A previous launch in Manila, back in 2008, was unsuccessful due to o2 Infusions’ choice of smaller, less popular, Spas. This time they’ve teamed up with The Spa who are renowned for their quality and popularity.

I was invited for a complimentary consultation and Intraceuticals facial at The Spa Acropolis. At around P6,000  per treatment, it’s not exactly cheap, but this isn’t your average feel good, pampering facial. O2 infusion provide an advanced facial that will give instant results.

While I found the facial comfortable and definitely effective, It’s more suited for someone with a few more years behind them and a few more lines on their face. If you have some wrinkles or fine lines that you want to get rid of quickly, Intraceuticals from o2 Infusions is for you.

Due to the advanced technology and skin care products that Intraceuticals have developed, you’ll see results immediately after your first treatment. Although the results are immediate, they’re cumulative, so prolonged use will provide greater results. They recommend a course of six treatments and then a monthly treatment to maintain.

Intraceuticals treatments are based on 3 steps. The first is to apply oxygen under light pressure which helps Intraceuticals’ age defying products reach the deeper layers of the skin.

Next is to apply a unique rejuvenating serum which contains hyaluronic acid and a mix of vitamins and antioxidants. This will instantly hydrate the skin, resulting in reduced fine lines, wrinkles and increased facial skin firmness.

Finally, to maintain and keep your skin in good health, Intraceuticals provide a range of support products which provide essential skin nutrients and create essential layers to seal in everything your skin needs.

Pricing

You get what you pay for. The prices aren’t outrageous but they are a little higher than your average spa.

Rooms

The rooms at the Spa Acropolis are spacious and well decorated. Most rooms have a bath, shower and a couple of massage beds. You’ll find various amenities in the room such as alcohol, a hairbrush and lotions.

Massage / Service

As you enter the Spa, you’ll immediately spot an extremely large arowana fish in a well kept tank and a grand wooden staircase leading up to the main floor. You’ll be greeted by friendly reception staff and given a locker key. At this point, men will enter one changing room/wet floor and women will enter another.

Upon entry to the changing room, you’ll be greeted by staff and offered towels, robes and slipper for the wet floor. You can make use of the Sauna, steam room, cold or hot jacuzzi and a large medium heat pool. All of this is already included in the cost of a massage.

The massage therapists are always friendly, professional and are extremely well trained. Even the scrubs are relaxing and feel like a massage in their own right.

Other facilities

As described above, this spa features a comprehensive wet floor with Sauna, steam room, hot/cold jacuzzi and warm pool. In addition, there’s a full featured gym (membership required).

The locker room alone is a relaxing place. There are various health magazines to read while you relax on a couch with a mug of ginger tea. You’ll find everything you need to freshen up after a relaxing massage or a hard workout – from hairbrushes and combs to deodorant and moisturiser.

Conclusion

The Spa Acropolis is pretty much one of the best spa experiences you’ll come across. Friendly staff, well trained massage therapists and a huge range of facilities.

The pricing itself is extremely competitive. However, from my experience, you don’t quite get what you paid for. For example I paid for a 3.5 hour package which actually last around 1.45 hours.

Rooms

On first appearance, I was very impressed with the room. An impressive bed, a refrigerator, TV with DVD player and a bathroom with a full sized bath tub.

The main feature of the room is a large bed carved from a local tree and stained with a dark varnish. The bed was was comfortable and the bedding was soft.

The refrigerator is a convenient touch because Callospa don’t serve food, meaning you need to order from a local restaurant (Max’s or Pizza hut are recommended) and you’ll be wanting somewhere to store your leftovers.

The TV and DVD player was again a nice touch. The DVD player had USB support so I plugged in an external drive which had some TV series on and they played just fine. However, annoyingly, whoever wired the room was very creative and hooked the TV/DVD power up to the bed light. Meaning if you wanted to watch the TV you must also have the light over the bed switched on.

Living in a condo with just a shower, I always get excited by the opportunity of lounging around in a hot bath at a resort. Unfortunately the plug wasn’t functioning so I was unable to use it! Aside from that, the bathroom facilities were fine.

So those are most of the good points, now some bad points… To be fair, these are mostly small issues that can be easily remedied. It’s just a shame to see a resort that could be practically perfect if it wasn’t for these small issues.

The wiring was somewhat ‘dodgy’, as explained above, some things were wired together meaning you couldn’t use one without the other and there were exposed wires running around (although semi-hidden) the ceiling.

The room seemed clean on first glance but if you look behind anything, such as the refrigerator, you realise it’s not so clean after all. On a related note, the drain cover in the bathroom was so rusty that half of it was missing. The bath tub also had some rust which made it look a little dirty.

Massage / Service

The staff were as friendly and professional as any other mid-high range spa. My biggest gripe with Callospa is that I paid for the 3.5 hour package and it only lasted 1.45 hours.

The sauna was effective and comfortable although is quite small with just enough space for two sitting people. The jacuzzi is also enjoyable but the placement by the entrance of the main facilities feels somewhat strange.

The massages are relaxing and enjoyable except for the ending when they try to perform some kind of massage aerobatics with your body!

The scrub was a bit of a let down. The room itself looks like something out of one of the saw horror movies. The bed was too short and the wet headrest towel being reused throughout the day showed a lack of  cleanliness. The scrub didn’t feel particularly relaxing or thorough.

Other facilities

There’s a large outdoors pool with a small jacuzzi. Both are quite shallow but perfectly fine for a relaxing dip. There are two full sized badminton courts but they seem overpriced at P500 per hour. There’s an abundance of outside seating with full sun and shaded options.

Conclusion

The Callospa is so close to being something special that you’d tell your friends about. With a little more care and attention to the resort facilities and actually providing the full service their guide promises you this could be a truly amazing resort. As it is, It’s just another mid range spa in a slightly remote location.

With Suriya, you get what you pay for and what you get is very good. Be prepared to spend a hefty amount. If you’re money concious then decide what services you want to avail of before you arrive since they’ll try to up-sell you upon arrival. A basic massage (Swedish) starts at P1110 and a scrub will set you back at least P1800.

Rooms

Whether you’re in a single occupancy room or double, the rooms are large and comfortable. They use professional massage beds which are very comfortable. Each room features as jacuzzi style tub, again the size of which depends on the room being intended for single or double occupancy. You’ll also find a sink area with various lotions, a shower and toilet facilities. Arrive early and enjoy a nice dip in your rooms jacuzzi.

Massage / Service

The staff who welcome you to the spa and take your order are very friendly and professional. They are however expert up-sellers and you may end up paying for more than you originally intended. Their massage therapists remain professional throughout the service and are very capable, taking their time and ensuring a thorough massage or scrub.

Other facilities

There are shared facilities available at the Suriya spa such as the sauna. If you arrive early, you can relax in the sauna before your treatment begins. After your massage, you’ll be served a relaxing brew of herbal tea.

Conclusion

Suriya is certainly not the cheapest spa around but if you’re looking for quality then here it is. If you want to treat someone or just yourself then consider this spa.

Rooms

The rooms are relatively small and thrill free. They feature nothing more than a basic bed (or multiple beds in the large rooms), an air con unit and a small cupboard. You’ll need to shower before arriving. I was a little disappointed with how long I had to wait at the entrance, considering I arrived on time. After sitting there for some time, listening to the small water fountain, I was less than impressed to arrive at the room and find that it didn’t have any bathroom facility.

The walls between the rooms may as well be made from paper because they do nothing to block out external sounds. Throughout my massage I could hear a man in the next room snoring, staff walking around outside and going in and out of other rooms. This doesn’t make for a very relaxed massage.

Massage / Service

Even though I arrived at the appointment time, I still had to wait for about 10 minutes at the entrance before being taken to my room. As highlighted above, I was disappointed with the room. I found it annoying that staff would come in and out of the room because they’re sharing an air con remote.

With regard to the massage and scrub itself, I was a little disappointed here too.  The massage was extremely painful, and continued to be painful even after letting the massage therapist know that. To be fair though, she did a good job of getting the knots out. Moving on to the scrub..they used a rather rough glove for the scrub, something I’ve never experienced at another spa. During the scrub, I felt more like I was a bit of meat being tenderised for cooking.

Other facilities

Natural spa run a home service with massages starting from P400 for an hour and scrubs from P560 per hour.

Conclusion

It’s a budget Spa with budget quality service and facilities. I wouldn’t recommend the Spa to friends and I probably wouldn’t go back again. Going to the spa should be an experience, a relaxing one. Based on my experience, I could have a more relaxing massage at home from another company for just P250.

Entrace of the Ki Spa in Greenhills

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Rooms

The rooms are relatively small compared to other spas but are comfortable enough. They do the job but that’s it. There’s a shower cubicle (shower gel included) and a sink but no toilet. The beds are comfortable and the rooms are generally clean.

One disappointment was spotting long hairs on top of the drain in the shower. This area really should have been cleaned out.

Massage

The massage itself is professional, enjoyable and relaxing.  I’m not sure what oil they’re using or what that aroma is coming from under the bed but it definitely has a relaxing effect on your body after inhaling it for a minute or two.

Other facilities

As far as I could tell, there are no wet floors, saunas etc at the Ki Spa.

Conclusion

If you want a nice spa experience at a reasonable price then I would probably recommend the Ki Spa by Neo.