Review: Spa Symphony - 313@Somerset

Here's another long-awaited blog review of mine - and surprisingly... It was a negative experience turned positive.

Before you think this is another sponsored advertorial/review, I have to tell you it is not. Everything was paid for using our own money, and experiences are shared based on what we personally went through.

I'm not sure if any of you have came across a Groupon deal from Spa Symphony before, but I think I did patronize them years ago and forgotten about it.

(Sorry for the unclear pics, all the below were taken using my phone's camera under low lighting)

It was not until I received a call from them recently and they actually OFFERED me FREE facial session.

OMG, got what motive?!?!

Of course, ANY - I mean, ANY, sensible human will be on high alert and be skeptical about this, right?

FREE LEH. FREE. It's most un..un..un..un..believable.

Come on, there is no FREE lunch in this world. I was pretty sure there would be strings attached.

(No offence, but I am ALWAYS skeptical of spas, massage salons, etc because they are commonly about packages, packages, packages!)

"Do you mean it's tied with packages or what??" I asked the Mr.Nice Man who called me over the phone.

"No, ma'am. It's a one-time thing, and we are offering it for free. You can bring along your friend as well to enjoy the promotion together. Unless if you are interested in a body massage, it will be chargeable at $28."

Mmm, Did he just mention body massage? I would love that anytime!

$28 is actually considered a VERY reasonable price, considering that this is Singapore we are talking about. It's almost like paying at a Groupon deal price, except that this isn't really through Groupon.

Still on a skeptical mode, I agreed to take up the body massage option, much to his surprise.

"You are okay with paying $28 for the body massage, right?"

(LOL, I guess he must have thought all Singaporeans would opt for FREE facial session and did not expect that someone would actually not mind paying for other services)

"Yes, I know, I am okay with it." I replied.

Together with my massage kaki (Let's call her "Shreky"), we made an appointment and headed down for it. I somehow expected us to get into some hardselling shit. 

Unfortunately, they called me on THE day and informed me that one of us would have to give up the massage due to their masseur's last minute of urgent leave. They offered the option for us to switch to the free facial session instead.

Being a hardcore massage lover, I was quite disappointed, lah. Honestly, I had been looking forward to a good massage after all the body-ache!

Nonetheless, I took up the free facial session and let Shreky proceed with her massage.

When we reached the place, I was kinda' impressed by the glass door design. LOL.

Quite atas-looking, I would say.

As we entered, the staff greeted us with smiling faces.

Hmm. Not bad. Friendly. Wait till we reject all those packages during their hard-sell talk...

For a start, we were asked to fill in a form with our particulars.

We did not wait long before we were being ushered into our individual rooms. 

As I am a person who has sensitive skin, I was kinda' worried about the facial massages. (And not to mention it was FREE)

The staff assured me that all their products are made from organic ingredients and suitable for all skin types.

Hmm, well... Okaaay.

A young and pleasant-looking lady attended to me during the session. Somehow, we clicked and started chatting away- even sharing our personal stories.

The facial session was surprisingly quite comfortable, and I really love the ambiance of the room. (I noticed that they have an exquisite design placed on top of their ceiling in 3D mode.. And you will feel like you are looking at a sky/ top of a tree top!)

I was glad that there was no hard-selling done during the process (I have heard enough horror stories of customers going through a tedious hard-selling talk during facials)

When we came out of our rooms after 60 minutes, tea was served.

A lady walked in and greeted us.

I REALLY THOUGHT THE HARD-SELLING PART WOULD COME ANYTIME NOW.

Indeed, the lady did introduce us of their services - but that was surprisingly it. 

There was completely no expected hard-selling from their side, and even politely thanked us when we told her that we would think about it.

WAH, this is seriously BEST.

The facial session really came with NO string attached. It was just their way of service introduction to us, and I really appreciate that Spa Symphony was true to their words.

You know, this is the kind that I wouldn't mind signing up packages or paying for - instead of some others who use methods of hard-selling.

If you are any business owner who use hard-selling tactics, I hope you read and LEARN from them. Hard-selling will get you nowhere. In fact, it will only get on customers' nerves and cause them to shun.

So yes, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Spa Symphony for being such a good sport! The facial session was superb and your staff are really friendly.

I won't mind bringing other friends back there again if there are any other promotions in future. 

Tried, tested and highly recommended from SGComplainQueen! Hahaha.

Here's their website if any of you is/are interested:

http://www.spasymphony.com.sg/

(Too bad that I did not get the chance to take many photos there as I did not intend to blog about it but eventually decided to!)

Groupon Deal Review: - LifeSpa massage - Worth Going?

You know, I have figured that my blog should contain posts that benefit others from my personal experiences - especially those that I spent money on.

I am sure plenty of you out there have googled companies, products or items from Groupon deals before purchasing them, and reviews from bloggers would have benefited you.

SO, so... I have decided to share more about my Groupon experiences here with my readers as I do purchase their deals quite often! 

So what kind of deals do I usually spend my money on, you ask?

MASSAGE or FOOD. 

(I feel that body massages in Singapore are darn expensive without purchasing Groupon deals!)

As I have a friend (I shall call her "Shrek" since it's a nickname we have been calling each other since our poly days, haha) who are into body massages as much as I do, we would often share lobangs with each other and purchase deals to try.

"Well... You know, you can share all of our experiences in your blog," she suggested. 

I thought it was a pretty good idea. (So to all those bad merchants, watch out! If you are one of those who do not honor your Groupon deal, I shall post about you on my blog!)

I shall start off my first entry experience on a positive one: - Here's one deal from Groupon that we tried: (Don't worry, this is not a sponsored post or anything like that -  We freaking paid money for the services from our own pockets!!)

$27 for a Swedish or Deep Tissue Stress Relief Massage at LifeSpa

$27 is considered an attractive price for a body massage service. (Without Groupon deals in Singapore, a body massage can easily cost up to $100 and above, which is crazy)

I know it's risky, but I did not bother to check or read reviews about the place before purchasing the deal. It was a pure luck thing. I remembered both of us were desperate for a body massage and were lucky enough to book an appointment for the next day.

There are 3 outlets of LifeSpa, and we chose the one at Carlton Hotel, which was quite a convenient location.

We were WOW-ed by the place upon arrival. We felt so out of place in such an atas venue.

The reception lady was well-mannered, and passed us the forms to fill in our personal details before heading in for our massages. 

When we were told that the room was ready, we were completely overwhelmed by excitement as they brought us to a luxurious-looking suite (it was a COUPLE ROOM!! It means that we would be able to communicate with each other in the room during massage, which was an additional bonus as we didn't expect we would be given the privilege. In most massage places, a couple room requires a top-up charge and we were NOT charged a single cent for it)

It was an out-of-the-world (in a good way) kind of experience as I was dazzled by the facilities as well. Can you imagine that there was a PERSONAL TOILET as well in the room? We had all the privacy to ourselves, and there was a heater pad on the massage bed too to warm our bodies.

The masseurs were very professional as well, and I would say they do have some good skills there!
(In the past, I always had this mentality that the masseurs will not give quality service since we purchased the Groupon deals at a cheap price. I am sure most of you would have this thought, too, right?! Sometimes, things are too good to be true. However, I was proven wrong on this occasion!)

After the massage, we were given a choice to choose our tea (I opted for Ginger tea, which I love!) and we were led to a comfy resting area (We felt like princesses with such atas treatment, LOL).
When we reached, I noticed that there was even a small plate of snacks- complete with our cups of tea- ready at the table.

NOW IS THE MOMENT. I HAD A FEELING THEY WERE GOING TO DO SOME HARD-SELLING OF PACKAGES.
I always hated this. I have read reviews of many places doing hard-selling of packages and throwing customers black faces if they say "NO".
I'm someone who has difficulty saying "NO", so you can imagine how dreadful it was for me.

Well, we waited.
There was indeed a young lady approaching us with a form.
Fortunately... We were only asked a question,
"Do you do massages often?"
We shook our heads.

"Well, its okay then. See you".
And that was it! No hard-selling. Wow. This is so un...un..un..un..believable. LOL.
We were stunned like vegetables. *pun intended. ahem*
I guess it was because I indicated we were students in the forms?
 (Yeah, students are always poor okay!)

Nonetheless, I would recommend this Groupon deal to anyone who would like to give it a try. Please do note that I am only reviewing the outlet that I went, and could not verify that the services in the other outlets are the same.
Till then. stay tuned to more of my Groupon deal updates~!

[Review] Groupon deal: Vellus Hair Studio - GOOD or BAD?

As I'll be flying off to Taiwan pretty soon with the intention to have my hair permed (I have even made a booking with the salon two months before!), I decided to give my hair some nourishment and pampering in Singapore first.

As some of you may or may not realize, I have been a "Groupon deals hunter" lately, so much so that I am starting to be worried as I keep spending money on deals!!! (Heck, I really enjoyed those deals so far, especially those massage/spa ones)

I came across this one day while I was searching for hair treatment deals:

Vellus Hair Studio

Seriously, I have never heard of them before. (I guess Groupon is one of the ways for merchants to gain more awareness about their business?)

As the price was kinda attractive (Only $18 for Boce Hair Treatment + Wash + Blow), I thought I would give it a try.

Furthermore, the venue was located quite conveniently near Tanjong Pagar MRT. Definitely worth checking out!

Not to mention that I have my BFF going with me as well and we'll be trying out their services together! =D

Took a pic of myself before heading there. My hair was in such a terrible state that I had to wear my cap!

Unfortunately, I did not capture any photograph during the journey since I didn't intend to blog about it, but later changed my mind after the hair treatment (You will see why later).

I was taken aback by the salon's interior when I first set my foot in. In all honesty, it is a salon that does not look like a salon AT ALL. I was expecting to see some kind of standard salon chairs neatly lined in a row - but trust me, you will not believe your eyes when you see it for yourself. Unlike most salons, Vellus Hair Studio provides you all the privacy and comfort you'll need. Yes, you heard it right - You will have ONE room all to yourself. 

So.. Basically, you can sleep, shake your leg, dig your nose, scratch your armpit for all you need - Nobody is there to watch (... Except the hairstylist, of course. LOL) Sorry, I'm just disgusting this way. Hahaha.

This was the first time I experienced such VIP treatment. Not to mention that Vellus Hair Studio works differently, too.

Instead of just plunging straight into cutting your hair or those standard one-liners, they will give you a briefing about hair scalp and a customized hair analysis of your scalp/hair condition! Using a micro device, you will be able to see a 1000% close-up of your own scalp and hair on a TV screen (which I thought was kinda' disgusting to the extent that I felt I had goosebumps).

It felt weird at the same time knowing that it is YOUR own scalp/hair that the screen is featuring. Seriously, my scalp condition was kinda' horrible as there were jelly-like substances clouding all over my scalp area and oil clogs. Those were so micro that they were not apparent to our naked eyes at all - unless using their micro device which I thought was amazing. 

Sorry that I did not take any picture at all during the process (I regretted much!) to show the before/after treatment as I did not expect myself to be blogging about it.

As my Groupon voucher was only for hair treatment, I topped up an additional $74 (It was originally $148 but we could have the 50% discount due to being a first-time customer) to try out their scalp treatment. (Note: I topped up on my own accord. I'm impressed that there was no hard-selling on their side at all)

If you were to ask me, I doubted the effectiveness of the treatment AT FIRST as I have never done scalp treatment before. I was actually convinced by the hairstylist's confidence in making my hair better after the treatment.... and GOSH, she really worked her magic in bringing my badly damaged hair back to life.

I do not have any before/after picture, but I did camwhore abit using my mobile phone during the process. 

Here's a random pic of the recommended cranberry tea that was served to us. (Plus point added for having such a service) The tea was nice!

While it was my BFF's turn for her treatment, I camwhored again:

And another using my camera. 

Mind you, I am not lying and neither am I affiliated with them in any way - so I earn nothing from advertising for them. I AM PURELY SHARING MY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE because it worked for me, and definitely worth a try if you are looking for a different-than-normal salon.

It may sound unbelievable, but you will be amazed at how different a treatment will make your hair look! 

You will even be given the chance to witness the effects of the treatment as the hairstylist will use the micro device to show you the results before and after. No kidding here, but majority of my oil clogs were gone. My scalp looks like a stranger's. LOL. At the same time, you can really FEEL a cleaner and softer scalp after the treatment physically. Just use your hands and reach out for your scalp. 

They do have a package for us to consider, but I did not sign up for it as I am starting to feel the pinch in my pockets. It was a real shame as I LOVE their services, and probably I'll return again when they have future promotions. I am not so much of a package-person... So.. Yeah.

But I am thankful to have found this salon through Groupon. I have always hated merchants that resort to hard-selling customers after they have purchased the deals to top up and stuff, but be rest assured that Vellus Hair Studio will not do that. That is one of the factors why I am impressed as well.

The staff were very friendly as well, and they were so kind to lend me their lighting for photo-taking purpose! :)

Here's a sneak peak of my OOTD (and my hair after the treatment) - If you like the dress I am wearing, do keep a lookout for my upcoming advertorial that I'll be doing for the online store! :)
I'll feature more photos soon!

P/S: I received positive comments the next day regarding my hair and how much better it is looking now. It made me a happy girl because I have never expected this!

Since sharing is caring, here's their address:

83A Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore, Singapore 088504

Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/VellusHairStudio

Heal Spa - Ann unforgettable massage session

I'm sorry for the negligence as I have had a tough week and fell sick before I knew it. 

I was both emotionally and physically strained due to some issues that I will not disclose here, but I would still like to thank each and everyone of my dear friends & colleagues for your concern. 

Yes, you know who you are.

Thank you!

I'll update some of my happier happenings before all the crazy stuff happened - That is my massage treatment last week! It was actually a deal brought from Groupon.

(Yes, I have been on a crazy roll trying out different deals each time so I can share them here with my readers.)

So.. Guess which outlet I went to?

(No, this is not an advertorial and I am not paid to advertise for them in any way. I just wanted to blog about my experience because it was a positive one!)

Yes, it's Heal Spa! 

You know I have this common mindset about purchasing group deals that involve such services. Horror stories being shared by a few customers weren't helping at all.

 Questions such as:

"Is this going to be a scam?"

"Will they hardsell me their services and require me to purchase their packages after the massage?"

"Will they threaten me to buy their packages, if not they'll break my bones?" (LOL)

But I decided to put my worries at rest and just go for it. 

 I won't know until I tried, yes?

So I was ushered to the room by their friendly staff when I reached. 

The masseur (A female, of course) was a friendly and experienced one! What amazed me was her ability to know some facts about me being not able to sleep well, etc when she was massaging me.

I didn't even tell her that I had a pain at my back area, and she seemed to know about it!

The standard of their massage was superb and not those "anyhow" kind. They will ask if there are any affected or painful area(s) of your body, and focus on that area specifically.

I was impressed.

Personally, I have tried different massage services before, and so far... This is one of the best I have experienced! I was served a cup of longan tea after the session...And no, they did not persuade me to purchase their packages at all. (They only introduced me about their ongoing promotion, which I politely declined)

I couldn't believe the feeling I felt when I was walking out of the place. It was as though I was walking on air. (Haha) Yes, I was THAT relaxed. 

I almost wanted to exclaim to the whole world
"THIS IS LIFE!"

If anyone would like to know more about them, you may feel free to visit their website at:

http://www.healspa.com.sg

Online shopping freaks!

Just so you know, I am recently hooked to purchasing deals online.

I have always thought group deals to be a great idea to enjoy food and services at a fraction of its price, which is very much true!

Of course, there are still people out there who doubt the security of the deals and think of them as a scam or gimmick.

Which explains the reason of why I am doing up this entry because I will be personally sharing my experiences (be it good OR bad) of deals I had purchased and used.

Probably a Google search may land you on this page, I don't know. I just hope it will be a beneficial one. 

I've recently tried a 2D1N Batam deal on Qoo10.sg (previously known as Gmarket). 

It was seriously a worthy deal as I had been to the same place (with almost the same itinerary) 2 years back - and it cost me approximately SGD 135.

And Qoo10.sg was having a group deal promotion at SGD 49.90.

Of course, there will be additional compulsory costs that are not included in the $49.90 price tag, such as tips for your tour guide, ferry costs, etc.

But you will still be on the winning end because the total price will not exceed SGD 80. 

(Around SGD 70 ++) 

AND the deal was inclusive of a tour guide, 60-min Javanese massage, 8 course- seafood meal for lunch, 1 night hotel stay, Breakfast buffet.

The tour bus I was in:

Tell me, worth it or not??!!

If you were to go without the deal , a night of hotel stay would easily churn out a bill of $60-$80 already. And this is not even counting the massage deal or lunch.

Of course, I would encourage you to book for weekdays instead of weekends like I did as the place would be packed with humans. (Lol)

In fact, we were stuck at the bus junction for nearly 2 hours and some parts of the trips had to be cancelled
:(
Oh well.

(The itinerary includes a visit to temples and Go-Kart, etc. But it was a pity that we were running out of time and the tour guide cancelled them.)

We were brought to the "Golden Factory Outlet" that is known to sell luxurious brands at a fraction of its price. I doubt its authenticity though. If you are one who is not VERY particular about brands, then I guess this factor will not affect you that much. They do have apparels that come in cool designs!

Nonetheless, the hotel stay was a pleasant one. In fact, I was impressed by its interior design as they made the surrounding look like a luxurious ship. (I was reminded of the Titanic exhibition I went to as the hallway simply looked too much like the Titanic hallway!)

To those who went to the Titanic exhibition when it was here in SG, do you not find this scene familiar??!!

Went for a super duper short shopping spree at their local shopping mall and came across this Karaoke place. *tempted mode*

But of course I didn't go for it as their songs are mainly in their native language which I know nuts.

 Took a photo of my hotel cards before the final check-out during the second day.

I didn't take many photos of my Batam trip (partly due to the factor that I was lazy) as it was my 2nd time there.
To those who are worried about how this deal would turn out, you may go ahead to purchase the deal. It's safe and I am already back in a full piece! (LOL!) :)

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Another recent deal that I tried was the full body massage at Spa de Earth.  It was actually my first time trying out massage in Singapore (My previous massage sessions were at Batam) and I had to say that it was quite a... refreshing experience.

It was a 60-min Javanese massage (and the masseur was quite strong!) LOL.
But it was a 3.5 star experience nonetheless.

Do you know what is ONE fearful thing about online deals that I am most afraid of?

Hard-selling.

Oh damn, I just hate that.

Fortunately, there was completely NO hard-selling at Spa De Earth, even though they do have packages. The staff had merely told me about an ongoing promotion, and that was it.
There was no hard-selling even though I rejected the offer.
It's only places like these that will make me a returning customer.
(Why can't some companies just understand that hard-selling WON'T work?!)
Gosh.

Okay, I guess I have became such an addict that I had just bought 2 more deals with a colleague! Will definitely share my experiences here when I am back.
Should it be a negative experience, be rest assured that I will definitely lodge a complaint.
Haha, ciao~

Online Shopping Addict - Gmarket

I believe most of you out there have heard of Qoo10.sg, or previously known as Gmarket (Seriously, I just couldn't get used to their new Qoo10 name - how the heck do you pronounce that! They should have just stick back to Gmarket. Grrr.. )

Well, I wasn't really an addict/fan until I began mass shopping recently on the site. I ordered things that are quite high in rarity, such as my mobile case cover as I am using Huawei brand that most stores outside do not have.

It was a pleasant experience until now. All of the goods I ordered came in good condition as expected, and delivery was reaaaallly fast.

But there was one thing about them that disturbed me generally whenever I was doing some random online shopping on the site.

They often trick customers with too-good-to-be-true prices (such as $0.99 or $1.99 for an item that's worth $19.90) on the front page of the website. Of course, you click on it and you'll be led to their page.

You will then have the misconception that most of their items are really going LOW at that price. 

You start to happily pick out and jot down the list of items that you want from the store...

Without noticing that there is an OPTION price on the dropdown list.

(For those of you who are no familiar with the site, the option price is like an "add-on" price on top of the "attractive" price that they advertised so nicely on the page.

In a way, the $0.99 price that you saw is considered as only the BASIC price. You cannot really purchase anything with the advertised price unless you ADD on from the option list.

And sometimes, the Option prices are so ridiculous. It can be $10.00 or even $20.00.

In total, you will be paying the initial advertised $0.99 ON TOP of the $10.00.

I came across a perfect example a few weeks back, but the listing is no longer available when I check back now. Hence, I shall take a random example:

Notice that the item was advertised at only $9.90.

But you CAN'T actually click on the purchase button until you select from the drop-down list that has a top-up price of $22 and $35 respectively.

Come on, the prices are not even close!

I am not sure if anyone feels the same way as I do (since I am not really an expert on qoo10 as it was only recently that I started online shopping on the site.) 

It was just that I felt some of the sellers are trying to mislead potential consumers into thinking that their items are REALLY going at that kind of low price, leading them to click on their page.

They will then attract consumers with beautiful photos of all the items they are selling, and more often that not - those items required ALOT of add-on price.

As a shopaholic, I know it's all in the shopper's mind. If you have spotted something nice, you'll begin craving for it and develop the "OMG, I MUST HAVE IT" mindset.

Eventually, you decided that you wouldn't mind paying the additional price for the products, even though they cost a bomb.

Sounds familiar?

Plead guilty, now. (LOL)

I have so many things to complain whenever it comes to online shopping, especially on deal websites. That will be something I am going to blog about in time to come. It will be beneficial for you because I'll be blogging from my personal experience!

P/S: I have nothing against Qoo10.sg with regards to this entry. I am just commenting how some of the deals work - They are misleading to a certain extent.