Those who has been to China would be familiar with their one stop shop for all spa services like massage, manicure, pedicure, facial, hair salon and other facilities like entertainment theatres, jacuzzi, steam baths and even cafes all within the same building. I have been to the ones at Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou and instantly fell in love with this concept. How it works in China is you can pay an entrance fee and use all the facilities provided for free including all the provided food and for those who pay for a high end massage package gets the entrance fee waived.
When I first heard that G. Spa is operating with the same concept in Singapore, I was elated and told myself I had to try. My chance came when I grabbed a voucher for 1 for 1 Gateway to Vitality massage which was priced at SGD 194 for non members. This promotion was only applicable for 1st time patrons.
I had to make my appointment date way in advance as the weekend slots were extremely popular and was fully booked for 3 weeks. The staff will actually call you at least 1 week before your appointment date to reconfirm your booking and usage of the voucher. I was required to bring my ID and voucher on the day of the appointment and arrive at least 30mins before the massage slot for all administrative work.
G.spa is located in the rather dilapidated building Guillemard Village which was supposed to be the Fitness and Recreation Hub during it’s heydays and used to be the Badminton Association of Singapore. Today, it is no more than a ghost town other than G.Spa. When you alight from public transport, make your way to this signage to the only lift that will bring you to G.Spa
Just work around the sign and you can see the lift with a huge G.Spa logo. The spa is located on the 2nd floor of the building
When the lift door opens, you will be greeted by this lush sight of greenery and hard sell pull up banners which is a total different world from the outside of the building
To enter the spa, you have to walk past this tunnel which is structured in a whimsical way complete with hanging fairy lights. It gives you the feeling that you will be transported into a world of relaxation and kind of tells you to leave your burden behind for a moment and enjoy the session
Past the tunnel, you will get to the reception area which is clean and spacious but in terms of décor, it looks pretty dated which is a mismatch from their front of house. At the reception, they will confirm your appointment and check your voucher. You can also add on any additional services as they do provide Chinese massage treatments like cupping and guasha
After you settle the admin stuff, you can proceed into the spa area to enjoy the other facilities even before your massage slot. You will be led to the changing room and given a set of spa uniform just like in a Korean spa or Chinese spa. You will also be passed a set of disposable underwear. The changing room for both ladies and men are separated and in different areas
Within the changing room, you can find a small changing room and many different lockers for use
The locker will also provide detailed instructions on how to lock the door. The locker is big enough to put in a medium sized duffer bag and if you are worries about your shoes, you can also place them inside the locker. For those ok with leaving their shoes outside, there is a small slot below each column of lockers for you to place your shoes
The reception will also pass you this electronic tracking device which will help to lock and unlock your designated locker
The dressing room also provides hair dryer, hair brush, disposable one time use comb as well as some amenities like hand cream and moisturizers. The spa set pass to me was maroon color for female and gold for male and consist of pants and a kimono styled top
For ladies wondering how the disposable bra is like, it is basically the same material as the disposable panties with elastic band on the top and bottom part and a tie back. For more endowed ladies, the bra also holds ok and you can double the disposable bra if you wish to feel more secure
If you have not been here before, the nice lady from the locker will actually find time to show you around the spa and where the necessary facilities are located
On the 1st level, you will find the foot massage area on the left where there are about 10 big armchairs for you to rest while the masseurs massage your foot. I did not get a close up picture as there were people massaging and it could be rude to take pictures
For those who prefer a more enclosed area, you can choose this roman inspired area where you can find the same big arm chairs which is equipped with a TV screen for you to watch movies
The main area after the entertainment lounge area is the cafeteria area which serves food for free. There are about 15 tables so it could get quite pack during popular times. The cafeteria is decorated like an outdoor oasis with fake palm and coconut tree huts. For those who wants to eat in private can also opt for the private rooms
On the 2nd floor, you can find all kinds of treatment rooms. This is the basic massage room for couples and there are other single bed area which is separated by curtains. The massage area is generally quite clean but not as private as the single beds are not in proper rooms. But the good part is that these rooms with curtains are within the ladies only area while others in rooms with proper doors are in public areas accessible by both gender
This room is for hot stone treatment where customer sleep in this UFO looking bed and according to the staff, they actually screen you thoroughly for any high blood pressure or heart problems before the actual hot stone treatment
Within the gender only area, you can also find the jacuzzi hot pool which can fit about 6 people maximum ( lesser during Covid times ) and the temperature is keep about 40 degrees. There is also a dry sauna and a hot steam room within the same area. There are also 3 rooms here for customers who add on body scrub to their treatment
Next to the pools and room , there are 3 shower rooms for you to shower and clean up and next to it is a small vanity area with the same amenities as the dressing room on the 1st floor. You can also find clean towels as well as extra disposable underwear to change into after showering. There is also a gym according to the website but I did not find it while walking around
Back to the cafeteria, you can sit down on any available table and the staff is basically quite attentive and friendly. They could be a bit short handed during the weekends when the number of people is at peak
The menu is simple with some fixed dishes and some daily specials. They usually include sandwiches, snacks like dim sum and main rice or noodle dishes. The cuisine is mostly Chinese styled and some Western style food
The shumai that I ordered reminds me of those found in the coffee shop steamer as the taste is quite basic; neither bad or fantastic
The sandwiches are also pretty basic and reminds me of those you find in school cafeterias or canteens with a simple and general taste. They have the basic lettuce and tomato with tuna toppings or the local favourite kaya butter toast. You can also find half boiled eggs to have with the kaya toast.
I also ordered the daily special which is the chicken chop with mushroom sauce, wedges and steamed vegetables which is really very decent in terms of taste. It is probably as good as most hawker center western food stalls. The portion is pretty filling for one person and as a free of charge meal, this is really very reasonable
The variety of drinks available is also quite good with coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit juices and more. There are also sufficient power points around the cafeteria area for people who wants to charge their laptop or electronic devices to watch Netflix or work
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the G.Spa although there are parts of the facility which is quite dated and would do better with some renewing work. The areas which are shared like the pools, steam rooms, cafeteria and entertainment rooms are all kept clean and tidy and the food offering is also quite decent without any additional charges. The spa is opened 24 hours and you can visit them anytime and your free usage of the facilities is for a max of 24 hours from the time you check in. For the massage, this is again luck at work as some might get a good masseurs and some not so good ones. For me, I got a really good masseurs that I will definitely go back to her as she managed to crack my bones at the right areas and offer the long awaited relief. The only downside for me is the distance from my house
Address: 102 Guillemard Rd, #02-02, Singapore 399719
Operating hours: 24 hours
The full list of their treatments can be found here
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