrub.

Fish Therapy

My colleague came up to me one day to ask about Fish Therapy. She asked if it was good and all that. Of course I said it's the best thing ever!

So one morning, she asked if I got her sms. I said no. She told me that she tried the Fish Therapy in Ikano and the fishes were really big. She went on to say that it was really ticklish and she was screaming and all.

I got really curious. Fish Therapy... big fishes? hmm.....that's interesting. The one I always go to dont have big fishes. Maybe they're better than the tiny fishes?
I must check this thing out.

On Friday, I decided to go to Ikano to try this thing out. My colleague gave me the phone number of the place so I called to ask where the shop is in Ikano and all that.
The guy told me that they dont have a shop. The one in Ikano is just a roadshow and they're actually going from one shopping centre to another or something along that line.

When I got to Ikano, I saw the "area" where they had this roadshow. It is next to Crocs and it's this small tiny hut and the fishes are in this small acquarium/tank thingy. You just sit there and put your legs in. Small tank with wires here and there. Not very nice.

I took a look at those big fishes. First of all, they're bigger than the usual ones I'm used to but they're not THAT big.

RM30 for half an hour.

A lot of people tried.
Since I was there I just tried although I was really disappointed with the whole place. It's this tiny place at the corner.

I was told that the big ones are "sick" and they had to rest them in a seperate tank. So there was only the small and medium sized ones to try.

When I put my legs in, not many came. Apparently if they dont come to you, it means they're probably sick. So I'm not surprised if they're all falling sick especially since the tank dont look all that clean.

In Bangsar, we had to sort of scrub our feet before getting in the pool but this one, you just need to rinse a bit.

So if you're in Ikano, pls dont try this place out. It's not clean!
And for an additional RM8 you can be in a nice place in Bangsar, with nice healthy fishes...

Beijing Natural Health Care

My back was aching, which shows that I've been working too hard. I am starting to feel tired (and lazy) and I need a massage!

Since I was in high school, I've been having this back/shoulder pain everytime I spend too long on the computer. It comes and go but whenever I spend too long in front of the computer, it is a sign that I've been working too hard and therefore deserves some pampering.

I decided to go for a massage but this time, I didnt want those relaxation oil massage. I wanted to go for those pressure point massage. I know a place that does that.... so I head to Beijing Natural Health Care in Taman Tun yesterday. This place is always full and since it was a public holiday and all, on the way there, I was really hoping that they're not. I was desperate for a massage.

Luckily it was empty.

I went for an hour of full body massage. I've been here for a massage about 3 times now.

1st experience was a total nightmare. The masseuse was a lady from China and she couldnt speak a word of English or Malay. I obviously dont understand a word of Chinese. She was this tiny lady but very strong. I kept screaming "Ouch!!!!!" throughout the whole massage and she kept increasing the pressure. I swear never to go back but I went back again the second time. I probably didnt know where else to go for a massage at that time.

2nd experience was a total bliss. This time a Sabahan guy massaged me. I know it is pretty weird but I was fully dressed and all...and tried not to think about it too much. It was all done professionally, no dodgy stuff. It was really good. I think my back was healed totally.

3rd experience yesterday was good too. Surprisingly it was with that same lady from China. My back was hurting so much that I didnt care if it was going to be painful.
But it turned out to be good. She now speaks a bit of English and Malay. She understood the word "Sakit" this time.

My back feels lighter now and much better.

Beijing Natural Health Care
44, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14
Taman Tun Dr Ismail

Tel 03 77105430
Business Hours 10am-10pm

Everyone there dont speak much English and Malay. Just basic words so be prepared. Sometimes it can be a little frustrating trying to explain to them what you want.

An hour body massage (no oil) is about RM60+
They also do reflexology there and they're pretty good. A bit painful but quite nice.
For every 10 treatment you get free 1. Make sure you ask for the loyalty card for them to stamp for each of your visit there to claim for the free treatment.

They're located on the same row as Muhibbah restaurant in Taman Tun.

Enjoy!

Spas I've tried

I've been to quite a few spas already. I still feel like trying others but I'm running out of places to go. Places worth trying.

Since I started exploring this amazing spa journey, Im proud to say that I've gone to a few...

1. Khareyana Spa - One of the best places to go. It's a nice spa and the service is good too.

2. Jentayu Spa. This spa is pretty good actually. The treatment was quite alright and the price was reasonable too. Overall it was ok, just that the outdoor area wasnt properly managed. They should beautify the area a bit more.

3. Nexus Karambunai, Sabah
I enjoyed myself in Nexus. The place was beautiful and the spa was quite nice too. I only went for a massage but still got the chance to hang out in the spa.

4. Sembunyi Spa, Cyberview Lodge
I think this is quite a good spa but I didnt have that good of an experience there. But still, I'd go back there for another try.

5. Cameron Highlands Resort Spa
Now this was pretty bad. Spa was beautiful but the treatment, especially the massage was a disaster. Never going back there again.

6. Energy Day SpaThis is my favourite out of all spas I've tried. I love it there. It's nice and cozy and loved the massage and loved the scrub. I cant wait to go back there.

7. Vila Manja
Quite a good spa. I quite like it there.

8. Ozmosis Spa
I'd go back there again. I love the ginger tea. Very nice. Oh, and the treatment was good too! :)

9. Spa Indrani
Not one of my favourite. Didnt like it there although the spa is quite nice.
Dont think I'll be going back there anytime soon.

Wow...almost 10 spas..not bad!
I'm very proud of myself
I can do this full time, anytime

Thai Odyssey

My office is now in One Utama. We moved office in May and everyone is so happy to be so close to One Utama. More places to eat compared to our old office and no more parking issues. I’m just happy that I found a place to have a quick massage over lunch!

I was walking in One Utama one day during lunch and found this place called Thai Odyssey. I love the smell from outside and since my back is aching, I thought it might me a good idea to go for a back massage. Plus, I’ve never had a Thai Massage before.

I decided to go for the 30 minutes back massage.

The place is rather small and compact so there’s no way all their employees could stay in there all at the same time. They called for the masseuse to come and she came after 5 minutes, from god knows where!

I was told to sit on this lazy chair and first she massaged my head and neck. It felt good.
Then she told me to sit on the stool and she started doing her ‘thang’. She was swinging me around and getting me to do all sorts of stretching. It was weird but it felt good.
I was loving it.

30 minutes back massage cost RM40.00. Was it worth it? Hmm… I’m not too sure. It felt good at the time but I was still having back aches and didn’t feel good after the massage.
The place was a bit too small and I wasn’t all that comfortable.

But knowing me, I’d come back again for a quick massage over lunch!

Check out their website! Thai Odyssey

Spa Indrani

I've heard a lot about this spa and wanted to give it a go. I went to Starhill to check it out. See if the place is nice or not first, if not, then I might just pick something else.

Spa Indrani is located on the Pamper Level of Starhill. They have few other Spas there too. When I got there, Spa Indrani was closed. No one was there. It's a bit weird considering it was a Saturday. Shouldnt they be open at this time?

I called them up and was told that they had some major problem at the Spa and had to close it down for a day. I asked if they will be opened tomorrow and he said yes so I decided to make an appointment.

I didnt know what package to go for and the guy on the phone suggested to try the Hangover Package. According to the brochure, this package includes

Refreshing Mint Body Scrub
Eucalyptus Relaxing Foot Bath
Aromatherapy Massage
Head & Scalp Therapy
Indrani Refreshments

Sounds good!

On Sunday, I got a call from them telling me that due to the major problem that they had, the credit card machine is not functioning and they can only receive cash payments. I said ok.

I got there on time for my treatment. I was greeted by the therapist and I think she must have been Indonesian. I was directed to the treatment room. It looks alright, not like what I expected. Minimal decorations and quite a modern feel. The room was quite small.

My treatment started with 15 minutes session in the steam room. The steam room was a bit ‘funky’. One of those portable steam rooms with colourful lightings inside. Then I spent some time in the Hydrotherapy pool and then took a shower before going back to the treatment room.

Next was the massage. 1 half hours of aromatherapy massage. I must say I wasn’t quite impressed with the massage. The therapist had a flu and kept walking in and out of the room. She kept blowing her nose and that made me feel quite irritated. Massage wasn’t even that good. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. She spent way too much time massaging my legs and not that long massaging my back. The pressure wasn’t that strong and she didn’t bother checking to see if the pressure was ok.
The music was quite loud too. Instead of playing soothing music, they had some jazzy R&B ish type of music playing. Don’t get me wrong, the music was good, part of the reason why I couldn’t fall asleep but it wasn’t very spa’ish kind of song if u know what I mean.

After the massage was the scrub. I think another therapist must have done the scrub for me. Scrub was ok but I wasn’t all that impressed either. Finally, to remove the scrub, I was again directed to the shower room. When I got back to the treatment room, the therapist gave me a foot bath and then the treatment was ok.

I must say I was a bit disappointment with this spa. The treatment wasn’t all that great and I didn’t enjoy my massage. Especially since she kept walking in and out of the room. I think she wasn’t feeling well or something.
Music was a bit distracting too.

After I got dressed and ready, the therapist waited outside and giggling and asked if it was ok to tip her! I mean, come on. What the hell is that? I couldn’t say no could I, so I gave her RM10.00! I didn’t even enjoy the treatment.

In the leaflet that I got, the price for the Hangover Package is RM388 but paid RM446.20 after tax and service charge and all that. Not really worth it I think. And they didn’t even serve refreshments! Even after the session in the steam room!

Im glad I gave this spa a shot but I don’t think I will be coming back.

If you wish to give it a go, here are the details:

Spa Indrani
S20 & 27 Pamper Level
Starhill Gallery
181 Jalan Bukit Bintang
KL

Tel: 2782 3868

Btw, their website www.spaindrani.com doesn’t work!

Which Spa?

I'm really running out of spas to try. Do let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions. I am due for my next spa trip in a few days.

I'm thinking either:

1. Spa Indrani in Starhill
2. Swasana Spa in Impiana Hotel KLCC
3. Hammam Spa in Bangsar Village 2

If I must go back to one of the spa's I've tried before, I think I would go back to Energy Day Spa but I think I should try other places first.

I wouldnt mind going back to Ozmosis just to have the Ginger Tea. It was yummy! :)