Ten years ago, I remembered going to Kenko during lunch hours for shoulder and back massages whenever I needed one. It was a useful 20 minutes perk-me-up especially when work was hectic and stress-level was high. Kenko, then a small massage shop, was simply decorated and situated at Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore. The boss or manager was extremely friendly and the masseurs’ skills invariably good.

Since I stopped working around that area ten years ago, I had never visited Kenko. Over the years, I had seen Kenko move from strength to strength in Singapore – expanding into many branches and going up-market in decor, services and clientèle. I had wanted to try them out for old time sake but their new up-market prices stopped me each time. I would rather go to my regular foot masseur at almost half of what I need to pay at Kenko.

I was busy and had not had a foot massage for a long time. I happened to pass by Kenko in Chinatown one day. The nice decor and atmosphere lured me into the shop. I decided on a S$48 dollars for a 45 minute foot bath and massage.

The shop was nicely decorated and the massage chair was one of the most luxurious I have ever seen. Soft curtains, soft lights and soft music completed the mood. The male masseur assigned to me looked experienced and I was confident I was in for a comfortable foot massage from an experienced masseur.

The luxurious leather massage chair was fitted with a foot-bath; so there wasn’t a need to bring in a hot tub of water. However, the water in the foot-bath was only luke-warm and there didn’t seem to be any crystal or herbal essence added to the water; just plain, warm water. The foot bath had a couple of mild bubble-jets. It was nothing more than putting my feet into bubbling lukewarm water. It certainly pale in comparison with foot baths that I had done in many other places – especially the Taiwanese version where the foot bath are invariably the highlight of a foot massage.

My feet was quickly dried off and the foot massage started. I don’t remember any cream, lotion or powder being applied. The foot massage was weak, being a series of thumb and first finger presses; starting with the toes and then going round the feet. It was simply press, press, press and there were no deep second knuckle pressing, thumb presses nor any knuckle scrubbing so commonly expected of foot massage. There were also no massage of the ankle, calf nor knees except for a couple of tapping action.

Once one foot was finished, the same action was started on the second foot. No towel was wrapped around the finished foot so common in most other foot massage palours. The whole sequence finished quite soon and certainly did not feel like the 45 minutes that I paid for. The masseur then washed my feet before drying them again. This was where he made the mistake that you may sometimes come across when washing hair in hair salons; not ensuring the water was warmed up before starting the wash!

I was totally disappointed! This was certainly one of the worst foot massage I ever had and I suspect that the masseur was new, inexperienced or not well trained in foot massage. The shop was busy during the period I was there, with customers coming in and out for shoulder and body massage, but none for foot massage. I can only speculate that foot massages are no longer popular in up-market shops such as Kenko and perhaps the quality of foot massage had suffered as a result.

Even the ‘tea’ served to me at the end was not hot tea but plain cold water. I’m okay with either but why serve water in a tea-cup complete with tray when it’s just plain water? I or any customer would have expected hot green or ginger tea when served on a tea-cup as in the case for most up-market massage boutiques.

I paid up and left quickly. Once out of the shop, I knew for sure I hadn’t had a real foot massage – my feet did not have the warm, fluffy and tingling feeling I normally have after a good foot massage.

Luckily, it hadn’t become too late into the night. I decided that I needed to go look for a real foot massage elsewhere!

Location of Kenko Spa Boutique, Chinatown branch
211 South Bridge Road, Singapore
Size: Mid-size massage boutique palor with multiple rooms
Facilities: Toilet
Friendliness: Polite staff and massage therapists. Receptionist a bit pushy with selling massage packages.
Pricing: Ranges from US$35 to US$40 for massage only. Between US$85 to US$175 for massage packages.

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