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I had planned my itinerary yesterday:
11AM: Banks
12NN: Meeting with Adviser
2PM: Pick my Frequent Shopper’s Card from Rustan’s
Beyond: Spa

I woke up with a bad case of stiff neck, which was actually more like stiff upper back, arms and neck and I was determined to pamper myself after months of deprivation due to INNODEV. While I was on my way to BPI, I saw this Graduation Special poster from The Spa. For P1,800+ you get a full body massage, a facial and a foot spa. Not bad.

I like the obviously Oriental-inspired theme of the place. From the first glance, you can already be assured that you’re going to get the quiet pampering you deserve after months of hectic working. The receptionists and all the employees were very accommodating and helpful. In fact, the receptionists even made some idle chat about my “thesis”, which I had actually brought with me, and gave me free cologne. I was led to a shower room, then later to the steam room. The steam room had this pleasant minty smell and I would’ve stayed a bit longer had I not remembered a particular CSI episode wherein this girl died from over steaming.

While waiting for my massage, I was made to sit on a couch, given some magazines and ginger tea. I love ginger tea, so that was a pleasant surprise. I also love the massage beds. They’re just like the ones you see on TV, with holes to place your face into. I am a massage addict and this is the only place I’ve ever been to that had beds like that. I had always hated having to twist my head uncomfortably around just so I could breathe. The fact that I didn’t have to do that makes me give this place a thumbs up.

I had my facial and my foot spa at the same time. I wasn’t quite so happy with the foot spa, as they used files to scrape off my calluses (thanks to those nasty leather shoes I’m required to wear every time I’m in APC). There was only one other spa that had actually used a proper callus remover but that place closed down in 2004. Still, the objective was to relax and I’d willingly take foot massages any day.

The facial wasn’t as meticulously done as in Let’s Face It or other facial care centers but I suppose I couldn’t really complain. It’s a spa, not a dermatologist’s clinic, which reminds me that I really do have to visit the derma one of these days.

I don’t know if other people will appreciate it, but I like that I was given tip envelopes. I usually have a hard time looking for my attendants come tipping time as some spas have dark lighting, making it hard for me to recognize them. I also don’t feel pressured to compute which attendant had better service. You drop the tip envelopes in a box and just let them worry about it. Pretty nifty, if you ask me, although I wonder if other people wouldn’t think that it’s too presumptuous of the attendants to hand over their tip envelopes right after a service.

For P1,800+, I guess I was satisfied. I just needed pampering for the day anyway, not an overhaul of the body parts I need to get fixed. For more information about the graduation promo, visit: http://www.thespa.com.ph/news_promotions_20070315001.html