Beaute A'nergy Times Square

The appointment was made that morning and they were able to slot me in the afternoon.
The deal had been advertised as being worth 500RM, however, I felt the facial itself was not worth that much, but the results were all right.
It was a nano pigmentation and lightening facial, and upon entering the shop under it's neon banner, I was greeted by the receptionist. She could not speak English that well, and I was instructed to take a seat. I took out a magazine, and in afew minutes, the therapist came in through the doors with what appeared to be her lunch, presumably. She smiled and went inside. I waited afew more minutes as she set up the room, and she came back outside and told me to put my belongings into a locker, behind the receptionist desk. Although I did not feel comfortable leaving my valuables there, I did, and followed her to a room.

The room was almost dark, and very bare, except for afew unlabelled bottles around. The towels were worn, and initially I did not get a very homely sense. I was instructed to change and lie down, and did so. The therapist seemed to be in  a rush (probably because she wanted to eat her lunch), and quickly, i mean QUICKLY cleansed, and scrubbed my face, and left this scrub on, and left the room. It seemed to be a long time before she eventually came back inside, and washed the scrub off my face, then proceeded to do the extractions. The extraction was one of the MOST PAINFUL extractions i have ever experienced! The whole time she seemed to be in a bad mood (or perhaps she was hungry), and I asked her not to do the extractions, as the first one hurt so much. She seemed upset, so I asked her just to do the nose and chin. I told her it hurt, and she reduced the pain for a few seconds, before relapsing and doing it the same way as before. It is possible it hurt because she didn't have the right tools, and also because she didn't steam my face.

After the painful extraction, she put a mask on me and started to do the shoulder and neck massage. This was a complete and utter waste of time. It was lousy, to say the least. There was no pressure, and she didn't seem interested to massage my shoulders. She simply swept her hands across my upper chest, below the neck, and repeated this several times. When she was done, she simply left the room again.
I glanced at my watch. I wondered when she would decide to reappear, having not communicated anything to me before she left the room.

After a full 30 minutes later, at this point, I was quite frustrated, and not at all relaxed. I honestly thought she had forgotten about me. I came out of the room to the empty corridor and other treatment rooms. It was eerily quiet. I called out 'excuse me', and came out nearly to the reception and saw her sitting at a desk. I told her I would like her to take off the mask now. She seemed reluctant, saying it was for 30 minutes. I told her, yes, its time already. I went back to the room, and she came in and took it off, and put on moisturizer.

 Coming out of the room, I was so ready to leave the shop, but was sat down as she tried to sell me a moisturizer.  It was peculiar, as she had not even communicated what products she was applying to my face during the treatment.

Overall I give the following scores: (1 - 10 , 10 for excellence):
- Service: 3.5/10. The therapist did not understand my skin or my needs, it would be better if she communicated with me. She also left me alone in the room for unusually long periods, especially with the mask, and I had to come outside to tell her to take it off.

- Ambiance: 3/10. The rooms were furnished sparsely, and I did not feel warm or relaxed. Also, the music was inappropriately chosen and not relaxing at all.

- Treatment itself: 5/10. The facial techniques and massage were lacking. The extraction in particular was unusually very painful. It was a very rushed treatment, as products were 'slapped' on.

- Results of treatment: 5/10. Surprisingly, my skin did look calmer after two days, but that could be due to other factors.

Dorra Slimming

I have to write about the awful sales tactics these slimming places use.I'm not considered fat. In fact, I'm considered thin, but I have a butt.
The appointment was located in Midvalley at the Boulevard. I was greeted by a number of sales assistants, and then asked to take a seat. I was then weighed, and ushered into an office, where I was about to be given the package sale talk. This talk was dreadful- it lasted nearly an hour, all the while, the SA showed me a presentation on the computer, and repeated the same things two or three times. It was such a desperate attempt, that I felt so repulsed, and immediately didn't want to purchase anything. I mentioned I just wanted to try the coupon- at least give the consumer a chance to experience what you advertised. The SA said, not everything is included, even though the coupon had referred to a COMPLETE package. I was feeling so frustrated, I was about to walk out of there, and file a complaint with the coupon retailer.
Luckily, the SA realized she couldn't win me over then, and my persistence paid off. I was taken to the treatment room, small and dimly lit. Then asked to stand in front of the mirror in paper panties and holding a towel over my chest, while the SA took my measurements. The room was warm, but the SA asked me if I was cold. I said no. She said she was cold! Well duh! She didn't have any fat on her. It was so dark, I was already certain the pre and post measurements would be 'altered' to reflect a bigger difference. The SA then applied the 'essence' on me.
I then was asked to lie on the bed, and the SA used the machine to roll at my thigh area. She did one thigh, then took a photo to show me the difference. All i know is that it was red red red. She then proceeded to do the other. All I could think was I'm going to be red red red, even though she kept talking about the package, I had blocked out her voice by that time.
After that, I was taken back to the sales 'torture' room, and the door was closed. Again, I was subjected to seeing the same photographs. At this stage my thighs were absolutely burning and I was so uncomfortable. She again tried to sell me the package, but I was just not interested, as I was red and in agony. She realized she couldn't sell me anything, even bringing the package down to a '500 deposit'. She went out, and brought someone else in. The new SA (or manager?) interrogated me, asking me 'Sooo, why don't you want to buy?' As if everyone that comes in MUST buy a package. She even tried to guilt me into buying, by saying the essence wasn't included, and the SA had taken it out of her points. (At this point they were using all the lowest sales tactics.) Because I have self esteem, and because I'm not stupid enough to be tricked by photographs of an 80 year olds thighs, I thought the entire Dorra experience was so extremely off putting. I walked out of there, never to come back.

The result of the treatment- My thighs were red for the day, and I felt uncomfortable wearing a dress. By the next morning, I felt my thighs were smoother. But after a couple of days my thighs went back to their original state.

My conclusion- If you sign up with a package you will lose weight because you will be constantly criticized about your appearance by the SA. Standing in front of a mirror being measured in paper undies will constantly remind you that you're still fat fat fat, even though you're healthy.
And once you stop the treatments, you will return to your normal size again.
Be prepared to be subjected to a veryyy lonnnggg winded and completely ridiculous sales pitch!!!

Zen'th

This shop is located in midvalley. From the description of the deal, I had high hopes for the session. I was there for a face shaping facial, without extraction. I was late for the appointment, I wasn't sure of the shops exact location, and I called them to advise that I would be late. I came in, and was told that the facial would be rushed since I was late, but after I told them I had called earlier, the assistant seemed to realize their disorganization, and led me to the lockers, where I placed my things, and was led to the treatment room.

The beautician who did my facial was friendly, and explained the steps she was taking. She was quite thorough with the double cleansing, toning, and shaping treatment. She used the machine to shape one side of my face, then held a mirror up to show me the difference. I couldn't really see any difference, but she insisted there was. I conceded there may be a slight difference, so that she could continue to do the other side of my face. Although the room was dimly lit, and the session should have lulled me into a lovely dream like state, unfortunately, the walls were so thin the constant chatter of the beauticians who were on break could be heard. It was not the most relaxing session. The beautician put a mask on me, and indicated I could 'sleep now', and left the room. She must have joined in the conversation with the other beauticians and forgotten about me, because after about 20 minutes she came running down the hall and into the room. She hurriedly removed my mask, and applied the finishing touches.

Once outside another assistant sat me down for the obligatory sell. It was quite a hard sell, and she presumed I would purchase the package. I asked if I would receive the complimentary travel set as advertised in their promotional deal. However, she replied it was 'too expensive' and was only available when I purchased the package! Ilovediscounts had advertised the travel set as part of the introductory offer. This was misleading advertising, and I was quite disappointed, as it was one of the key selling points of the deal. The rest of the sales pitch became more desperate as she continued to repeat lines and even told me my skin was dry, even though she said it was good when she first consulted with me. As I felt uncomfortable with the experience, I made my exit. Overall I think the ambiance could have been more peaceful as the walls are paper thin, and I think the beauticians are friendly, although they should not leave their customers alone for long in the rooms.

Twinkle Toes

I made the appointment in advance, and headed towards Solaris, Mont Kiara. Familiar territory to us, Solaris is always jam packed with cars that are double parked, even though the parking is only 1RM. (This is probably an expat gripe, as I can't understand why people won't park in the very convenient and safe parking lots. Compared to back home, where parking is nearly $5 an HOUR, this is still a bargain for us.)
The shop is located just across the parking lot/Cold Storage, and I made my way upstairs. It's a small but cosy shop, and there were 2 other patrons getting pedicures done. I was greeted by an assistant, filled in a form, then led to the pedicure chair, where an Indonesian worker began to scrub and polish my feet and legs. I got a quick foot massage, but after going to afew pedicure places, I know the massages are not that great in pedicure salons. The manager asked me if I would like ginger or green tea, and brought me a stack of magazines. I told her I was interested in nail art, although she did not appear to know the prices, so she deferred to the other two chinese workers who were doing the pedicures of the other customers. The manager was quite helpful in recommending nail colours that would complement my fair skin. I took ages to decide on the nail art, and the manager and assistant was very patient. They started preparing my toe nails and finger nails. They were very thorough in cleaning my cuticles, and at first, not harsh. However, after the manager had finished with my toenails, a second assistant began to work on my toenails again, and redid everything the manager had done. The effect of this was that the pedicure took twice as long as it was supposed to. I asked why it was being done again, and the second assistant responded that she was 'double checking'. In the meantime, the lady that had finished my manicure had brought her phone over to play games on it, while the second assistant was talking loudly to her. On top of that the second assistant was very very rough with my feet, and although I flinched with pain on more than one occasion and commented that it hurt, she didn't seem to notice that I was uncomfortable, and did not make it any gentler. On the upside, she was quite good in designing the nail art, but in an obvious rush to finish, as the rest of the workers headed to the back once lunch was brought in.
On a final note, I had worn half closed sandals, and had expected them to be able to wrap my toes in cling film as had happened at a very reputable and expensive salon I had previously visited. At Twinkle, they pushed me to purchase RM10 slippers, and I was told by the rough second assistant that the cling film was 'unprofessional'. I told them I would see whether I needed them after the session. In the end I was able to wear my own sandals home, after all, my nails had already been drying for a while.
Overall, the effect of the manicure and pedicure was good, and very thorough. I really love the color the manager chose for me. However, on the customer service side, the worker who did my toenails was quite rough. I think the manager realized the fault of the worker, and that I didn't enjoy the session 100%, and did not try to sell me the package, but mentioned it in passing, which I appreciated. At the end, she was lovely, and checked that the nails were not being smudged as I left.

True Harmony

My appointment was located in Sunway Giza. Being an expat, I was anxious about driving to a place I've never been to, but given directions by my hubby, I felt brave enough to take on the challenge. Sunway Giza is relatively easy to spot, being the new development after the Curve. Parking was relatively easy inside Sunway, but as usual there was double parking all around the Centre. Guess if you work around there you can't afford to fork out money for the parking everyday.
It's not easy to find the shop, as its located outside the general centre, near the bank. You have to walk along the shoplots (empty), until you come across a door. Luckily there was a bunting that advertised the salon was on the 3rd level. After taking the lift up, the shop takes up the entire floor. Upon entering it was a little reminiscent of a garden setting, with fake green grass and a iron case table setting. I was asked to fill in standard forms, and then after waiting a couple of minutes, I was brought across the floor to what looked like foot baths. I was directed to sit on the bench and dangle my legs into the 'sink' below. It looked like there was a giant teabag in the sink. The water was quite hot. I was left there to sit for 10 minutes, while a stack of magazines was placed by my side. After 10 minutes or so, I was asked to dry my feet off with a towel. So ended the 'foot bath'.
Luckily, the steam bath was a little more invigorating. The beautician was quite friendly and conversational and asked if i had drunk some water, before leading me to the steam baths. The 'bath' is actually a steam room, or sauna, where I was led to sit in for 15 minutes, and given a towel for my face. The towel was a welcome relief because the sauna was so so hot, but i felt the steam was good for my pores, and I was sweating alot.
After the sauna, I was directed to rest for afew mintues, before the beautician re entered and led me back to the room, where a plastic sheet had been laid down for the body scrub. The scrub was thorough, and the amount of pressure was just right. I laid on my front, then was instructed to turn onto my back, and I had a towel to cover my chest, and had been given paper panties to wear. After that I hopped into the shower (which straddles two adjoining rooms) and washed off the oils and salt.
Then I came back into the room and it had been cleaned and new towels set for the massage. During the massage, that started on my back, we engaged in polite conversation, and I learned the beautician was 31 years old. It appeared she was quite experienced. However, the massage was not hard enough on my back as I prefer a stronger touch.
After what felt like quite a long time (30 minutes scrub, 30 minutes massage), the session finished. I was actually very relaxed and in a very cheerful mood. I changed and came out to the reception and the manager looked up and realized I was wondering what to do next, as no one was attending to me. At this point I was tempted to say, 'ok, thanks, bye!'. Of course, I knew that what came next would be the package selling. So I reluctantly and obliging sat down, as I was in such a good mood I knew I would buy something. Luckily, I talked myself of buying the package option, and opted to purchase a body scrub (even though it was very expensive), that later turned out to be quite nice to use.
Overall, I would come back for the body scrub if they have promotions next time.

Kacel review

I made an appointment in the morning for the stem cell treatment facial, and they managed to accomodate me that afternoon.
As usual, I drove to the appointment, located in the Northpoint building near Midvalley. When i arrived at the carpark, it was full, as could be expected in the afternoon. Also, they had blocked parking to lower floors so there was only one small level available to park on, and I ended up being directed back up to the exit. Luckily, there was valet parking and a spot free, so i left the car, and headed up to the office tower. It's a little bit difficult to find, as its in the office tower, and to get to the suite, you need to take a lift up.
After arriving at the suite, I was greeted by a young and friendly beautician. Turns out this girl would be doing my facial. I got a really good impression of the suite, it was clean, beige without being too clinical, and the manager greeted me with a very sincere hello.
I was taken to a double room and it was lovely and spacious. Again, it looked very clean with white and pink towels on the beds. After changing I lay on the bed, and the young beautician came in and asked if i was wearing any makeup. She took great care and diligence in removing my makeup from my lips and eyes, even commenting that the lip gloss colour I was wearing was 'beautiful'. I was surprised that I was never asked to fill in a form, or given the dreaded 'package' speech before the actual facial begun. The young beautician was very friendly, and I learnt she was only 20!, but she was very enthusiastic about working, and during the facial it became clear she had lots of energy, and was very suited to being a beautician, as she was very thorough in her work. She probably took 20 minutes to squeeze out every single one of my blackheads and whiteheads! 
But alas, as I later realised after I had left, she had forgotten to give me the infrared 15 minute treatment! Apart from that, the whole session was very well done. She was courteous and let me know what she was about to do, e.g. put on the peeling mask etc, that may itch, and ask if the facial massage was ok, which was the right amount of conversation.
After the session, I was taken out to the seating area, where the manager commenced with package discussion and after a couple of attempts to sell me a treatment I had not tried at the outlet, I told her I would not really be interested, and she graciously didn't press on after that, and still had a warm smile on when i left. Overall I think the level of service is warm and sincere. The treatments are thorough and effective, although, the infrared part was forgotten, I would still consider going back there.