Sometimes, it kind of bad knowing too much. It makes us too cautious and skeptical on little, little details. Like when I was with Ministry of Housing, though it saved me from buying property from scrupulous developer, it took me about 7 years to invest in one. The same goes here in Ministry of Tourism when I had to rate hotels and spas in preparation for the Visit Malaysia Year 2013 as well as to move the Malaysia Tourism Transformational Plan - 2020:36:168. Some hotels that I had rated, looks good on the outside but sekali you go to the kitchen .... you want to pengsan.
However, on the bright side, at least you are ensured that company practised good quality assurance in their services while keeping up with competition and latest trends. Having said that ... I am still skeptical hahaha. Takut masa rating jer "fabulous" and "marvelous", habis rating ... lagi teruk dari hotel cap ayam hahahaha ...
Anyway, I want to share my personal experience with one of the spas that I had rated and in which I think deserve to be promoted by me. By the way, the lady boss doesn't know that I own a blog and going to blog about her spa as whenever I went there for "short breakaway from the office" ...she was not around.
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| The entrance to Teratak Spa |
Teratak Spa is actually a double storey, corner lot house which was converted into a spa sanctuary in the residential area of Bayan Baru. It is actually quite near to the Bandar Bayan Baru roundabout heading towards Bukit Jambul, but most people missed it from the roundabout because there are huge trees planted by Penang Council blocking the view.
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| All the lush tropical greens in the garden greeting you as you enter the spa compound. |
The spa concept in my opinion is a mixture of Balinese and Javanese, from the spa deco to the treatments offered. However, I was very happy when she incorporated some local elements in the deco such as spice tray (nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, star anise), rattan casings, "mengkuang" mat and bunga rampai (a Malay pot-purri). The owner also created a special brew of ginger tea with nutmeg essence that was quite calming and soothing (though slightly spicy) as a welcome drink before you go for your treatment.
To be honest, when it come to massage ... I am a great fan of Thai massage by Thai masseurs. It is something about the massage technique and how they applied pressure from using their thumb or palm. Every time I went back to Kuala Lumpur, I will definitely indulged myself with a nice massage at Thai Odyssey. Sometimes, I will go to Urban Retreat at The Curve@Mutiara Damansara. I did try some local spa centres who engaged local therapists before but ... memang kureng lah.
But on that fateful day, I was actually having very stiff neck and back pain due to fatigue, stress and lack of sleep/rest. Coincidentally, that month ... there was no trip to KL. Cannot "tahan" anymore, I called up the spa for a short session during long Friday prayer break. The therapist on duty recommended me to try the 1 hour Swedish massage after a brief consultation. That time I didn't care anymore ... Swedish kah, Thai kah, Malaysian kah ... as long as it could relieve the pain and make me feel relax I am OK. She also recommended "cream bath" to go with the massage.
Cream bath hair treatment is actually a traditional Indonesian hair treatment to promote hair growth, elasticity and prevent damaged hair. The treatment usually uses ingredients such as coconut milk, mint leaves, aloe vera and sometimes avocado, which is applied to your hair and scalp with a light head massage. I tried it for the first time at Taman Sari Spa Jakarta and love it so much. My hair smelled coconutly terrific for days.
I also love the fact that Teratak Spa use quality clean towels and proper massage bed ... among the plus points I gave them during my rating session. The treatment room was clean and tidy, with proper locker to keep your things. During rating session, I usually give special attention to the preparation area and product storage especially if the spa is using natural ingredients such as fresh fruits, yoghurts or coconut milk in their treatment. And Teratak Spa scored high marks in those area.
Anyway, lets move to the most important part - the treatment. Was it worth the money spend? To be honest, it was fantastic. I started dozing off during the cream bath treatment which was unexpectedly minty cold by the way, followed by a very relaxing Swedish massage with the right pressure on the right points on my body. Seriously ... that was the first time I enjoyed a massage by a local therapist so so much. Overall, it costs me about RM 170.00 for a 1 and half hour session of massage and cream bath hair treatment. But I really, really enjoyed it and truly recommended it to all tired and stressful ladies out there. I went there twice and both times it was excellent.
Address:
No. 31 Jalan Tun Dr Awang,
11950 Bayan Baru, Penang.
Telephone: 04-6444121
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| The bunga rampai |
To be honest, when it come to massage ... I am a great fan of Thai massage by Thai masseurs. It is something about the massage technique and how they applied pressure from using their thumb or palm. Every time I went back to Kuala Lumpur, I will definitely indulged myself with a nice massage at Thai Odyssey. Sometimes, I will go to Urban Retreat at The Curve@Mutiara Damansara. I did try some local spa centres who engaged local therapists before but ... memang kureng lah.
But on that fateful day, I was actually having very stiff neck and back pain due to fatigue, stress and lack of sleep/rest. Coincidentally, that month ... there was no trip to KL. Cannot "tahan" anymore, I called up the spa for a short session during long Friday prayer break. The therapist on duty recommended me to try the 1 hour Swedish massage after a brief consultation. That time I didn't care anymore ... Swedish kah, Thai kah, Malaysian kah ... as long as it could relieve the pain and make me feel relax I am OK. She also recommended "cream bath" to go with the massage.
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| The treatment bed and some insight on the treatment room. |
Cream bath hair treatment is actually a traditional Indonesian hair treatment to promote hair growth, elasticity and prevent damaged hair. The treatment usually uses ingredients such as coconut milk, mint leaves, aloe vera and sometimes avocado, which is applied to your hair and scalp with a light head massage. I tried it for the first time at Taman Sari Spa Jakarta and love it so much. My hair smelled coconutly terrific for days.
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| Most of treatment rooms come with a bath tub and built in shower. |
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| Rain shower ... I love rain shower. The rustic wall is cement by the way. |
Anyway, lets move to the most important part - the treatment. Was it worth the money spend? To be honest, it was fantastic. I started dozing off during the cream bath treatment which was unexpectedly minty cold by the way, followed by a very relaxing Swedish massage with the right pressure on the right points on my body. Seriously ... that was the first time I enjoyed a massage by a local therapist so so much. Overall, it costs me about RM 170.00 for a 1 and half hour session of massage and cream bath hair treatment. But I really, really enjoyed it and truly recommended it to all tired and stressful ladies out there. I went there twice and both times it was excellent.
Address:
No. 31 Jalan Tun Dr Awang,
11950 Bayan Baru, Penang.
Telephone: 04-6444121
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