Spa Tales from Two Cities: Vietnam and Singapore

My last two spa experiences were worlds apart from each other, but I loved them both equally.

Let me tell you about my Vietnamese spa experience first, since I just came from there, and I am still in that blissful state that you get with the faint smell of massage oil and a fully relaxed body. I just came from My Spa which is actually pronouced like the word  "me". My is the very nice lady who owns the spa. She has been in business now for around four years and she's only thirty-one. (That's my dream life!!! Together with being a travel consultant and a personal shopper! oh, and include a published writer to that wish list too!) She's on the petite side, she's well made up, and she really makes an effort to talk to all the guests without coming across as being pushy or intrusive. She even offered to lend me an umbrella so I could walk back to the hotel, but I asked for a cab instead.

My Spa.
I think this is where they do the manis and pedis.
I want one. ASAP.

I discovered My Spa from TripAdvisor. It was quite surprising that when you type in 'Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City', every other recommendation on the list was a spa or a salon. The second recommendation on Trip Advisor's list was MySpa, which followed the Saigon River Express Tour. I actually surfed the websites of all the recommended Spas and I shortlisted all the places in District 1, but I noticed that MySpa was cheaper than all the other places by at least 30-50%. The traveler's reviews were generally good, so I checked with the concierge if he knew about the place and whether or not it was close to where we were staying. The concierge told me that it was quite popular and he offered to make an appointment for me to make sure that I would get accomodated, and he told me that it was only 10mins away on foot.

Not fully trusting the traveler's reviews online and the concierge's word for it, I even did more research by walking to the spa yesterday night with Sofia, just to check it out. Hahahaha, I may be a sucker for a good deal, but it might be too good to be true. I don't want to end up in some place where extra services are offered... or worse given! just because I was too cheap to go to the more expensive places~ Upon seeing the place and the clients that they had, I knew I had to go as soon as possible.

Since I need to leave Sofia at the hotel while I work, I feel guilty about not spending time with her when I get back, so today, I was really hoping to get back while she was napping so that I could sneak out for a quick massage. Unfortunately, she was waiting for me to get home and because she didn't nap at all today. Good thing we both wanted to swim... so she was asleep on her stroller right after the Korean BBQ dinner so I immediately booked myself an appointment for the spa.

I availed of the 60minutes fully body massage that includes a hot stone back massage for 320,000VND (SG$20 or Php680). I loved it because small things make a big difference, and the service in the spa makes you feel that they went to the trouble to do the small things. When I arrived, they immediately led me to a seat, someone took away my footwear (even if i was already in slippers), they gave me a pair of slippers to use at the spa, and they asked if I wanted hot or iced tea. Once I was ready, the massage therapist led me to the massage area (on a higher floor) where the beds are only separated by curtains. I am not really sure if they separate males and females because they asked me what gender I was booking an appointment for, but I swear I could hear a guy snoring from somewhere nearby, it's not really an issue for me because there's sufficient privacy, but then I'm not exactly shy or conservative.

They start the treatment with a cucumber face mask. My face was wiped clean with a cold towel, then there was a face massage, but before she started, she rubbed her hands together and let me smell the massage oil which had a very relaxing effect. Then she started started layering cold cucumber slices on my face. It was so fresh, I could actually hear her slicing the cucumber as she was layering it. Hahaha. Seriously. It felt really nice and refreshing on my face. Then once she was done, I think she wrapped my cucumber covered face while she massaged other parts of me, then she removed it and she once again cleaned my face with a cold towel.

Then the next thing I remember was she told me to turn around so she could do my back and this was my favorite part because she used the hot stones to massage my back. Then she ended it by putting the hot stones in a line on my back while she massaged my other parts.

I can imagine myself looking like this but without the flower of course.
I should have just asked the therapist to take my picture for my blog. Hahaha.
Note to self: next time come with a flower in my hair. joke.
Photo credit: alagrea.com.au

The massage it a combination of swedish, with long and deep strokes using oil, as well as a lot of stretching similar to the Thai massage. After the treatment, the therapist used a cold towel to wipe of the oil on my whole body, so you only come out of the spa smelling faintly of the just-came-from-the-spa-aroma without being all oily and sticky.

Over-all, my only complain is that it was a bit on the short side and it left me wanting for more. Next time, I will try to book the 90minute version (420,000VND) if my schedule allows it. But I also want to come back during the weekend for a mani and a pedi, I'm even tempted to get nail art too! I can see myself getting a massage 1-2 a week.

MySpa is at 5C4 Thi Sach Street, in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City
Call +84 (0) 989973309 for an appointment before coming.
You can visit their website here.

Now, my last Singapore spa experience is the other end of the spectrum. Before leaving Singapore, I had to use all my vouchers that were expiring and one of the was a massage voucher for an "East West Blend" massage at the Spa Botanica in Sentosa. The massage I got was already the cheapest one they were offering, it was still close to 10times the cost of my Vietnamese massage at SG$170.

Spa Botanica is an award winning spa that's considered to be one of the best destination spas in Asia. The massage was good, but I wouldn't really count it as memorable (esp if I had to pay for it myself!). However, what I loved about the place was the spa facilities that you can use for free once you get any treatment done at the spa.

I have a few stolen shots.

There's a floating pool on the Ladies only side.

There's also one which everyone can use along with a pool (no pic).

The shared mud bath is very pretty.

It's right beside the meditation garden where you can meditate while drying the mud.

They tell you to test it on a small spot first to make sure you don't get a reaction.

The mud.

This is me drying the mud.

and washing it off in the mud pool.

Me in the mud pool, but honestly, it's easier to wash it off under the shower.

Trading the mud for some tanning oil.

This was a nice place to relax and read a magazine.

Spa Botanica is in Sentosa (it's the Spa part of The Sentosa Resort and Spa). I would love to go back again, but only if someone will sponsor my treatment. Just saying.