Hello Ladies, this is Liz again. I'm guest blogging again, and this time I'm here to feature Shui (Shway) Hilot Healing Spa in Makati Branch.
Dawn gave me 2 coupons for the place which I shared with my mom since she's been really stressed out during this whole month of January because of work. We actually went there twice and both left me with quite different impressions of the place. I'll be giving quite a long narrative on the whole experience just to be fair...
The first time we went there was on January 14, and since it's the first time I'll be going to Makati commuting and my first time going to Shui (my mom is very frugal and did not want to take a cab), I had to find cheap ways to get to Shui. So I called them from 8 am until 10 am but got no answer. Checked their website and facebook for the time when they open but it was not indicated. So I texted them to tell me what time they open and how to get there from the LRT station thinking I'll get a speedy reply from them, but unfortunately they replied around 11:30 only to tell me that they open at 11 am and last call is 12 mn. So I said, "Ok, could you just tell me directions to get there from LRT Libertad Station. I am going there today." but received no reply. So we went on to Makati, experienced a lot of problems along the way, and then finally made it there. But when we got there, they asked us if we had reservations which of course we did not have. So I said I texted earlier that I'd be coming today and the lady on the counter even commented, "ah, kayo po pala un" then she asked if I got a reply, and I said no. And then there was a long series of negotiations to get a slot for the 3 pm slots since we need to leave by 5 which all ended with us not getting a treatment at all but a reservation for January 23, and pockets empty because of all the fare we paid, and feet sore with all the walking we did.
The second visit went more smoothly, my mom finally agreed to take a cab and we arrived there at 2:45 pm for our 3 pm reservation. We had to wait a while to get served at exactly 3 pm (it was ok though cause there were 2 babies there, and well babies always lighten the mood ^_^). We got the massage package and went home.
SO... on with the review.
The good points...
The treatment itself was really good. We got the TRIPLE COMBO WHOLE BODY with VENTOSA THERAPY AND DAGDAGAY FOOT HILOT THERAPY for ONE HOUR and 30 MINUTES and it left us feeling really light. It was my mom and mine's first time to get ventosa therapy and we loved that the ventosa cups did not leave marks on our back, as what I've seen previously with a classmate of mine who had ventosa done.
I do a lot of walking around (since I walk from school to home and vice versa) and for the past months of November and December, I’ve been wearing heels for almost every occasion and every gimik so my feet felt like they get sore quick, and somehow a bit heavy. The foot hilot therapy felt very relaxing and after the whole thing, my feet felt like they could walk the whole circumference of Legaspi Villlage without any complains.
They also did a whole body massage and that felt great too. I've only been to 3 spas in my whole life, one was in Quezon City (which name I forgot), Ace Water Spa, and this one. What I like about Shui as compared to the massage I got from the one in QC was that they included my lower back in the whole massage. You see my usual "pains" are lower back pains since I slouch and hunch a lot when I study so I really loved it when Mhe-ann (my hilot) included that.
With Beth (my mom's hilot), my mom is shy about getting her face in the blog.
The bad points...
I personally did not like the fact that they did not provide such advice on their website or facebook page about what days they are open, what time they open and close, and that it would be better to get a reservation at least 3 days to a week before to ensure that you get serviced. I was seriously pulling the irate customer act because of that so when the receptionist told me that the had the open and close hours in the MetroDeal site where the coupons were purchased, I quickly quipped, "yeah, but my friend just gave me these, it's not as if I bought them." (do understand that day was a really miserable day of travelling for bought me and my mom since I also had exams on Monday and I just sacrificed 1 day of review for my mom to get a massage and unwind). Therefore, Shui Hilot Healing Spa IS NOT a place who can entertain walk-in customers. And be sure to keep all communications with them via text, as short as you can since I sent them quite a lot of texts with follow up questions and they don't answer back. So make sure to get them on the phone if you have a lot of questions to ask and would like to make a reservation.
I also did not like the fact that they text you only after 11 am. I just think that the advantage of SMS communication over the phone line is that you can text them and get a reply quickly and during anytime of the day. It is my opinion that it should be open at least 24 hours for inquiries or if not at least earlier than the actual opening time.
As for the treatment, although the whole treatment left us feeling very light and satisfied, I found it hard to fall asleep quickly when I got home to take a little nap. I kind of consider the post-massage sleepiness as part of the whole treatment and depend my decision to return to the spa on how fast I fell asleep and how I felt after I woke up. So yeah, it took me quite a while to fall asleep, but my body didn't feel sore or super light after the whole nap.
Last points...
Although there were some problems with the whole communication thing, the receptionists were quite accommodating. I previously thought that they did not know how to handle irate customers but now that I think back on it, I think they did the best they could to appease my anger. Anyway after the whole treatment, I understood why they were always fully booked.
Will I be coming back?
Maybe as a reward to myself after a long exam so I get reservations for the place 2 weeks before. But as a random thing, I recommend going to Ace Water Spa or some other nearer 200 peso worth massage (like the one in University Tower which my classmates frequent).
Is it worth the money?
Yeah. But then I got the coupons for free... but I do believe it was worth the cash spent on it
Do I recommend it?
Sure, it's a good birthday gift. The coupons last for at least a year if you buy them from MetroDeal. I'm not really sure how it works but anyway, if you're planning on gifting this to a friend do take note to tell them the following:
1. Shui Hilot Healing Spa is open daily (including holidays) from 11 am, and their last call is 12 mn.
2. They have 3 branches: Makati, Libis-Quezon City, and Puerto Princesa Palawan.
3. Make reservations early as they only have a limited number of hilots. At the Makati branch, they serve a maximum of 8 customers per session.
4. They also do home service metro manila wide (their last call for this is 9 pm)
Visit their website (http://www.shuihilotspa.com) for branch address, contact numbers, and services.
Cheers,
LIZ
