Tag: Dubai spa

Dubai Spa Review: Elixir Spa at The Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa

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There’s always a story behind everything that I do. Sometimes, it’s funny. Other times it’s sad and this time, it was ordinary. I had written a review on The Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa beach club very recently. If you missed it, you can read it here.

As I was leaving the beach club that day, I was handed a voucher for a 20% discount for a massage treatment at the hotel’s spa: Elixir Spa.

So, I naturally booked a massage appointment to make use of the promotion before it expired and before Ramadan started.

 

Summer Promotion

When I called to book my appointment, I was informed that I can get a 60 or 90 minute massage treatment. I went for the one-hour option. I inquired about the prices before and after the discount. The 60 minute Elixir Therapeutic Massage’s regular rate is 450 AED. After the summer promotion discount, I paid 360 AED. I asked about the type of massage and I was told that it’s a Swedish full body massage.

Here’s a list of the spa services included in the summer promotion (valid until July 31, 2013):

 

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Main Drawbacks

  1. I was asked to pay for my massage before the treatment. I don’t think that it’s a welcoming or nice gesture to ask the client to pay for the service prior to getting it. Especially in a spa environment.
  2. I wasn’t informed at the time of booking the treatment that use of the steam and sauna rooms is included in my treatment. I only found out about this from my therapist right before the massage. I wasn’t able to make use of the full treatment offer since I had already made plans to have lunch with my dad and so I couldn’t just stay and use the other facilities available with my treatment. The staff at the reception didn’t inform me of this neither at the time of booking nor at the time of the appointment.

 

Massage Rating

I found the massage to be up to professional standards. I had asked the therapist for a hard pressure massage with a focus on my shoulders and upper back. The therapist did a great job with a consistent pressure throughout the whole treatment. Overall, the massage was very relaxing and soothing and I almost fell asleep by the end of it 🙂

 

Oils Used and a Balinese Tradition

The Moroccan oil used in the treatment was a combination of both Argan and Jasmine oils.

Benefits of Argan oil:

  • Helps relieve muscle tension.
  • Promotes hair growth. It can be used in scalp massage as well.
  • Highly effective in moisturizing dry skin and hair.

Benefits of Jasmine oil:

Jasmine can significantly aid in the rejuvenation of the skin and in making women look younger. My Balinese therapist explained to me how Indonesian ladies eat fresh Jasmine petals in search of a youthful complexion. She also told me about a famous Indonesian movie actress who at 95 years of age looked as though she was only 40, simply because she followed a regular “Jasmine Petal” diet 🙂

My therapist hadn’t tried it though. I think we can safely stick to the jasmine oil for now 🙂

 

My Massage Therapist

Luh Sri is the only Balinese therapist at Elixir Spa. With over seven years of experience in various spa treatments at world-class properties; including a couple of years at the Hyatt hotel in Bali, she has the professionalism of a five-star hotel spa therapist. Not to mention the knowledge, friendliness, and positive spirit that are essential traits of any beauty therapist.

 

Will I make another visit?

I would love to go back to have another full body massage with Luh. Maybe next time I can try the hot stone massage, or another type of massage or treatment. In case I decide to make another visit, I will make sure to check the offers before booking and to make use of the locker room facilities such as the sauna and steam room should they be included in the treatment package.

 

Conclusion

The staff at the reception need to be informed of all the promotional offers (and their perks). And they must be trained to convey complete information to the clients.Whether these guests are visiting from outside the hotel or are staying at the resort.

I believe that the spa management can do more to attract outside clients as well as in-house hotel guests. At least that was the message that I got from the way the promotion and my booking were handled.

 

Contact Link

http://grandjumeirah.habtoorhotels.com/site/general/LeisureAndSpa.aspx

 

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Dubai Spa Review: Zen Asia Spa

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Zen Asia Spa is your local area type of spa. The one that is conveniently located within walking distance from where you live. And since I happen to live a few blocks away from their JLT branch, I decided to drop in one day to try their back massage treatment.

Facts

  • The spa offers a wide array of services ranging from Moroccan baths and slimming treatments, nail and hair care services, to waxing, threading and massage treatments.
  • They have two locations in Dubai; one in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the other in International City.
  • They offer gift vouchers, loyalty programs, customized packages and children spa birthday parties.

 

My Personal Experience

I try to get a back massage whenever I get the chance and time. And I usually go for chain massage centers, reflexology centers, or hotel spas. This time however, I decided to try a place located in my area. Mainly to save on the time and hassle required to reach the place. But also because I heard and read a lot about Zen Asia Spa and I was curious to try it out for myself.

The Therapist

My therapist was a friendly lady from India. Her name was Fatima. I found out from her after the treatment that she is a physiotherapist. Therefore, she knows the right spots to exert pressure on the back or body. I prefer a strong massage and I asked for that when I called to book my appointment. I also informed Fatima about it before the start of the treatment.

Overall Impression

I have to note one thing that I found different from other massage treatments that I had in this country. The therapist was practicing some breathing techniques (not sure if they were intended or not), but this made me feel a bit uncomfortable during my treatment. It took away from the “professionalism” of the massage and place. It kind of set the line between the chain reflexology centers and the hotel spas and the “local area” massage place.

I don’t want to sound obnoxious and I didn’t go there expecting a five-star treatment or service. But at the same time, I was hoping not to feel a considerable amount of difference in the service level and quality of treatment.

Prices

The 30-minute back massage costs 85 AED

Will I Make Another Visit

Honestly, only if I didn’t feel like taking the metro or cab to another place. And wanted to just walk a few blocks (hopefully not in the mid-afternoon like this time) to get a reasonable massage.

Cons

After I had paid, the lady at the reception didn’t seem to care to reply to my good-bye or to even put some effort into maintaining a good relationship with a client who may decide to make another visit. I found this to be the case in many service establishments in Dubai. Except that for massage centers in particular, I think they should pay more attention to their friendliness and behavior with their clients if they wanted to retain them and grow their business. Maybe they could train their staff on customer service or any other related courses.

But I will leave the decision for you ladies to make. If you have tried Zen Asia Spa before, what did you think? what services did you try? which branch did you visit?

If you haven’t then I would recommend it as an option if you live in the JLT area, and would like to go for a massage but are tight on time.

After all, I am called the Rebellious Saudi Diva 😉

 

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