[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

Groupon Review: Oriental Spa Chamber [PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!]

You may not know, but I am a total fanatic of massages!

In fact, I have been to quite a few that I kinda' regretted not blogging about them - reason being that I always purchase them through Groupon deals, and I am sure many of you out there would be googling for some reviews before clicking that "Buy Now" button.

Right, right... Right??!!

As such, I have decided to be *kind* and start blogging down my experiences for each Groupon deal that I purchase for the benefit of anyone who may be considering about it.

Be rest assured that I am not PAID in any way to blog about their services, hence these reviews are definitely not any form of advertisement. If they are good, then they simply are.

 If they are not, then I hope they are now regretting how badly they treated me (Note: Never offend a blogger! *glares*)

I have always believed in the importance of REVIEWS. They form a huge part of the company's reputation, no?

OK, so here's one that I purchased and tried yesterday with my Shreky:

The Oriental Spa Chamber

I actually came across this place randomly once and was amused by its name. The chinese words "Huang Ah Ma" literally mean "Emperor Dad" (not sure if I translated correctly) back in the olden Dynasty times. I was tempted to visit the place; and my wish was somehow granted when I spotted it on Groupon coincidentally on another day.

 Ok, it is not really THAT cheap - I got the one that was on promotion for 2 pax and we paid $42.50 each for 90 mins of session with them. It's usual prices for ala carte are WAY, WAY more expensive than the deal price!

(The session includes 60 minutes FULL body massage + 15 mins foot soak + 15 mins Sauna)

What appealed me was its ORIENTAL interior design of the place based on the photos that were advertised on its website. (Not to mention that I am a huge fan of oriental style).

So you can imagine my excitement when I managed to secure an appointment with them after I purchased the deal.

However, the booking of appointment wasn't really a smooth-sailing one as I was unreasonably told that they do not offer massage services AFTER April (I had wanted to book for a slot in June). I was appalled as it was supposed to be valid till AUGUST as stated on the Groupon website! The person who picked up my call did not provide me any reason despite me asking; and just simply insisted that they do not offer the services after April.

Well then, I gave in and went for a slot in March.

And so we went - Fortunately, the place was easily located as it was within a short walking distance from Chinatown MRT (Purple Line) - Exit E.

Gosh, I love, LOVE this painting on the wall. Talk about oriental!

Kudos to whoever painted the wall. Haha~

The Oriental Spa Chamber actually resides INSIDE a hotel, so its unmistakable!

We actually spent some time admiring the exterior and taking some random photographs before heading in for our registration.

Gosh, I believe this is one of the rarer times I'm posting a non-makeup photo of myself - but heck. I am not gonna care what you think. Ugly then ugly, lor.

(I don't know why, but I am not into makeup nowadays unless there are really important events. Getting lazy, I guess? But whatever)

When we finally got our asses into the place, we were led to a small cozy room and Ginger tea was served! We were told to wait for our turn as it was a busy Sunday for them. Since their waiting area was VERY comfortable (it somehow reminded me of those small study room in an ancient palace)

Pictures unclear due to the dim lighting and we were using our front camera - my sincere apologies!

Here's a pic taken from my better camera:

Palace, palace!

When it was our turn, we were called in to a small room that consisted of 2 comfy massage-alike chairs:

We were told to soak our feet in the bucket of sea salt water.

(It was #(*$##*$ scalding hot and it took us awhile to adapt to the temperature before we could fully soak our feet in)

Here's a pic of me getting all panicky at the feel of the hot water~

That's my Shreky:

(Note that she did not insert her feet entirely into the water too HAHAHA!)

Ok, now that the water is not that hot...

(We were allowed to bring in our Ginger tea to drink & enjoy the feet soak at the same time)

Shreky's Crayon-Shin Chan manicure design that she did in Malaysia! CUTE to the max!

Look at this door that I love so much:

When our 15 mins feet soak was up, we were led to hall of different compartments where we could finally lie down and relax for our 60 mins full body massage. I was SO hyped up at the thought that  I couldn't wait to pounce on the massage bed so badly. Speaking about being desperate. HAHA.

We were given time to change and wrap ourselves with towels while awaiting our masseurs. (Don't worry, they are all female masseurs!)

Sorry- as much as we had wanted to take photos of us during the massage session, we couldn't as we did not have a photographer with us. (Not to mention that we were given lockers to lock our bags outside)

Both Shreky and I were lucky that we were in the same compartment (We actually bought the 2 pax meant for couples); hence we were able to communicate with each other more freely!

So... You might be wondering how well the body massage went, right?

To be fair, I have to say that it was OK-OK. The initial part started out being painful as the masseur seemed to have powerful hands (I did tell her that it was quite painful and she used lesser force. In fact, it is always important to let your masseur know the level of pain you are experiencing during the massage!) . Thankfully, it became slightly more comfortable soon-after and I almost did fall asleep.

I would give the massage services a 7/10. 

It is definitely not the "VERY SHIOK" kind of massage; but its still okay for the experience. I mean, if you are not able to take the pain... Just voice it out and the masseur will definitely respect you. :)

The masseurs were friendly people, and despite the fact that we came in using Groupon vouchers, they still gave us good service (There are some places that will totally offer you a not-here-or-there service if they see that you purchase their services using vouchers).

Fortunately, the service at Oriental Spa Chamber was great.

We were being taken into a small room for our 15 min Sauna (In fact, it was my VERY first Sauna experience!) I didn't like it at the beginning, but slowly adapted to the heat and I was amazed by the amount of sweat that came out from all parts of my body - including my face!Honestly, I felt like I was a pig being roasted in a hot oven - but the "after-effect" was awesome.

The moment when we stepped out of the Sauna room, I FELT LIKE I WAS REBORN AGAIN. HAHAHA.

Our masseurs came over and gave us our towels to wipe our bodies before proceeding back into our compartment to change.

The best part of all about the Groupon deal?

THERE WAS TOTALLY NO HARD-SELLING OF ANYTHING.

 No hard-selling of packages or products, etc. I was most impressed.

So if you were to ask me whether this is something that is worth purchasing, I would say.. 

GO FOR IT! :)

Even if its not for the massage experience, you may be interested in the oriental style of its interior.

So I guess that shall end my review here... Do bookmark my blog for more future reviews on the different deals I'm gonna try out! :)