The first and the best Spa Trip ever

Spa Trip couldn't do without them...

It was a fantastic and awesome 3 days 2 nights stay in Bintan with this group of people who made the trip so fun and enjoyable. 

A special thanks to Ms Seow who put in so much effort in making sure this trip is successful and also working tirelessly coordinating with the resorts and spa outlets in coming up with spa treatment for us.   

Signing off,

Junxian

D' Bintan Salon Day Spa

Sales & Marketing...

This day spa does not have a website as compared to Banyan Tree Spa and Club Med spa but they uses a very colourful spa menu to entice its guests. As part of their sales promotion, they have tied up free transport to their spa package with a minimum spending of S$50. This promotion would definitely attract many tourists as accessibility tends to be an issue which we were being brought from our resort in Angsana to their location that took around 30 minutes. Unfortunately for this spa salon, their retail sales mainly focuses on the local souvenirs rather than spa products which I felt they might lose out in earning extra dollars.

Spa Reception Experience...

Once we step foot into the spa salon, the friendly staff treated us with a cup of iced lemon grass to quench our thirst. Check in process took about 10 minutes as we were directed quickly to our room for a foot reflexology. There are some areas that need improvement at the reception as they could play some soothing music and perhaps scent management to relieve stress of its guests while they hold up at the reception counter.

Spa Therapist & Spa Treatment...

She was my spa therapist for the foot reflexology treatment and I must say she have got the strength to make me gripped my teeth a number of time. A very concern therapist who constantly asked me if the pressure was okay and which part of my legs should increase pressure. This little gesture shown by a spa therapist showed how professional she is as this shows that guest's well being is her top priority. In addition, I have observed that their protocol of a foot reflexology always starts with the left foot and once its done then she would move to the other foot. Unfortunately for me, I felt tension on both of my shin area.

Spa Design, Ambience & Maintenance...

A very relax place with good lightings which goes well with a treatment like this one. However, it lacks some soothing music which could calm one down and relieve his or her stress. The comfort and safety level was somewhat acceptable as at times, the therapist gave too much pressure on certain part of my foot and too little pressure on the other whereas my safety was put to test as my therapist uses too much pressure pressing my foot that pushes me and my chair backwards that knocked onto a painting just behind my seat which nearly drop on me. Last but not least, they could do even better with scent management by burning some essential oil which could increase our level of comfort.

Banyan Tree Spa

Sales & Marketing...

Unlike Club Med Spa, Banyan Tree focuses more on website design to attract its customers and every detail of the spa treatment is found in the website which allowed its customers to better understand each and every treatment.

 

On top of the above medium, Banyan Tree also placed a copy of its spa menu in the spa room for its guests to view while waiting for their turn.

 

In this instance, Banyan Tree does not have a retail line as compared Club Med Spa therefore they might lose out in achieving additional sales.

Spa Reception Experience

Buggies were activated to bring the group for the session of spa treatment at Banyan Tree which was impressive as they provide transfer to and fro the resort. In this case, there was no need for us to do the check in process as it was done by the spa in-charge and the resort coordinator which saved our hassle of doing the check in.

Spa Therapist & Spa Treatment

Once we reached the sea view spa resort, we were told that there was a couple having their treatment and that we were promptly treated with a cup of iced lemon grass tea to soothe ourselves while waiting for our turn.

We were also given a disclaimer form to fill up as they would like to know if we were having any illness or discomfort prior to the massage that we need to declare. I felt that this is extremely important as for a therapist, it is essential to know if your guest feels alright before the treatment or any potential discomfort that the therapist might poised to her guest.

Once the couple is done with their treatment, we were told to change our slippers and head down. Similar to Club Med Spa, we were told to strip naked as well but this time there won't be any undergarments provided to us and only the robe. After which we were told to remove our robe and lied down on the bed naked and covered by a sheet of blanket. Before the treatment even started, one of the therapists would ask if the temperature of the aircon is suitable as well as the volume of the music to our needs. During the treatment, my therapist would constantly ask if the pressure is high and at times ask if I wanted a medium or hard touch. All these little questioning showed how professional they are and how much they cared about the well being of their guests.

Spa Design, Ambience & Maintenance...

After the whole session, we were treated with a glass of yoghurt, fresh fruits and hot ginger tea while enjoying the breeze from the sea view. All these experienced before, during and after a spa treatment actually triggered an individual's sensory experiences which include sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. To elaborate more, sight was experienced after the session by looking at the sea view just outside the room, smell and taste were being experienced while eating the fruits, ginger tea and yoghurt. Last but not least, sound and touch were involved during the spa treatment. 

Lastly, the therapists were so friendly that they asked if the whole session was acceptable and asking for valuable feedbacks from us.

Spa Reception Experience...

Upon arrival at the lobby, the first thing which I observed was indeed very obvious, was their award winning plaque posted on the wall.

The first thing when I saw the plaque, I was curious about the amount of work they put in and questions on how good they are in order to win this prestigious award which ultimately attracted so many visitors to their resort for spa enjoyment. 

Before heading for spa treatment, we were treated with a glass of lemon grass tea which was icy to keep ourselves cool down after a long walk around the resort. The staff were so friendly that they approached us with the tea the moment they saw us. 

The ingredients of the massage oil were clearly displayed on the reception desk situated in the lobby which highlighted the need to satisfy guests' five senses which this case allowed our sense of smell, sight and taste to react. 

On top of that, they even identified and stated clearly what sort of ingredients for base oil and essential oil to give us a better understanding of what is going to be applied to our body whilst undergoing the spa treatment. 

In addition, wet cold towels were also handed to us to wipe our hands and be comfortable for the spa treatment happening later in the day.

Spa Therapist & Spa Treatment...

To my surprise, the spa treatment that I had was in front of the sea view which made the experience even more impressive and inspiring awe.

A plate of sand and pebbles were placed under the head rest to remind me of the relation between the spa treatment and its surrounding (Sea).

Before the treatment started, I was told to strip naked and wear the undergarment that they provided. Initially I wasn't comfortable with the protocol of being naked for the treatment but adhered to it. Ultimately I understood the reason behind it as the treatment required the therapist to have a better focus on every part of the body. I could actually feel every muscles relaxing and the moment the therapist massaged my upper thigh, the feel of the strain and tension just disappeared imminently.



During the spa treatment, basically all my senses were triggered as I could feel my whole body relaxing while listening to the soothing music played in the room. In addition, the burning of essential oil circulating the room just made the treatment even more enjoyable. After treatment, waking up to see the sight of the sea view just added the already impressive session.

Spa Design, Ambience & Maintenance...

From the pictures shown below, natural flowers were used rather than the artificial ones as it gives out a natural smell which heightened the atmosphere as well as the ambience of the surrounding. Flowers were seen along the stairwell to the ground floor which I believe its relation to the concept of spa as the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heighten feelings of life and make us feel happier. Music was clearly heard through out the experience in the spa as it soothe one's feelings and make us feel better. While walking down the stairs to the pavilion, I must compliment that their level of cleanliness was at its best and handle was installed by the stairs to ensure the safety of the guests.

The level of friendliness shown by the staff were high as you can see from the picture below that staff were seen ushering us to the open space waiting area. 

 

Hot lemon grass tea were served to us while waiting for a tour around the spa resort which speaks a lot about their efficiency in providing the best service to their guests.

Club Med Spa

Sales & Marketing...

The marketing medium that Club Med uses are mainly website and brochures which can be obtained at the resort itself.

Club Med Spa uses white as the base colour with black as their font colour mainly because it provides a very clear view of what is written on the brochure. Every types of spa treatment is clearly described so that it provides the guests the treatment that they opted for.

From the front page of the brochure, you could see that they uses an image of water splashing which easily relate itself to the sea view spa that Club Med uniquely owns it. 

As a form of after sale strategy, Club Med Spa set up retail line at their lobby in view of selling their unique spa items to their guests. Items such is the essential oil is the favourite among the guests as mentioned by one of the friendly staff on ground.

A Trip to Bintan, Indonesia

3D2N at Bintan...

It was my first time stepping foot into the land of Indonesia and guess what? It was the best experienc thus far as couple of spa treatments and a foot reflexology made the trip even more worth the dollars and cents which I paid for this trip.

YES!!! To be honest, beauty does not come by naturally as it takes effort to maintain it which spa could do the job just well.

In the next post, I am going to talk more about the insights of spa in terms of their sales and marketing, experiences from the spa treatments and their design, ambience and maintenance.