JISS Five trip to Batam – Spa Secret

JISS Five trip to Batam – Spa Secret

After making it to the other side of the road alive, we walked into Spa Secret thankfully, not just because of the dangerous crossing but also because it was drizzling.

The massage palour has its own building and its reception area is spacious and the ambiance cozy.  The female staff all wore traditional costume as uniform and they were very professional and friendly when attending to us.

We had booked spa packages for all prior to the trip so when Sarah wanted to change to a 2-hour body massage, she was told that they were unable to accommodate her request as the massage rooms were all occupied.  So she took the spa package instead.  We either had the 2.5hr Traditional Herbal Spa (Rp740,000), Balinese Aromatic Spa (Rp190,000) or in my niece’s case, The Secret Wine Spa (Rp960,000).  Yep, the ‘little’ girl opted to be pampered; she was scrubbed and polished with red wine, and bathed in red wine and flower petals too.  At the end of the spa she was also given a glass of house wine to drink while we only had ginger tea or some other type of tea.

There were 7 of us and only 3 single spa rooms were available so Irene and I shared a couple room, Joanna and Frances shared one (albeit unwillingly because they were both so shy), and that left Sarah, Lina and Joleen (niece) with the single rooms.

Reception area at Spa Secret

Reception area

Reception area

The corridor

 

Irene and I had quite a good experience.  My masseuse constantly asked if I am ok with the strength she used and so did Irene’s even though I didn’t hear the woman utter a word at all.  Irene said she was very soft-spoken so that was probably why I thought she never spoke a word all throughout the session.

There wasn’t an uncomfortable moment during my massage; the strength the woman used was just right for me.  Irene and I kept up a conversation throughout our massage and I constantly wondered how Joanna and Frances fared.  I told Irene there was bound to be funny stories coming out of these two and we weren’t disappointed (story later).

After we had been massaged and scrubbed, we were led to the two portable steam baths sitting to one side of the room.  I hadn’t noticed these 2 mini tent-like things and didn’t know that I was supposed to step inside and be steamed.  I got Irene to pose for me after we were both dressed so you’ll know what I’m talking about…

– Irene in steam bath (re-enactment)

There was a stool or small chair inside the contraption for us to sit on and once seated, the masseuses pulled up the zipper until only our heads were visible.  The steam from the steamer placed beside the tent flowed through an opening at the side of the tent and soon I found myself sweating.  My left thigh was especially warm probably because that was where the steam was coming from.  I kept rubbing my limps, especially my thighs, to prevent them from being cooked by the steam.  Thankfully it didn’t last very long and we were mercifully let out.

Back to the beds we were polished with yogurt.  We were then left alone again, with the air-conditioning turned off this time because the yogurt was cold.  Still I shivered a little despite no air-conditioning and the flimsy batik cloth covering me didn’t help a bit.  But it wasn’t so bad because the women were soon back to order us into the double Jacuzzi tub and the shower curtains were drawn and they left us alone again.  We sat inside facing each other as we let the jet soothe our bodies, talking and joking all the while.

After the bubbly bath, we showered one after the other in the adjacent shower.  The shower was flooded even before we started but it didn’t flood the room so it was ok.  The masseuses came back and we were told to sit on the chairs after we had dried and wrapped ourselves in the bath towels.  We were given a very brief shoulder and neck massage in place of the V-Ratus treatment which we decided to forgo (read: http://eska-wellness.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=151).  The women also helped apply body lotion on us and served us ginger tea.  Ah…indulgence at its best 😛

Our couple room

Our couple room

Waiting for Frances and Joanna

Joanna and Frances were the last one to re-appear at the reception area.  We joked that the masseuses probably had more areas to cover for both of them that was why they took longer LOL

True to what I told Irene earlier, it was a comedy waiting to happen for these 2, especially Frances.  Both of them had never stripped in front of strangers or even friends and found it embarrassing to have to strip down to just a pair of disposable panties in the presence of others.  It was especially hard for Frances and she kept having a tug of war with her masseuse over the batik cloth.  Each time the masseuse flipped down one corner of the cover so that she could massage that part of her body, she would pull it back in place again and even refused to let go of the cloth.  Poor masseuse must be having a hard time getting her job done!

After the yogurt polish both of them needed to use the loo so with the cloth wrapped around them (it was a challenge for Frances as the cloth wasn’t particularly big and barely covered her), they headed for the toilets.  One of the 2 cubicles was occupied so Frances stood outside Joanna’s cubicle to wait, clutching her batik cloth in a death grip.  To her horror, a man came out of the other cubicle!  Embarrassed at being seen in such an indecent ‘outfit’, she turned to face the wall, looking anywhere but the man who she thought was looking her up and down as he washed his hands.

Then when it was time for the jacuzzi when they returned to the room and they both needed to get into the tub.  You can imagine where the hands were deployed since the cloth had to go LOL  So with both hands covering her upper vital parts, there was no more hand to hold on to the sides of the tub and swoosh, Frances almost drowned!  It invited the masseuses back into the room to check what happened.  When she was properly seated in the tub, her legs were so long that she couldn’t quite submerge herself and feeling exposed, she tried to wriggle lower but without holding on to the sides, she kept slipping again and again LOL

As for Joanna, her legs were too short but she was able to hold on to the sides while submerging her body from neck down without any problem but the masseuse thought she was drowning and kept telling her to put her leg against the divider in the center of the tub to prop herself up.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall!

The girls’ accounts of what happened in the room were so hilarious that all throughout the ride to our seafood dinner destination later that evening we were in stitches.  It was especially funny when they were both so animated, especially Frances, when telling their story.  Thanks for the laughter, Frances and Joanna!

To those of you who are planning on a trip to Batam for spa and massage, Spa Secret is very professional in the way it conducts its business, unlike ESKA which disregards your bookings by taking in walk-in guests despite being fully booked.

As for the massage, it depends on individual; some like to have more strength applied while some just like a relaxing rub.  Make sure you tell your masseuse how you want it.  At least the rooms were well-prepared beforehand and we didn’t have to wait for 20 minutes like we did at ESKA.

Price wise, Spa Secret is definitely more expensive but you pay for the ambiance, the privacy (they have proper rooms with proper doors), and professionalism.

That’s about it for Spa Secret from me.  If you have anything you want to add or comment, or a question to ask, feel free to drop me a note 🙂