Review : Tru Spa

When I was engaged to Bear back in 2009, he surprised me with a package from Tru Spa worth RM4,000. Yes, he is sweet knowing how much I love spas. :) I have been doing my waxing, pedicure and manicure, body scrub, and massages here. Let me summaries what I think about Tru Spa.

Pro:

1. One-Stop Center

2. The therapists are generally friendly

Cons:

(1) Impossible to Get An Appointment:

Appointment is only open for 2 weeks in advance - that also you have to FIGHT for a place. No joke! I have been told to call before 10am, THAT also doesn't guarantee a place! It was so frustrating I told them that it is impossible to finish up my credit which expires by next year. And I don't care!!! They better not cancel my credits without me fully using it. No. Effing. Way! Even if you do get a place (by some miraculous intervention), Tru Spa has a tendency to SCREW UP your appointments! What the hell right?

(2) Ambiance:

Nothing to shout about. The premise is small, so don't expect much.

(3) Treatments are So-So:

Again nothing to shout about here. Not over-the-top.

(4) Pricing is from Average to the High Side:

Now the thing with Tru Spa is that all of their treatments are individually priced; i.e. massage is RM150, body scrub is RM90 etc etc. So if you were to average out the pricing, it is more or less the same as those spa packages which are being offered by other spa centers. If that is the case, wouldn't you opt for those spa centers (like Khareyana Spa) which offers top-notch service and fantastic massages instead? I definitely would.

Honestly, I can't wait for the package to be over so I can say good riddance to Tru Spa. Really a pain in the neck. Sometimes, while waiting for my turn, I see the marketing/sales team lie push for sales, I just feel like telling the potential customers to walk away and not be conned.

For me, the number one pain of all is the appointment issue - which is the most fundamental. How come Tru Spa cannot manage it properly?

Ambiance : 2*

Service : 1*

Value-for-Money : 1*

Problem now is that I need to source for a place where I can do waxing periodically. Any suggestions?

Love;

Mrs Lee

Review : Khareyana Spa

Since I've got my bonus last week and the husband was away outstation, I've decided to pamper myself. Basically to have my "me time". I've heard about Khareyana Spa but never got around to trying them because the perception that I had was that they are way too expensive.

Khareyana Spa is located in Petaling Jaya near Assunta Hospital. The place from outside looks a bit dingy to be honest. But since the reviews has been so good, I've decided to give it a try.

Open the door ... step into heaven

The minute I stepped into the spa, I was immediately transported to Bali. I kid you not! The smell of lemongrass filled the air. When you step in, the Indonesian girls will promptly change you into slippers and usher you into the waiting area where the spa menu is handed over to you.

Do you believe me now? The ambiance is fantastic!

In front of you are actually the massage rooms

The receptionist will take time to patiently explain to you each treatment and what's best for you. I selected the 150 minutes of Balinese Sensual Range for RM265 net. The spa covers body scrub, 90 minutes of aromatherapy massage, and herbal bath.

I was then taken to another lounge area where I was asked to choose the scrub - I chose Cinnamon and Coconut, suitable for dry skin. Not to mention, it smell awesome too. :)

Vast range of nice-smelling products

Thereafter, you are taken to your massage room. You need to walk through the koi pond on pebble steps into the room. And I went 'wow!!!!' - the room uses a lot of natural lightings. Despite the location being right smack in the center of PJ, you hardly hear any traffic noises as it is drowned by nice music and running water.

Firstly, the masseur is fantastic! She is so gentle and alert. There is this point where I kept sneezing and she immediately turn off the air-cond. Talk about first class service!

The treatment starts with a warm towel soaked in lemongrass being pressed on the pressure points for relaxation. Then the body scrub starts. I love the scrub so much I actually fell asleep! Then, I had to shower to remove all the residues. Did I mention that the shampoo and soap provided was from Martha Tilaar? Awesome!

Shower area

After scrubbing leaving my skin silky smooth, the massage started and this was the best ever massage I had! I don't know how to describe it but there was something different that the masseur did which other spas don't offer. Her movement and pressing on the correct points is spot on! I really really loved it. Didn't regret taking a 90-minute long massage.

What did I tell you about natural light?

After massaging, I was asked to soak myself in the herbal bath "berendam" for 20 minutes. it was so good laying down in the bubble bath with warm water. *shiok~ness* It was so romantic I wished my hubby was there with me.

Sensual yes?

When the treatment is over, you will be served ginger tea and watermelon. The ginger tea is the most sedap one I've ever tasted! To my surprise, I don't think the pricing is all that expensive as other places are charging about RM300+ for similar spa packages.

Ambiance : 5*

Service : 5*

Value-for-Money : 5*

Looks like I found my 'home spa' already. Will definitely make Khareyana Spa my regular spa for days to come. And they also offer pregnancy massage which is fantastic!

Oh.. for bride-to-be, you may try their Ken Dedes treatment aka vaginal smoking. Leaves you feeling fresh and smelling erm.. fragrant. *sniff* *sniff*

Love;

Mrs Lee

Cook Book : Apple Crumble

I am a sucker for all things apples and this also is relatively easy to make.

Apple Crumble

Disclaimer: This was made by my Aunt,

I didn't manage to snap a picture of the one I made.

INGREDIENTS:

8 apples (serves 4-6 people)

7 tablespoons of caster sugar

170g butter (1 block of butter)

280g flour

Cinnamon powder to taste

Step 1: Crumble Mixture.

Mix the butter with the flour until you can see the 'crumble'. Add 8 tablespoons of caster sugar. Mix well. For this, what I do is to agak-agak only how much flour to add in.

Step 2: Cooking the Apples.

Peel, cut and slice the apples. Cook the apples with very little water (just enough to cover the apples) and add 4 tablespoons of caster sugar. Add a generous amount of Cinnamon powder to taste. Cook until the apples becomes mushy. You may taste the syrup and adjust accordingly.

Step 3: Bake.

Preheat oven at 180C. Pour the cooked apples into the oven-dish. Pour a generous amount of Cinnamon powder over the apples. Evenly spread the crumbs on top. Put it in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the crumble turns brown.

Note: Alternatively, what I do is to buy those pre-made base so that the apple crumble can be held in place.

And it goes exceptionally well with Vanilla ice-cream! yum~

Love;

Mrs Lee

Cook Book : Pan Fried Honey Mustard Chicken with Brocolli and Mash Potatoes

I won't say that I am an exceptionally good cook - I am just learning how to ever since gotten married. More of a beginner. Somehow, a wife and (in future) a mother must know how to cook for her family right?

So I guess every now and then when I experiment my dishes, I ought to note it down somewhere as a trophy reference. Since I am off this whole week for a study break (urgh!), was thinking why not cook a quick dinner for the hubby before he goes off for his weekly futsal.

Honey Mustard Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

2 pieces of chicken fillets

3 teaspoons-full of honey

2 teaspoons-full of Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of soy-sauce

2 chopped shallots

1 tablespoon of diced ginger

Diced garlic

Step 1:

Mix the honey, Dijon mustard, soy-sauce, and diced ginger in a bowl. Stir well and you may taste and add whichever ingredient to your liking. Rule of thumb is for every 3 spoons of honey, you have to add 2 spoons of mustard.

Note: Don't overdo on the soy-sauce or else it will be too salty and regulate the ginger too, else it will be too spicy.

Step 2:

Marinate the chicken fillet in the mixture.

Step 3:

Fry the garlic and shallots until its aromatic. Then put in the chicken fillets. Pour the leftover sauce a little bit at a time as the fillets cooks to ensure that there are sufficient time for the meat to adsorb the sauce. Continue to pan-fry the fillets until the meat is cooked.

Voila~!

Easy-peasy huh?

For sides, I had leftover mash potatoes from last weekend and for vegetables, I just had broil Brocolli with a tinge of salt. :) Healthy meal, yes?

Mash potatoes (Geri's style) is equally as easy to be made:

INGREDIENTS:

Potatoes (depending how many servings)

1/2 block of butter

Pepper and salt to taste

Parsley

Step 1:

Boil the potatoes with salt. Poke with a chopstick and if it slides through easily then the potatoes are cooked. Peel the potatoes.

Step 2:

Mash the potatoes while adding butter simultaneously. Once the mixture is even, you may proceed to add salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley as garnishing.

In two simple steps, and you are done!

Gotta say I'm loving the idea of cooking!~

This coming Wednesday I'm gonna try my hands on cooking beef!

Love;

Mrs Lee

Curios

Sometimes I wonder... if there are anyone who reads my blog?

Hips Don't Lie

It's true! :(

I have not been going to the gym for almost a year. Reason is simple – I was just too lazy and I’ve lost all enthusiasm. I still love Body Combat to bits and pieces and because of Body Combat I managed to tone up my body in the places that was supposed to be toned.

I just find going to the gym very uncomfortable, especially if I had to go alone (there used to be 4 of us going together) due to the following reasons:

1. It is too male-dominated;
2. You don’t feel belonged;
3. The classes are way to packed;
4. You have to fight for a space;
5. It is too male-dominated;
6. It is too male-dominated; and
7. It is too male-dominated.

I realized that these are just excuses, excuses, and more excuses for me to be lazy and not work my ass off. As a consequence for slacking off, I have managed to ‘achieve’ the following:

1. Gained weight from 50kg to 55kg (and still is going up);
2. Visible ‘spare tyres’ on my tummy (upgraded from one to two);
3. Abs had turned into flabs;
4. Arms have grown flabby and bigger;
5. Ass has gone big and saggy;
6. Thunder thighs with very obvious stretch marks;
7. Clothes size went from M to L/XL;
8. Boobs size maintained at 34C;
9. Waist size upgraded from 27/28 inches to 33 inches;
10. Hips was the worst – upgraded from 34 inches to 39 INCHES;
11. I can’t fit into any of my clothes now;
12. I feel sluggish and fat;
13. My stamina went downhill; and in general
14. I don’t feel pretty/hot anymore :(

It was so bad that I nearly resorted to visiting those slimming centers and was prepared to fork out thousands of Ringgit to get back in shape. Yeah, to that extend. :( I was also contemplating on buying the Ogawa Trimax or Osim U-Kimono (vibrating slimming belt). Yes, I was desperate. And to think the last time, I was a firm believer that these options are meant for lazy people who wants to loose weight the easy way, which most likely will not work.

I even tried my own WLM remedy – which failed miserably.

Then common sense got the better of me. Thank God I had loads of time to think it though and my bonus was not in yet. I decided to take charge of my looks AND HEALTH and thus decided to go for a healthier and more wholesome alternative. I googled dance exercise classes and lo and behold; I found Jazzercise. Found an all ladies class only and the following plus points:

#1: The classes are small.
#2: The group is tight-knit which means everyone knows everyone.
#3: You can come in with your old tees and grandma shorts and no one will even give a damn.
#4: Near my house.
#5: Jazzercise is perfectly fine for pregnant mummies :)

Jazzercise is a dance-based group fitness program that offers a fun and effective total body workout. Each 60-minute Jazzercise class features a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, kickboxing, and Latin-style movements set to popular music.

I’ve attended my first trial class on Saturday in STOMP Fitness Centre, located in Section 14 (behind Bank Islam opposite from the mosque). I was the only student there at that time and I have to say it was not too bad. Of course, I had trouble following the steps but that should be sorted out with a few more classes (fingers cross). The steps are repetitive and I need to get used to the commands. Basically, Jazzercise comprises of warm-up, cardio workout, stretching, and light-weight lifting. In due time I would be able to loose me excess kgs and tone up my flabby parts.

I intend to sign for the classes – RM100 per month for unlimited classes. Well, if I am prepared to part with my cash for slimming centers, what is RM100? So far I have joined 2 classes and am going for another one later. :)

Hope that I would be discipline enough to stay put in classes. Its time to whip my ass back in shape!

Love;
Mrs Lee

Review : Las Vacas @ Shoplex Mont Kiara

Bear has been raving on and on about the beef in Las Vacas. So, he treated me and a few of us to the place. In his words "My wife has been working so late for the past few days, I better treat her for a nice dinner". Can I hear everyone say AAWWWWWWWW ... yeah sometimes he is sweet like that. :)

True to his word, the beef is fantastic! I don't know what's the pricing cos he paid for it. They calculate by the weight of the meat. We had wild mushroom soup first and it was yummy.

And then, me and Bear shared a 300gm Angus Beef medium-well. It was perfect!

He also recommended the beef wrap in cheese and vegetables. AWESOMENESS!!!

The other couple shared a 300gm Wagyu Beef.

The meat is so darn good!! I will definitely pay a visit to this place again. One setback is that the venue is not very conducive. It is outdoor dining and if it rains it will be rather inconvenient. And then there are the issue of mosquitoes too.

Ambiance : 2*

Service : 4*

Value-for-Money : 3*

Am thinking of bringing my family to try this place soon.

Love;

Mrs Lee

Review : Coffee Chemistry Cafe, Sunway Giza

Being the cheapo budget-conscious person, I am now an advocate of discount websites which offers great bargains from food & beverages, spas, trips, saloons, pedicure & manicures, sports, clothing, facial etc etc. Whoever who came up with the idea is brilliant!

My first ever encounter with such bargains was from Milkadeal. They had a promo of RM15.00 for two coffees, one sandwich, and one wrap in Coffee Chemistry Cafe in Sunway Giza. So a couple of us went there to try out their coffee. Their selling point is that the coffee is brewed from Graffeo beans which gives a flavorful and rich taste.

Did I also mentioned that the presentation was pretty too? Here's proof.

Hazelnut Latte

Cappuccino

Caramel Latte

I love it that their coffees are not sweet so you won't feel too jelak after a cuppa unlike those lattes from Starbucks. Foodwise, honestly I find it so-so and there is nothing much to shout about.

Bear had a sudden obsession with chips and salsa dips now

If you ask me I don't quite fancy the set-up and ambiance of this place because it's kinda geeky for my liking. Plus, I find the place too 'cold'. For me, the idea of a cafe must be warm and cosy complete with soothing background music.

Ambiance : 2*

Service : 4*

Value-for-Money : (Can't judge cos I used the voucher from Milkadeal)

Will I come back here again? Probably if I am around the area because it's kinda off-route for me to drop by. But then again, there are loads of cafes to choose from in Sunway Giza anyways *shrug*.

Love;

Mrs Lee

Review : Ristretto Coffee @ MK10 Mont Kiara

Last week, I was severely craving for scones and Steph suggested to try this new place in MK10 Mont Kiara called Ristretto. I am a coffee addict lover so on Friday me, Bear, Kelvin, and Sue went to check out the place.

Unfortunately,they ran out of scones :( Nonetheless, the coffee made up for the loss. I LOVE IT!!!! Prices are below RM10. Their motto is bringing Sydney's coffee culture to Malaysia (which inevitably reminds me of Melbourne).

The place is quaint and small - much like your typical neighborhood cafe. They serve food too, not sure if it is good or not. We ordered apple strudels and butter cake. I only managed to capture the picture of the yummy~licious chocolate brownie with ice-cream. *yum*

As you can see the presentation is awesome! Would definitely pay a trip back here again for their coffee and hopefully am able to try their scones. I had Cappuccino. Perfect for a cold evening.

Sue also tried this drink called Baby Cino. Meant for babies. Because it is made up of pure milk froth and cocoa. Not saying that you are a baby ok, Sue! :p

On a separate note, we adjourned to Sid's for beer and it was heaven! :) What a fantastic way to end my hectic weekday *shiok*.

Ambiance : 3*

Service : 4*

Value-for-Money : 5*

Recommended for coffee lovers like me :)

Love;

Mrs Lee

Review : Baliayu Spa Sanctuary

On Valentines’ day, I took Bear for a spa session in Baliayu Spa Sanctuary in Bangsar. It was planned on a last minute basis because I wanted to surprise Bear and it was high time that I relax and rejuvenate myself from those long hard hours at work.

So with not much choice and at a lack of time, I googled and stumbled upon the spa. Pricing was relatively cheap comparatively to others. For a 3 hours pampering session, it was priced at RM300+ per couple (if I remember correctly).

I shall summarize what I feel about the place:

Pros:
1. Cheap
2. Good location
3. Friendly service

Cons:
1. The massage rooms are a bit dingy.
2. The carpet has a musky smell
3. The aircond was damn cold!
4. You need to walk out from the massage room to the toilet, which is located outside to shower. Imagine you have to walk across the reception area in full view of other guests. In a robe!
5. Toilets are in a deplorable state, we shared the toilet with a mop and a pail.
6. Massage was not all that great – it was almost too painful to bear


This is the first ever spa that I couldn’t wait for the masseur to stop. And after the 3 hours session, I didn’t felt relieve instead I was more stressed up. Also, I noticed that the masseur was not experienced enough to ensure that you are at your most comfortable. Your whole body is exposed while the treatment is underway. In my experience with other spas, they are supposed to cover sensitive parts of your body like your breasts. -.-“

Ambiance : 2*
Service : 2*
Value-for-Money : 3*

Will I go back there again?
Most likely not.

Love;
Mrs Lee