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Fri, Oct 10, 2008
The New Paper
Singapore

WHAT was supposed to be an hour of relaxation ended in tears, a bitter dispute and a police report.

Nora, 31, claimed that a masseur molested her during an hour-long afternoon full-body massage on 9 Sep 08. The housewife and mother of two young children asked that her real name not be used to avoid any stigma.

But the manager of the Chinatown massage place, Madam Jean Chia, 42, denied any wrongdoing on the masseur’s part.

She said she called the police after Nora asked for $2,000 as compensation. A police spokesman confirmed that Madam Chia called the police and investigations are ongoing. The masseur was not arrested and is assisting with investigations.

Read the full newspaper article here.

The best time for a spa vacation in Asia is anytime! Who can resist the sun, sea, beach and massage lure of Asia’s spa and beach resorts at any time of the year? But seriously, is there a best time to visit Asia’s spa resorts?

Well, it all depends on what is your definition of ‘best time’? Is it your most convenient time? Is it when the weather is the best? Is it when there are least tourists and people? Is it when air and accommodation prices are lowest? What exactly is your definition?

My personal definition of best time is - low tourist season - because it means hotel and airfare rates tend to be the lowest and there are lesser people jostling with you for the beach, pool, dining table or even massage room! I’ll take a chance with weather - because being in Asia - it means that there can be many days of bright sunlight even during thunderstorm and monsoon seasons!

Thailand
The top spa resort destination in Asia is Thailand and the super peak tourist season for Thailand is November to February every year. You get reasonably good weather during this period and Thailand will be flooded with Europeans, especially Northern European, who flocked to Thailand to escape the cold winter. Flights and hotel fares for this period will be very expensive and spa resorts in Phuket, Ko Samui, Krabi, Bangkok and even Chiangmai or Chiangrai will be flooded with tourists of all colors and shapes!

The best weather to visit Thailand is between March to June as this tend to be the sunniest period and will also rain the least. Many spa and hotel resorts will define this as the normal period and charges will be reasonable.

My favorite time to visit Thailand is between July to October as many hotel and spa resorts slash prices to fill their rooms. This is considered the low tourist period for Thailand as Europeans stay away as it is summer anyway at home and also weather in Thailand can be finicky during this period - alternating between rain and sun.

You can possibly get steep discount even at exclusive spa resorts such as Banyan Tree, Six Senses and Marriot during this period. You may pay as low as US$250 a night for one of these exclusive hotel and spa resorts when they normally sell their rooms or villas at US$600 or more during normal and peak seasons. In addition, air tickets also tend to be the lowest during this period of time.

Indonesia
The other popular spa and beach resort destination in Asia is Indonesia; especially in places such as Bali, Lombok and Bintan. Peak tourist season for these places are December to January (for obvious reasons) and May to September. May to September is popular because the weather is the best, the best surf is up during this period and Australians, which forms a large portion of Indonesian tourists, will want to escape the cold in Australia.

Anytime other than these periods are considered normal period and some hotels and villas will adjust their prices accordingly to attract customers. The normal periods are also a good time if you are there for relaxation, romance or get-away-from-all purposes as shops, beaches, tourist spots and even the spas will also be less crowded. Some premium hotel or spa resorts may not lower prices but will offer certain enticements and promotions such as a discounted spa packages, long-stay discounts or airport pick-ups that are normally not available during peak seasons.

You can try your luck with discounts and special rates by calling or emailing the hotels directly. Some of them will be willing to offer good deals during low season if you try talking to the reservation office directly.

Taiwan/Japan
Taiwan and Japan boast some really nice and scenic natural hot spring spas along mountain ranges, the beach or rivers. Many of these are small boutique spas but there are some swanky, larger ones as well. One reason that these countries’ beautiful and natural hot spring spa resorts are not that popular with international tourists as yet is that many of these spa resorts are away from popular tourists routes and finding these spas tend to be a problem for tourists not familiar with the local language and geography.

Taiwan and Japan are popular with tourists all over the world during the summer months of May to October. This is the period when accommodation prices goes up and many popular tourists spots are packed with people. December to February are also peak periods for both year end holidays as well as Chinese New Year, which falls on January or February. One must never make the mistake of traveling during Chinese New Year as all transportation and accommodation will become scarce, expensive and packed.

To me, the window period between November and December and February to March are the best because there are lesser tourists during this period and accommodation is easier to arrange. Another reason why I like to travel during this period is that Taiwan and Japan has many open air hotspring spa resorts and in my opinion, natural, open air hot spring spas are best enjoyed during the slightly colder months and not during hot, stuffy summer months.

Singapore/Malaysia
Strictly speaking, I should not be putting Singapore and Malaysia under the category of spa resort destinations because these two countries had never had a tradition of spa and massage culture. However, things are changing and many of the world’s and local spa and massage resorts are starting to make a name in these two countries.

Singapore and Malaysia are popular with tourists and business travelers all year round and accommodation prices tend not to range too much between peak and non-peak period. The traditional peak periods tend to be December to February and May to July as these are school holiday periods and Singapore and Malaysia parents tend to flock to each other country’s spa and hotel resorts during these periods. Avoid a spa holiday at all costs during these periods if you do not want your holiday destroyed by screaming children and fussing parents.

Malaysia’s hotels rates has traditionally been one of the lowest in Asia because it is not over-run as yet by tourists although tourists from Middle-East are coming in greater numbers as Malaysia is seen as a safe tourist country with a similar Muslim culture. The most popular spa resorts are in the island of Penang, Langkawi and KL city. Try visiting during the non-peak seasons and you’ll be surprised by the low rates you can get compared to other Asia countries.

Singapore hotel fares had always been reasonable for many years considering that this is a very modern and well-run city. However, hotel fares has shot up very highly in the last two years and unless you are visiting Singapore for other reasons, I will not recommend flying in just to check out Singapore’s spa resorts. You are better off getting better spa value and service in the other countries.

Well, now you know what are the best timing and weather to visit Asia’s top spa resorts. Hope this has been useful and you’ll now know how to plan your spa holidays in Asia accordingly!

I’m sure everyone of us had faced this before - going to work everyday and wishing we’re on holiday somewhere else! Yes, I face the same rut too; getting up every morning to go to work but in reality wishing I was on a spa holiday somewhere else, especially so when work is hectic and giving out too much stress!

Well, to stay motivated at work until the next holiday, here’s a video of a classy 6-star spa resort in ChiangMai, Thailand. Tip: Tell yourself you need to go to work to earn a pay to enjoy this!

There are many different type of massage therapy that one can undergo in order to feel better. Therapeutic massage offers many benefits to an individual’s health, including the release of stress from the muscles of the body, feelings of relaxation, and help when it comes to rehabilitating from an injury.In order to find out what type of massages are best for treating the problems that you are having with your health, it’s important to learn about as many types of massage therapy as possible so that you can make the right decision. In this article, we’ll learn about Shiatsu massage, a unique form of massage that can be helpful in many ways.

Shiatsu massage originated from Japan. The first exclusive Shiatsu massage therapy clinic was created in the year 1925 in Japan by a Japanese man named Namikoshi. Shiatsu massage is a type of massage therapy that continues to grow and evolve as the years go by with many different individuals adding to the therapeutic methods.

The very definition of Shiatsu massage states that the practice involves the usage and applying pressure of one’s fingers and palms of the hands to correct imbalances that are found throughout the body in order to help to keep a patient healthy both physically and psychologically. Practitioners of the art of Shiatsu massage state that their practice manipulates the body by stimulating the immune system, therefore helping an individual to be less prone to illness and more apt to make a quick recovery. To look at it closely, Shiatsu follows the Body Meridian principles found in China and it would not be surprising if Shiatsu massage traces it’s roots to China.

Shiatsu practitioners stress that the massage is one that focuses on maintaining the health of the whole body as opposed to attacking a specific symptom or problem. In this manner, the Shiatsu practitioners believe that the body possesses the natural capacity to be able to heal itself if there are no problems that are affecting the whole body itself.

Since Shiatsu’s conception in Japan, the art has spread throughout the world. Shiatsu massage can be easily found in USA and Europe and residents in these countries can find therapeutic relief through Shiatsu massage while ensuring that they are receiving the proper level of treatment since there are now many state and national boards which work to license and govern the practice of Shiatsu massage in these countries. In fact, Shiatsu practitioners are one of the most regulated practitioners in the world compared to the other forms of massage practitioners.

If you do decide that you wish to undergo Shiatsu massage, do your best to ensure that the therapist that you are visiting is licensed in the art of Shiatsu. That way, you will be able to ensure that you are getting the proper treatment from a qualified practitioner and avoid possible bodily harm from unqualified practitioners.

One lazy sunny morning, my hubby and I had just finished a hearty breakfast along Mohammad Sultan Road, Singapore and happened to pass by some traditional massage shops along River Valley Road, just besides the Tank Road Indian temple. There were large, colourful banners advertising the shops and you just can’t miss them. Being in an extremely relaxed mood, we decided to try out one of the massage shops.

This massage shop is located in a two level pre-war shophouses. The friendly receptionist introduced their available massages and prices. Both my hubby and I opted for their signature massage… Balinese and Thai massage respectively.

This is a no-frill massage palor or boutique and hence does not offer the any type of spa facilities. Their main focus of business is Therapeutic Massage. In Singapore and Asia, there are many of such type of massage shops that focused strictly on massages and not spa frills and facilities. Personally, we prefer this type of no-frill massage shops as prices tend to be at least 50% lesser than a spa-type of massage boutique.

We were lead by the massage therapists to our respective mattresses as they do not have individual rooms. This place is like a typical Thai massage shop one can find in Thailand (i.e. one row of beds or mattresses with separated curtains in a common area). At least they bother to separate the male and female customers!

I opted for the Balinese massage as I wanted something soft and gentle. Balinese massage uses a combination of gentle stretches, acupressure and aromatherapy oils to stimulate the flow of blood, oxygen and ‘qi’ (energy) around your body, and bring deep relaxation and wellness.

Balinese massage uses a variety of techniques including skin rolling, kneading and stroking, acupressure and reflexology.

Overall, my therapist was not too bad even though she is Thai and not Balinese except that she was rather rough when she moved my leg, arms etc. Other than that, her skills was quite good as she ensured every part of your body was massaged.

My hubby loves Thai massage as it gives him the ‘kick’ when the therapist stretches/bend his body. So whenever we are in Thailand, he will try at least a few rounds of hard Thai massage.

Thai Massage is also called Thai yoga massage because the therapist uses his or her hands, knees, legs, and feet to move you into a series of yoga-like stretches. Many people say Thai massage is like doing yoga without any work! Thai massage uses passive stretching and pressure along the body’s energy lines to increase flexibility, relieve muscle and joint tension and balance the body’s energy systems. It is both deeply relaxing and energizing but for many people, especially first timers, they may find Thai massage less relaxing and more painful than other forms of massage.

His therapist was from Northern Thailand. After the session, I asked for my hubby’s comments. The only words he said was that he slept all the way during the session! On one hand, some people may think that the therapist was so good that the recipient actually slept through the treatment. This will sound right if you are doing Shiatsu, Aroma or Swedish massage. Unfortunately, it’s Thai Massage…. whereby the therapist literally uses her whole body, including her elbow, knee and feet to move, twist, turn and contort your body into various yoga-like positions…. so how can one sleep? Hmmmm……

Location of Spa: River Valley Road, Singapore
Size of Spa: 20 beds in common rooms
Friendliness: Friendly receptionist and masseurs
Facilities: Minimal. Shower room available.
Pricing: Minimum SGD50 for one hour session