I must admit, one low-cost activity I enjoy with friends is going to a KTV joint for some drinks and unabashed, soul-satisfying crooning to 80s tracks and pop music. One favorite place for this in Davao is K1 Family KTV.

This entertainment establishment, which has its roots in Cebu, has a coffee shop, and a number of private rooms for small and medium-sized groups. Each room is equipped with karaoke machines that load your chosen music via remote control. I just wish they had more updated tracks, though.

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While that overnight stay at Hof Gorei last weekend provided a welcome respite for me, the succeeding few days brought some of the stress back right away. Deadlines and hours in front of the computer left my back and neck screaming for release. So off to BodyBliss.

I could’ve gone to my usual and reliable massage clinic, but I thought I’d try this new place for a change. Thankfully, no regrets. BodyBliss — highly recommendable if you’d rather not spend too much on a good massage. No sauna or even showers at this place, though, but the treatment you get is satisfactory. Read the full story

BioEssence Spa, a pioneer in the skin-care and spa business (and a Dabawenyo company!), has opened a new service to their already rich suite of offerings: Suay Thai. We’re talking about the ancient art of traditional Thai massage and healing therapy.

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I’m not much of a spa person really — a great massage is all I’m usually after. So, even though I’d known of BioEssence for the longest time, I never thought of going there until today.

My friend Joel is a regular, and he was able to convince me to tag along for his diamond peel session. He treated me to a facial spa treatment. One of the reasons I can’t imagine myself in spas is the time that it takes to enjoy their services. I was forewarned that my session would take about two hours, so you can imagine how apprehensive I was about the whole thing… until I actually went through it. When it was over, it felt like the time flew!

What I had was the Bella Facial — I suppose it’s the usual facial but done with more care and the utmost attention. Plus extra treatments, I was informed, such as high-tech exfoliation with moisturization. My therapist, Anne, is a convivial lady, whose hands fluttered confidently over my face, neck, chest and shoulders like they belonged to familiar territory. That felt strangely comforting.

What irked me a bit, though, was the chatter going on around the treatment cubicles. It wasn’t all that bothersome… but aren’t spas supposed to be serene, with only ambient music wafting in the air? Good thing Anne wasn’t the loquacious type. On the flip side, I liked the service up front. After the usual filling out of forms, one of the receptionists interviewed me before the treatment. It was to apprise me of what the Bella Facial involved, and to advise me on better skin care habits (yeah right, not on my watch! hehehe ). That was very reassuring. It gave the impression that they knew their stuff thoroughly.

I was so refreshed afterwards and happy about the whole experience. I’m proud to say that BioEssence is a Davao-grown enterprise, which now has 32 branches nationwide. The main clinic is on Circumferential Road, Marfori Heights, Davao City. (Joel says this place used to be the owners’ family ancestral home.) Their phone numbers: 226-2305, 224-0361.

This, by the way, is not a sponsored post.

Here’s an update to a previous post on massage places. I was looking for another place to get a massage, but couldn’t bring myself to try Philosophy Spa just yet — no budget! So a friend of mine suggested I try this new place right beside Basti’s Brew. Perfect! Read the full story

A new acquaintance gave me an idea to blog about: massage places in Davao. While we were engaged in conversation, Austin asked me about the best place in Davao to get a massage. I realized just then that there are actually quite a few now here. A colleague in the IT industry even opened a shop at the Matina Town Square.

You can differentiate massage services in Davao into roughly 3 categories: spas, or full-fledged services that offer more than just massages; massage clinics, where people go for no-fuss, no-frills body kneading; and home service. (Never mind the extra-service type — I have a GP rating here… well, sometimes R18, but not today )

I’m going to have to do a serious survey of Davao’s massage offerings (yes! this is what I love about writing!). But for now, here’s a quickie of some of those that I’ve already tried.

Spas

Holiday Spa. They offer Swedish massages, in separate common areas for men & women. There are saunas and baths, the works. Holiday also has a gym, boxing ring, wide range of aerobics training programs, a swimming pool, and an indoor jogging track. Also a salon and a coffee shop (free wifi!).

I’ve tried Holiday Spa twice only. It’s about P450 for the massage and you get to use the facilities like the sauna for free. At both times, there was nothing to complain about, really. Austin, however, probably had an unlucky time when he tried the place. He also didn’t like the fact that everybody’s in one huge common room. So for those of you who’re queasy about getting down to your birthday suits in front of other people, this place might not be for you.

Bahía Spa. Even pricier than Holiday, and with just a few added perks too. The service isn’t bad, though, and the place is comfortable enough. The one time that I was there, it was P500+ for a massage (Swedish) and use of the sauna and shower. They have both wet and dry saunas, but the showers were reminiscent of my college varsity days. Bahía is inside the Metro Lifestyle gym building on F. Torres St.

While in Holiday Spa they only have masseuses, at Bahía they have both masseuses and masseurs. The massage rooms are also common, divided by decorative hangings. There are private rooms for the more expensive kinds of massage — something to do with hydro-therapy.

Philosophy Spa. Even more expensive than the preceding two, but I hear the service is good. I haven’t tried this place yet, but I do have a mind to. Philosophy Spa, it would seem, is trying to maintain an ultra-exclusive ambience, hence the price tag probably (P700+ if I’m not mistaken). According to a friend, the place is small — or rather, cozy. Or intimate, as the case may be.

Philosophy is in the Florentine building, on Bonifacio St., behind the Apo View Hotel.

Massage Clinics

Firm Massage. The name’s rather unimaginative, I know, but this is actually one of my favorites. From the outside it looks like a hole-in-the-wall joint, but the interiors are clean and presentable. Simple but functional. It’s just an old apartment building whose couple of units the proprietor transformed into a clinic for those aching bodies. They specialize in combo methods: Swedish mixed in with Thai. They also do shiatsu, but mostly for foot rubs. Masseurs and masseuses. The place is on Veloso Road, behind Victoria Plaza; landline # 227-9314.

Tan-Ton. Thai-style massage with all that stretching, pulling, bending and cracking. Personally I don’t like it, but apparently lots of other people do. They have branches all over now (3, I think), the main being at that arcade across the street from The Venue. Another one is at the Centerpoint Mall in Matina.

For the life of me, I can’t recall the name of the shop that my colleague put up. Anyway it’s in Matina Town Square, right in front of the convenience store. It’s a different kind of Thai massage, specializing in foot-&-leg combinations, and you get them while you’re enthroned in a lazyboy. It’s just a petite affair, but very comfy. They also serve Thai teas and other ready-to-prepare refreshments.

Home Service

Everywhere in Davao you see small signs posted on telephone poles, advertising for massages. On newspapers as well. Price range is from P150 to P300 per hour. Some of them are OK, probably a third of them are shady, but most of them are more or less genuine masseurs/masseuses trying to make a decent living. But I’m not vouching for their skills, legit or otherwise.

There are plenty more out there. It just takes a bit of looking around or asking a friend for recommendations.