Endota Day Spa Review...

Today I went to Endota Day Spa at Southland in Victoria for an hour massage. I'd originally booked for last Friday, but when I showed up they had no record of the booking or of me even existing in their database. The girl who had booked me was a trainee (given the fact she had to talk to someone else off the phone to get my booking in the computer and she also asked me if my name was "Kimberley with a K?" she didn't seem too confident) and turns out she totally screwed up. Fifteen minutes and three girls working at the Spa later, I was re-booked for this morning and they gave me a free upgrade (I had a gift voucher for a 30 minute massage for my birthday and was going to pay for an hour upgrade) to the hour massage, which was good. The girls were all very apologetic (not their fault) and the complimentary upgrade was a nice compensation for spending 15 minutes sorting things out and showing up for a booking someone didn't actually put into the computer and then having to come back today at a time that wasn't as suitable for me.

Endota Spa Southland

ANYWAY, this was my first time at a day spa, unless you count the tiny little hole in the wall in Hell's Kitchen in New York called Snowflakes Spa, where I had the best and cheapest hot stone massage ever by a little Asian lady whose poor hands must have been burning off after the buzzer went off for an hour finished. I first had a shoulder massage back in 2007 when my work had a mobile masseuse come to work and give us massages that left me feeling like I was walking on a cloud. After that, I decided to give the Zhong's Chinese massage shops a go, which was totally different to the cloud massage I had at work but was really beneficial. When I lived in the US, I had to go without massages as the Chinese massage shops just aren't around like they are here in Australia. Last year, my work (a different workplace than in 2007) again had a masseuse come and give us all 30 minute massages and this was the first time I had a full body relaxation massage where you're covered in a towel and have no clothes on underneath. Then I went to New York and had the amazing hot stone massage ($48 for an hour long hot stone massage? Yes please!) down a dark street on a Sunday night. And today I went to Endota.

I was welcomed by the friendly staff and directed to the waiting 'lounge', which, because a small shop in a shopping centre, was a couch bench, and was offered water or tea (I took water) while I filled out a new client form, which asked about my areas of concern, what kind of pressure I'd like, how much I want the therapist to speak, and so on. I liked that as it meant it wasn't going to be awkward if she was a talker and I was not (lying with my face down on a massage table, I usually like to try switch off as much as possible, especially since my job involves speaking pretty much non-stop all day). Then, I was guided into the room, where the therapist left me alone to change into a big comfy robe. First was the billabong foot bath. I felt a bit awkward as the therapist came in, sat down on the floor in front of me, and washed my feet (and was embarrassed as I have some cracks on my feet from the hot weather), but the foot bath was really lovely and a great way to relax into the hour. The room smelled beautiful of essential oils, and was decorated with votive candles, and contained a wicker chair, a massage table, a sink, and a deep bath. Then it was up onto the table and the therapist worked her way across my body, massaging my back and legs, before turning over to do arms, neck/upper chest/shoulders, and temples, with an eye mask placed over my eyes. The oil used was really luxurious feeling and didn't dry up quickly like some other oils can, and after each section of the body was worked, a damp hot towel was used to clean the oils off, which felt really refreshing. The therapist was friendly, professional, and her technique was relaxing and had good pressure. Soon, the hour was over and it was time to get back into my clothes to go back out to the real world. Before I left the room, the therapist returned with some product recommendations on a sheet based on some things she noticed while massaging (such as dry skin) and I purchased the massage oil as it smelled and felt so divine. There wasn't a pressure to purchase anything and the product recommendations were written on a sheet for you to take home, which was nice.

Endota Spa Organic Olive & Macadamia Massage Oil, 125ml, $28.00 AUD

Overall, Endota Spa was really a lovely experience. The staff were friendly, compensated me for the booking error and apologised profusely about it, and the massage was relaxing and enjoyable. The massage I had should have cost $100 for 60 minutes, so it is pricier than your Chinese massage down at your local shopping centre (which work out to around $1 a minute) but for something indulgent and for relaxation rather than having the world's most forceful deep tissue massages, Endota was really enjoyable. I would probably go again only with a gift voucher as otherwise it's a bit of a pricey indulgence and wouldn't feel as much of a treat if I was going as often as I go to my local Zhong's.

Have you ever been to a day spa? Do you prefer to go to your local Chinese massage? Do you like massages that provide relaxation or muscle/tissue therapy? Do you hate being touched by strangers and find the concept of massages repulsive?

This post was not sponsored by Endota Spa, but is purely based on my personal experiences visiting the spa after receiving a gift voucher.