Healing Touch, Singapore

Healing Touch is probably one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, massage spa in Singapore.

At $50 an hour for massages and facial, its price is unbeatable.

If you are not that picky, massage is actually a-ok. If you are lucky, it can be relaxing. It's not really wow. But it's not bad too. For $50/hr, there is really nothing to complain about.

Ambience-wise, on a scale of 1-10, I would rate it 6.5. It's nice, clean and ocassionally quiet. However, the individual "rooms" are too close to one another and the walls, too thin. So during the massage you can hear your neighbours communicating with their masseuses which can be rather distracting.

Oh wait. Maybe I would give it a 7 because it doesnt hard-sell its promotions and packages. It makes going for massages less stressful!

Today was my third time at Healing Touch (Tampines). Twice at the Tampines branch and once, at River Valley. The experience was really a real letdown. It was so bad that I felt very compelled to write a review on my unpleasant experience.

I won't say I am an expert when it comes to massage. However, being a regular to Bangkok, I definitely know my Thai massage. Honestly, I don't expect to find authentic Thai massage in Singapore. Even Thai food hardly is authentic. So why would I be surprise if my quest for Thai massage in Singapore proved futile? As long as it is comfortable and I feel relaxed, Thai massage or not, it honestly didn't matter.

I wouldnt be surprised if my masseuse could be a martial arts expert in disguise. And she probably warms up doing push-ups with her thumbs. Thai massage is about deep massaging using the palms or forearms. It involves stretching or pulling of the limbs. Today, it was just the power of her thumbs that pushed and pressed at every inch of my body that even at this very moment, I feel very upset thinking about the ordeal she put me through.

It was NOT comfortable. It was NOT relaxing. I didn't go all the way to Tampines from Serangoon and pay to be treated this way in pain.

I told her it hurt. And all she could mustered was "oh, it's pain ah."

And I repeated myself again. "It is very painful. And it is not comfortable or relaxing!"

She repeated again, "It's painful ah."

And added "If you want relaxing massage, next time ask for those with oil."

Now, upon hearing this, I was REALLY upset. First of all, I was in pain NOW. So telling me what I should choose the NEXT TIME didn't help.

Secondly, I know my Thai massage. Who doesn't? Anyone who frequently makes shopping trips to Bangkok would know. This was NOT Thai massage. It was just massage disguised as Thai massage and it involved two VERY powerful and strong thumbs. There was nothing Thai massage about her techniques.

I then retorted, "This is not the first time I am doing Thai massage and this is definitely not THAI massage."

She finally backed off and gave a helpless response - "Oh".

At the end of the session, she told me if I wanted good Thai massage, ask for Tracy next time. She admitted that her Thai massage could be too strong for me.

I wanted to roll my eyes but having been brought up well by my parents, I managed a smile and thanked her. To be fair, the masseuse wasn't rude to me. In fact, she was far from rude. BUT it still didnt make up for the poor massage. I felt really cheated.

At the counter while making my payment, I told the receptionist about my poor experience and she merely apologised.

Sometimes, I wonder what kind of rights do aggrieved consumers have? Thank god there was a Great Singapore Sale promotion going on and it cost $40, not $50, for the massage.

I guess the best I can do for myself is not to be such a cheapskate and visit Healing Touch again. At Healing Touch, getting a good massage is like trying my luck at a lucky draw - I can never be certain I would get good massage. You might ask, why not specify the masseuse I want to avoid all these unhappiness? But the trouble is, I havent found one that is good enough to make me return for her!

Anyway, for good massage, I am finally convinced that perhaps good things don't come cheap.