ONCE

Have been hearing (quite a bit) about Annie.  Am wondering is it worth watching.

On another note, Marketa Irglova is performing live in Singapore this August. Was flirting (casually) with the idea of catching the concert, but am not really sold on it. The plot of Once, the musical, sounds cliche and hardly out-of-the-world impressive (apologies to Once fans) and secondly, I am not crazy over the artist enough to spend that much on an-hour-plus concert.

Granted, I do like the songs "Falling Slowly" and "Go Back". Nice soothing music it is. Too bad liking 2 songs is not motivational enough!

HANDSOME AND GORGEOUS

Love.

Gaming.

Love gaming.

Love and gaming! 

WITH DESSERT THIS TIME ROUND

Last Saturday, I went for a spa package (at a delightfully special promotional price for first-time visitors only), courtesy of The Ultimate.

Initially, I was a tad worried about hard-selling tactics and poor customer service. Admittedly, I personally find spa a little too pricey to do at a regular basis (and by regular, I mean more than twice a year). It's okay for an occasional relaxing indulgence. Anyway, when I do spend on said indulgence, I would want one that is worth both the while and money.

What are some of my personal no-nos for a massage spa? Firstly, I don't want unskillful masseurs (of course!) and pushy hard-sell tactics. AND I don't like spa with pretty, young, overly-perfumed, and superfluous staff who are sooo slim, trendy, and gorgeous that I'll feel like an UGLY misfit just by being there!

What I want is just a relaxing and CLEAN environment, with staff (not young squeaky ladies) who know what they are doing and are happy, warm, and inviting. And there is one thing that I look out SPECIFICALLY for : hygiene. (so sue me for being a health freak, or for being a Biology/Chemistry major).

The last I went for a massage, it was only mediocre. It was all business, and then, go. I reached the massage center, changed into clean underpants and wrapped myself with a towel, the masseur came, massaged (the masseur was friendly, to be fair), massage was done, get dressed up, followed by some promotion package hard-selling, and then bye-bye!

It was fast. Efficient. Forgettable. And that was just it. 

Thankfully, The Ultimate does not disappoint. Upon arrival, a cup of warm chrysanthemum tea was served while I was filing up the routine form. Once done, I was first ushered into a cosy room (dimly lit at that, yippee!) which felt so homely and inviting. 

The masseurs provided me a pair of clean underpants and bath robe to change into. Following which, I was brought to an outdoor jacuzzi (by outdoor, it's not really 'al fresco' per se. Instead, it's a comfortably-sized container situated nicely atop the roof) for a good 20 minutes soak. It felt so heavenly splashing around like a mermaid, with bubbles and all!

(pictures courtesy of The Ultimate)

After the 20 minutes of warm soaking, I was redirected back to the room for a full body scrub. The scrub was pleasantly enjoyable; it didn't feel like my skin was getting ripped off! It was a REAL FULL body scrub; all the way down to the sole of the feet. It was unbearably ticklish that I couldn't keep from giggling (I've always been ticklish). After completing the full body scrub, the masseur brought me to the shower area, complemented thoughtfully with another clean bath robe, a towel, and another clean underpants. So pleased! Plus point!!!

After shower, I headed back to the room for a good full body massage. The masseur was definitely skilled, and checked with me once (around 5 minutes into the massage) regarding the pressure, and whether would I prefer lesser force. I replied in the negative, stating that the current firmness and force is just nice. True to her professional skills, her pressure remained relatively constant throughout the entire massage, which is really impressive. And she did not check with me again regarding the amount of force she was exerting (which I really appreciate, because I honestly have no wish to have my peaceful rest disrupted with every 30 minutes of, 'Is this pressure ok?').

The masseur gave good back petrissages and focused on my upper back, which I had indicated on my client form earlier. She worked patiently on my tight shoulders and attempted to loosen the muscle knots umpteen times, which I really am grateful for. In the middle of the massage, my allergic nose (I've allergic rhinitis) acted up, blocked up both nostrils, and I had to sniff a couple of times. My masseur noticed that, and asked whether am I ok and offered to get some tissues. *contented sigh!*

After the massage and having changed back to my clothes, I ventured (regretfully) out of the room and into the main reception. And there, on the coffee table, is a bowl of delightful red bean soup. DESSERT!!! Gah! I'm a happy lady!

Overall, there was definitely no hard-selling (one of the managers did come over to chit-chat while I was enjoying the red bean soup and filling up the feedback form, and she promoted some spa packages. To her credit, she respected my wishes when I said I need time to mull over before committing). The jacuzzi was relaxing. The body scrub was pleasant. And the full body massage was skillful (with soft tranquil music playing in the background, too!). All in all, the experience was pleasant beyond words!

BEST HOURS EVER.

Hygienically, it fared well too. There was no miserly reusing of personal robes, towels, and underpants. The Ultimate is one which I would recommend to friends if asked!

If there's anything to nitpick about (if I REALLY have to), firstly, it would be the lack of hot towel treatment. If you've ever had a hot towel treatment, you'll definitely know the magic within. It's something that just takes your breath away. And I thought it's such a pity that such a simple but yet wonderful treatment is left out. Another thing that I would have preferred is that they had asked for what type of body scrub and massage do I want. It was written on the online brochure that there are two types of body scrub (green tea or honey oats) and five types of massage to choose from (Swedish, Balinese, Javanese, Shiatsu, Aromatherapy), but strangely, my preference was never asked. Not something I would kick a fuss over, but still, it would have been nice to have a choice to try something new.

Overall, I AM VERY HAPPY with the spa at The Ultimate. I'd do it again in an instant! The price is awesome too, at a comfy average of $40/hour (and that's jacuzzi + body scrub + massage!), considering it IS Singapore and all!

Too bad the promotional price is only available for first-time visitors! Gah! :(