Mel's Marvellous Massage

It's been a while since I last went to a spa to do a review. Last Friday, while everyone was slaving away at the office, I was 'slaving' away at Jari Jari. I'm very fussy when it comes to massages and I made it VERY clear to my masseuse, Wendy, what I wanted. It was going to be a traditional massage (seeing that Jari Jari specialises in traditional Sabahan massages - nothing like it in the world!). For the record, Jari Jari (located in Tanjung Aru Plaza) recently won an award for Best Traditional Massage in the whole ofMalaysia, awarded by the Ministry of Tourism. Quite an honour (Sabah boleh, heh heh). Anyway back to my massage. I told Wendy that it had to light pressure (i'm a wimp) and to be verrry careful around my hip area ( i had a bad massage experience when it comes to my hips) . She was very patient and understanding and nodded politely to my mad-woman ranting. She was probably thinking, "Maybe she'll be less anal after the massage..."

So here's a shot of the spa. It's a cozy place, dimly-lit, Balinese music in the background and the scent of lemongrass in the air. Sublime.

First, you get treated to a foot bath (so princess-y!) and a foot scrub. My feet were so damn smooth after that. Didn't last long though, heh. Check out my French-manicured toes, compliments of Puei's wedding.

Wendy, my masseuse. You don't want to mess with HER. I never thought i'd say this about another woman but she has great hands...

My treatment room. I actually fell asleep 25 minutes into the massage. It was painful in the beginning, when she was getting rid of the 'wind'. You could actually hear your body 'popping' and eventually, it stops and feels utterly fantastic. My hip area is the worst. I don't know why it hurts like hell everytime I get massaged there but Wendy said its the consequence of taking late night showers. Hmm, I'll remember that...

So here are the basic essentials: The sarong to keep you from flashing the masseuse, disposable undies (punya kicil...) and the shower cap.
Undies unravelled! Not exactly the sexiest piece of lingerie but it does the job. One size fits all, haha!

There you have it. I didn't take an 'after' photo of the massage - I was too dazed! Needless to say, I had the best sleep that night. For the weak and weary, get a massage. It'll do wonders.