I badly wanted to give Eucalyptus Spa a top 5-star ranking but had to stop short… read on and find out why they missed out on the last star…

I found out about Eucalyptus Spa off one of the regular mass emails I get for spas and massages services. They were promoting a couple spa package called Energise Me! which consists of a 30 minutes Honey & Sesame Body Scrub and a 60 minutes Energizing Massage at a special S$188 (US$110) price for two people.

Eucalyptus Spa is located in one of the colonial pre-war conservation shophouse at Craig Road which is just off Tanjong Pagar near the CBD outer zone. The spa occupy the second and third levels of the shophouse and you need to climb up a flight of steep steps.

Two smiling heads popped out on the second level to welcome us as we climb the flight of steps. We entered the main door which leads to a reception area. The entire spa was done up in the decor typical of Singapore in the 1950-60s with scent in the air and spa music in the background.

We were served with ginger lemongrass tea and a cold towel infused with peppermint and eucalyptus to freshen up. A soft spoken lady manning the reception (my therapist) reconfirmed our packages and gave us the option to choose our preferred type of body scrubs. I chose the Ginger Tangerine Scrub blended with rice grains and my partner chose the Honey & Sesame Body Scrub.

The therapist explained about the ingredients of the different type of scrubs and went on to describe the characteristic of the mixed Balinese and Egyptian Sports Massage we will be getting. We were very surprised that she had the initiative to explain to us without us even asking! She later apologised that one of the shower room was out of order and so asked if we could do our body scrub at different times and we agreed.

I was directed to a small pebble sink to wash my feet with running water. The massage treatment room was designed for a couple’s massage with a curtain to provide some privacy where necessary. The hour-long massage treatment was fantastic and this was the first I ever had with an Egyptian massage as it alternates between deep tissue kneads and the smooth strokes of the Balinese massage.

We came out of the massage very well rejuvenated and refreshed. The skills, service and quality of massage has certainly been impressive.

Now, let me tell you why they deserve a 5-star:

1. Greeted as soon as we climbed the stairs… this is rare in Singapore
2. Plenty of soft smiles and greetings
3. Full explanations of the scrubs and massage we’ll be getting, without us asking, a rarity anywhere in the world
4. Shower head facing away… so that we do not get splashed!
5. Keeping the price at S$188 even though it was a mailing error and the price should be S$228
6. Singaporean bosses and Singaporean therapists… yet, world class attitude, service and quality

Unfortunately, I could not give them the last star because:

1. We could hear every motorbike, car or lorry passing by the road outside while having the massage because of poor soundproofing of the treatment room
2. The shower and massage room were separate… and we had to walk through the reception area in our bathrobe to get from one to the other

I badly wanted to give them a 5-star rating, the highest I would have given any spa in all my reviews in the last couple of years… so near and yet so far.

This spa is just a short 10 minutes walk from my home and I really thought I could make this my ‘bookmarked’ spa place. However, despite all the great service, great treatment and great location…. having a massage and hearing every zooming vehicle at the same time just cannot be anyone’s cup of tea!

I have no choice but to withdraw the last star very reluctantly! Nevertheless, this is still a superb 4-star spa boutique and if you ever wanted great service and try the deep kneads of combined Egyptian/Balinese massage after a tiring or stressful day… this is your place. You have my personal recommendation for this spa… as long as you do not mind the traffic!

Location of Eucalyptus Spa@Craig Road 43A Craig Rd Singapore 089681
Size: Small spa with 2 private massage and facial treatment rooms. Showers not available en-suite.
Facilities: None
Friendliness: Polite and knowledgeable Singaporean staff. One of the best available locally.
Pricing: Starts from US$65 for a facial, wrap or bath. US$55 for Body massage. Various spa and beauty packages available and starts from US$100.

I stayed in 2 different hotels when I was in Dubai, UAE recently. One of the two hotels was the Radisson SAS Hotel and the other was the Arabian Courtyard, which I reviewed in an earlier article.

There are at least 3 Radisson SAS hotel in Dubai, so you have to be careful, so as not to confuse yourself or your taxi driver. The oldest Radisson SAS is near the Creek, the newer one near the Media city and the latest, near the Marina area. (I believe Radisson SAS was changed to Radisson Blue recently)

I was in Dubai for some work related meeting and hence stayed at the Radisson SAS hotel near Media City.  This hotel is conveniently located near the Media and Internet City of Dubai, where most of the world’s top IT and Media companies have their offices and these include Nokia, Oracle, Microsoft, Dell, IBM, HP, Canon, CNN, BBC, Reuters, CNBC etc

Hence, Radisson SAS is an extremely convenient hotel if you need to do business with any of these companies. The hotel is a short walking distance for many of these companies and is the top corporate hotel choice for them as well. However, convenience for working with these companies translate into inconveniences for non-work choices.

There are simply no facilities once you step out of the hotel. The entire place becomes a dead town at night or over the weekend and you have no place to eat or shop other than the hotel within a 30 minutes walking radius ie if you have not succumbed from the heat. Your nearest food, shopping or entertainment facility is at least a taxi ride away. In fact, to travel to Dubai city centre is at least 30 minutes via taxi in smooth traffic. Much longer if traffic is bad… which can be common in Dubai.

Hence, if you do not intend to go out far, your only source of amusement is within the hotel. This is where the hotel’s spa, Senso Wellness Centre comes in useful. The Senso is located near the hotel’s swimming pool and gymnasium and boasts of 6 treatment rooms which is done up individually in stylish Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Indonesian decor.

Treatment Room done in Indian decor

The Senso Spa offers facial treatments, body treatments and body massages. A face hydrating treatment starts at 420 AED (@US$115), a body polish at 220 AED (@US$65) and a 60 mins Swedish massage starts at 300 AED (@US$82). Hotel guest who takes up at least 2 body massage treatments can get a 20% discount.

I was given a tour of the spa, gym and swimming pool by the spa receptionist. The spa is managed and manned by a mixture of Lebanese and Filipino staff. I understand that the masseurs are Filipino and Indonesian.

Although I stayed at the hotel for a week, I did not end up using any of the spa or fitness facilities. The swimming pool and sun deck area is small and the small gym consist mostly of older gym equipments.

I find the spa prices a bit high and I simply dislike it’s location. The treatment rooms are just next to a elevator zone where people and luggage are coming in and out all the time and I find it simply too distracting.

Despite the hotel touting the spa and pool as one of the highlights of the hotel, I find the awkward location and small size of the pool, spa and gym more like a design after-thought of the architects of the hotel than being the highlight that it has been credited with.

Unless you are stuck in the hotel for weeks and weeks, you may be better off taking a taxi and exploring other parts of Dubai which can be more entertaining than what the hotel and spa alone can offer.

Location of Senso Wellness Centre@ Radisson SAS Hotel PO Box 211723 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Size: Small spa with private rooms and facial treatment rooms. Hydro-massage bath and jacuzzi available in some of the rooms.
Facilities: None
Friendliness: Polite staff and mostly Filipino massage therapists.
Pricing: Starts from US$65 for a facial, wrap or bath. US$82 for Body massage. Various spa and beauty packages available and starts from US$150.