Back in the heyday when I was in law school, I was a spa freak. Every time I got my monthly allowance, I would save up to take at least 3 maybe 4 spa trips each month to satisfy my craving for a good full body massage. I used to go to The Ritz Spa in Malate (since I lived in Malacañang) for their absolutely delicious Swedish massages and their foot spas by their Reflexology experts. These trips have always burned holes in my pockets but I've defended it by telling myself that I needed them to keep my back ache-free and to preserve my sanity.
Fast forward into the present, this diversion is one that I've really been wanting to do again. Money issues plus lack of time has lessen my chances of going to the spa nowadays and I know that I need to more than ever (defense: early morning wakings with baby + work + team goals + money matters = STRESS). So, I would like to revisit the spa experiences that I had before Baby Matt came into the picture just so it can be my "backtrack diversion" now until I get to do the real thing again.
Now, mind you, dear reader... you won't be getting a review of the well-known spas around the area of Makati and Manila and don't expect reviews of the spas in Boracay either. I may have been a spa freak but I am of the moderate spending kind. I would give even my own arm and leg if I could visit Mandala Spa in Boracay but if I have to pay for it... ah just revisit this blog after 3 years and I'll give you my two cents about it.
Here are the spa services I've enjoyed before I gave birth to my baby Matt:
1. Foot spa at Simple Pleasures, Ground floor, Greenbelt 3 - I loved the fact that this place is so quaint. I went to this "mini spa" with a girlfriend and we both had a foot spa which costs about P300-350 and it was very private because the area for pampering was only good for 2 customers. We sat in an elevated platform that served as a daybed. It was covered in a duvet and fluffy throw pillows and the basin for washing your feet was installed beneath the platform. Music, aromatherapy and dimmed lights were part of the ambiance of the place and it really made a difference in the foot spa itself. The massage and the scrub used was very relaxing and being able to savor the whole experience with a friend and not with so many people around like in some spa facilities (hint: salons, salon, salons) made it a really relaxing experience.
2. Home-based Swedish massage done by the people from Massage At Home - When my husband and I used to live in a studio flat in C. Palanca St. in Makati, we had the luxury of availing of the home-based massage treatments being offered around the metro. I wouldn't dream of having it done where we live now since we have a house instead of a condo and security is way tighter in condos than in the apartment complex we are at. Anyhoo, I will definitely miss the times I could conveniently set up an appointment with Massage At Home, have the therapist come in even as late as 10pm; I had a 4am shift before so the massage would get me so relaxed I'd drift off to lala land afterwards. I also enjoyed the services I could get and how much it would cost: at P400 I would get a 1 1/2 hour massage treatment which would be 1 hour Swedish massage full body and 30 minutes head massage (which helped conked me out every time!). One of the instances most memorable to me about them was when most spas did not allow me to have a back massage when I was 5 months pregnant. I called a lot of the well-known spas around the metro when I was absolutely aching and they said they did not have anyone specialized in massaging a pregnant woman. I checked with Massage at Home and lo and behold, they said they had someone on board who could do it and was also willing to service me. Little did I know that this woman was actually pregnant too at 4 months so I was confident that the massage I got then was absolutely safe for me and baby Matt. It was just a matter of lying on your side, avoiding the feet and belly. Now, if you think that having a massage inside your home is boring, think again. Sure, the spa ambiance is something that you pay for additional to the actual service you get when you visit a spa but this isn't something that's not so hard to recreate. All I had to do then was put on the spa music (instrumental, new age, yoga music), dim the lights, light a scented candle and ask my husband to chill somewhere for an hour and a half while I had some Me Time. He usually stuck around at home surfing the web QUIETLY while I melted in all the massage goodness.
3. Full body Swedish massage at Village Spa, C. Palanca St., Legaspi Village, Makati - Remember when I said that I called all well-known spas to ask if they could give a massage to a pregnant woman? Well, this isn't that well known compared to the ones I called but it is a gem of a place since they also cater to pregnant customers. I've always seen this spa every time I would walk going to the Corinthian Sunday Market but I never had a chance to go try them out until I went home very tired from work and passed through the other side of C. Palanca St. after buying bread at Greenbelt 1. It's also a quaint spa; good for ten customers at the same time. This spa had a common massage room for full body and foot and hand spa. No sauna steam bath here but they have a really cool jet stream shower for one person to use at any given time. The shower looks like a ginormous time capsule and pulsating streams of water come at you from all sides and top to bottom. It actually was a massage in itself. I could've stayed there for hours if I wasn't looking forward to a relaxing massage for my aching back. The massage I got was good enough; I still found my preggy massage from Massage At Home to be better.
4. Swedish Massage at The Spa - Last backtrack I would like to feature here is The Spa. This is the only spa I've come back numerous times even if the prices are relatively steep. The massages I got from this place are absolutely delicious and invigorating. I even held a bridal shower at the Jupiter St. branch for 4 guests (bride-to-be included) and they were very accommodating. I also enjoyed the services as well, especially the massage me and Mike availed of in ATC using their couple's room. Damage here is P900 per full body treatment, P700 if you're a member but it's well-worth the price. I've heard that there are other spas better than this, but this place is close to my heart because I spent a good amount of time being pampered here during so many remarkable times in my life. Plus, the eucalyptus and mint smell you get when you enter the spa is definitely worth coming back to.
Fast forward into the present, this diversion is one that I've really been wanting to do again. Money issues plus lack of time has lessen my chances of going to the spa nowadays and I know that I need to more than ever (defense: early morning wakings with baby + work + team goals + money matters = STRESS). So, I would like to revisit the spa experiences that I had before Baby Matt came into the picture just so it can be my "backtrack diversion" now until I get to do the real thing again.
Now, mind you, dear reader... you won't be getting a review of the well-known spas around the area of Makati and Manila and don't expect reviews of the spas in Boracay either. I may have been a spa freak but I am of the moderate spending kind. I would give even my own arm and leg if I could visit Mandala Spa in Boracay but if I have to pay for it... ah just revisit this blog after 3 years and I'll give you my two cents about it.
Here are the spa services I've enjoyed before I gave birth to my baby Matt:
1. Foot spa at Simple Pleasures, Ground floor, Greenbelt 3 - I loved the fact that this place is so quaint. I went to this "mini spa" with a girlfriend and we both had a foot spa which costs about P300-350 and it was very private because the area for pampering was only good for 2 customers. We sat in an elevated platform that served as a daybed. It was covered in a duvet and fluffy throw pillows and the basin for washing your feet was installed beneath the platform. Music, aromatherapy and dimmed lights were part of the ambiance of the place and it really made a difference in the foot spa itself. The massage and the scrub used was very relaxing and being able to savor the whole experience with a friend and not with so many people around like in some spa facilities (hint: salons, salon, salons) made it a really relaxing experience.
2. Home-based Swedish massage done by the people from Massage At Home - When my husband and I used to live in a studio flat in C. Palanca St. in Makati, we had the luxury of availing of the home-based massage treatments being offered around the metro. I wouldn't dream of having it done where we live now since we have a house instead of a condo and security is way tighter in condos than in the apartment complex we are at. Anyhoo, I will definitely miss the times I could conveniently set up an appointment with Massage At Home, have the therapist come in even as late as 10pm; I had a 4am shift before so the massage would get me so relaxed I'd drift off to lala land afterwards. I also enjoyed the services I could get and how much it would cost: at P400 I would get a 1 1/2 hour massage treatment which would be 1 hour Swedish massage full body and 30 minutes head massage (which helped conked me out every time!). One of the instances most memorable to me about them was when most spas did not allow me to have a back massage when I was 5 months pregnant. I called a lot of the well-known spas around the metro when I was absolutely aching and they said they did not have anyone specialized in massaging a pregnant woman. I checked with Massage at Home and lo and behold, they said they had someone on board who could do it and was also willing to service me. Little did I know that this woman was actually pregnant too at 4 months so I was confident that the massage I got then was absolutely safe for me and baby Matt. It was just a matter of lying on your side, avoiding the feet and belly. Now, if you think that having a massage inside your home is boring, think again. Sure, the spa ambiance is something that you pay for additional to the actual service you get when you visit a spa but this isn't something that's not so hard to recreate. All I had to do then was put on the spa music (instrumental, new age, yoga music), dim the lights, light a scented candle and ask my husband to chill somewhere for an hour and a half while I had some Me Time. He usually stuck around at home surfing the web QUIETLY while I melted in all the massage goodness.
3. Full body Swedish massage at Village Spa, C. Palanca St., Legaspi Village, Makati - Remember when I said that I called all well-known spas to ask if they could give a massage to a pregnant woman? Well, this isn't that well known compared to the ones I called but it is a gem of a place since they also cater to pregnant customers. I've always seen this spa every time I would walk going to the Corinthian Sunday Market but I never had a chance to go try them out until I went home very tired from work and passed through the other side of C. Palanca St. after buying bread at Greenbelt 1. It's also a quaint spa; good for ten customers at the same time. This spa had a common massage room for full body and foot and hand spa. No sauna steam bath here but they have a really cool jet stream shower for one person to use at any given time. The shower looks like a ginormous time capsule and pulsating streams of water come at you from all sides and top to bottom. It actually was a massage in itself. I could've stayed there for hours if I wasn't looking forward to a relaxing massage for my aching back. The massage I got was good enough; I still found my preggy massage from Massage At Home to be better.
4. Swedish Massage at The Spa - Last backtrack I would like to feature here is The Spa. This is the only spa I've come back numerous times even if the prices are relatively steep. The massages I got from this place are absolutely delicious and invigorating. I even held a bridal shower at the Jupiter St. branch for 4 guests (bride-to-be included) and they were very accommodating. I also enjoyed the services as well, especially the massage me and Mike availed of in ATC using their couple's room. Damage here is P900 per full body treatment, P700 if you're a member but it's well-worth the price. I've heard that there are other spas better than this, but this place is close to my heart because I spent a good amount of time being pampered here during so many remarkable times in my life. Plus, the eucalyptus and mint smell you get when you enter the spa is definitely worth coming back to.
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