My First Spa Experience at House of Ezryn

I've been thinking about the first time I have a spa. It's a really long time ago I've forgotten. I feel like the name is there at the tip of my tongue. The funny thing is, I don't know what it is until I came across a box of old name cards recently. That's when I remember. It is the House of Ezryn. Internet is a luxury at that time so I decided to give it a try from either a newspaper article or some column in a female magazine. I can't remember.

There is nothing fancy about their website and it seemed to focus on postnatal services. They probably have enough business from word of mouth. What I remember on my first spa experience, there seemed to be some mixed up on the time. I can't remember if I was early or late. I remember the place was very nice. The bath tub area was spacious I felt very self conscious being half-naked in there. As for the massage, I really can't comment much as I really can't remember it was such a long time ago but one thing sticks in my mind. I can't feel totally relax as I can sense the masseuse was rushing for something. There's a phone call that she has to take if I remember correctly and whatever it was, has her distracted and I became the receiving end of that energy.

That is one thing about being a masseuse. You can't be distracted as your client can feel it. There has to be complete sense of relaxation and trust from both parties for a great massage experience. Both parties must have that positive energy vibrating from their body so both can be at ease. I won't comment and give stars for this entry as I don't think it would be fair since I don't remember much. That's my first and last visit there. I might give them another try if not because I switched office. I just want to have a record of my first spa experience here just in case I forgot the name again and I might not find my stack of old name cards when I need it.

Rejuvenate Your Senses at Dewi Sri Spa

Dewi Sri Spa at Plaza Damas is another location that I love to go when I want to pamper myself. The staff are well trained and very professional. They go about the place very discreetly and if you have to go from the massage room to the facial room, they'll carry your stuff along so you don't have to worry about anything. Just sit back and relax.

At Dewi Sri Spa, you'll feel like you're at a different place altogether. The Bali music played softly at the background, the aromatherapy scents, the decor, the dim lights and the hushed voices, it's like you're the only one there being pampered like a keraton queen. Please call and make reservations before coming. That's what I normally do before any spa or massage sessions unless it's an impulsive decision and the place have available slots.

What I like about the spa:
- Very exclusive and comfortable place
- Very professional staff
- If there are other patrons, you won't really notice
- The room is complete for sauna, shower, massage, changing you don't have to move around so much
- The spa menu covers from top to toe

What I dislike about the spa:
- The disposable g-string. I still can't figure out which side covers the front and which for the back.
- Parking at Plaza Damas can be really expensive. If you have a 5 hour spa session, you can really feel a little pained when paying for the parking. Of course it's a small fraction of the spa cost but I don't like expensive parking. Period.

Things that can be improved:
- Other than a disposable panties that gives better coverage, maybe a special parking rebate. That can definitely put a smile to my face :)
- A more filling snack. Ginger tea and tiny croissant is not enough to stave off hunger when we have a spa session from 10a.m. to 3 p.m.

How many stars?
** 4.5 Stars

No Nonsense Massage at Bodhisense

If you're looking for a no frills Thai massage in KL, I highly recommend Bodhisense at Plaza Damas. They have well-trained Thai therapist. Some speak little English but who needs words when you're enjoying the massage :)

I especially love their foot massage and has been there a few times. They have a room with quite a number of comfortable chairs for the foot massage. I don't fancy getting a foot massage next to a stranger especially man but since I normally go there during working days, I either have the room all to myself or the guy is seated at the end of the room so we can both have our privacy.

You'll be given a comfortable cloths to wear for the traditional Thai massage. I tried it once but the massage kinda exceed my pain threshold. My right shoulder is normally painful due to incorrect way of holding the mouse. Not exactly my fault because I can't change my office chair and desk. It's not ergonomic enough to support long activity in front of the computer. So when they hold my right hand up and press on my shoulder, I yelped in pain. I probably shocked the masseuse. After asking if I was OK, she softened the pressure a little bit. I actually don't mind having another Thai massage. Pain is supposed to be good and that means something is wrong with my body alignment right? But given all the other alternatives I have, so far I only tried once.

What I like about the spa:
- No frills can be good sometimes
- The massage rooms are comfortable
- Comfortable clothes for the massage session
- Really good massage

What I dislike about the spa:
- None that I can think of.

Things that can be improved:
- Separate area for male/female foot massage.

How many stars?
** 3 Stars

Spa and Adventure Getaway at Jerejak Resort

Jerejak Resort and Spa is a good place to unwind if you don't have the luxury of time. You can't swim at the beach because of the presence of jelly fish so its either the swimming pool or the many outdoor activities.

We took the 3D/2N Spa & Adventure package. The view around the spa area is really nice. I like the concept and the traditional Gamelan music played at the background coupled with the light breeze caressing our face as we wait for our turn... it is very relaxing. Every now and then you can hear the faint sound of the plane because the Bayan Lepas airport is quite near to the island.

The massage is heavenly. I highly recommend doing all the outdoor activities till you can feel some muscle aches and then the good massage will feel extra heavenly :)

What I like about the spa:
- Nice and courteous staff
- The massage rooms are nice little huts in a garden concept
- The room faces the sea so the curtain can be opened while maintaining privacy
- Nice background music puts you in the mood
- Really good massage

What I dislike about the spa:
- The hotel kinda mixed up our spa reservation so we have to wait half an hour for our session.

Things that can be improved:
- More water feature around the garden.

How many stars?
** 3.5 Stars

Self Love at Kamphora Spa

What do you do when hubby's not around? I decided to pamper myself a little bit. It has been quite a while since I got a proper massage... probably about 4-5 months ago. If there's a proper massage, is there an improper massage? Hehehe... If I'm lucky, hubby would do a quick back rub and shoulder massage for me after I massage him for at least half an hour. And when I say quick, I mean really quick. Say about 5 minutes. So I really need a professional masseuse this time.

I decided to give Kamphora Spa a try since its nearby. I chose Kamphora Ayu treatment and the normal facial. That would be like 3 hours treatment time. The decor is simple and quite modern. I like the steam bath session. The moment I get zipped up, I can feel the heat of the steam all around me. I've had a very very mild steam bath experience before where I have to fan the steam around to get the steam circulated inside the bag. This time, no such problem.

Then off to body scrub session. I have a feeling the space is quite small for the therapist to move around. Part of the place is partitioned only with curtains so I kept hearing the swishy-swashy sound of the curtain against her as she moves around. After a quick shower to clean myself from the remaining scrub, it's time for Sireh Bath. Sireh or betel leaves is supposed to be good for our health with many healing properties. Since I've tried spice bath, milk bath and flower bath before, why not try something different today.

The massage session is good and quite different from the normal Balinese massage available in many spas. My masseuse, though looked quite young, said this is traditional Malay massage and she has done it for many years. It's not something she learns at any spa or massage school. She absorbs the wind in my body and burps the whole session hehehe... I find that quite amusing and satisfying knowing all my wind is expelled out. It's difficult for me to burp and despite spending the full hour or more getting a massage, if I'm lucky there'd be a really tiny mini burp as I was getting dressed. Hubby on the other hand, would burp all the wind out when I massage him. It gives some kind of satisfaction knowing you have expelled all the wind out when you massage a certain area and there are no more burps.

The facial session is just so-so. They didn't have the machine that sucks all white heads, black heads and whatever dirt from your face so it's done manually. The facial scrub probably didn't agree with me since my cheek felt hot with a burning sensation. I told my therapist that and she quickly wipe it off. I feel OK now. Probably the facial mask heals it.

By the time I completed all the session, it's almost 4 hours and my tummy's rumbling. I was given a nice complimentary gift before I leave.

What I like about the spa:
- Nice and courteous staff
- Nice steam bath
- The staff gives enough privacy while changing clothes and during bath session
- Body is covered modestly during all the session
- Good massage

What I dislike about the spa:
- When friends or well known customers of spa staff come over and chatted loudly, it's disturbing since the scrub, massage and facials area are only partitioned with curtains.
- Due to space constraints, the therapist have to walk in and out of the treatment area to get fresh supply of water or wash their hands. It kinda disrupts the session.

Things that can be improved:
- The staff would look better with a uniform.
- Hot shower to rinse off body scrub.
- The facial thingy that sucks facial impurities.
- Use malay traditional music as background music.

How many stars?
** 2.5 Stars

Note: If you look at Malaysia Spa & Wellness Award, there would be many categories and many ways of giving points. I'm not going to go into that very detail. The points given are based on my experience in comparison to all other Spas I've been to.