LASEMA Spa - The Women's Wet Area

House Rule #3: You have to be NAKED when dipping in any of the pools.

The women's wet sauna is located across the locker area. That is why, it is nothing but normal to see these women naked while roaming in the lounge.

House Rule #4: Please take a shower before dipping in the pools.

If you are 'shy' but wanted to try these facility, I suggest you go there at the wee hours - when everybody else is sleeping!  I went there at 4 AM and had the whole area to myself.  Just make sure that your chosen time will not coincide with the cleaning time.

The shower room is equipped with shampoo and body wash but it is still best to bring your own.

The open shower area

Those who would avail of their body scrub service will be treated here.

There are three pools in the spa - Green Tea pool, Ginseng pool and the cold water pool.  When I went there, only the Ginseng pool is available.  So bad. The other two are being cleaned.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed the 40 something degrees celsius of the pool.

I was able to try the Green Tea pool and cold water pool after the cleaning time.  Well, She, Jane and I definitely enjoyed swimming/relaxing there together.

Green Tea pool @ 42 deg.cel.

Ginseng pool @ 44 deg.cel.

Cold pool @ 28 deg.cel.

I was also able to try the wet sauna @ 45 deg.cel.  Hmmmm. It was soooo sulit!

Back To: The Women's Lounge

Up Next: The Jjim Jil Bang

LASEMA Spa - The Women's Lounge

House Rule #1: Shoes are not allowed inside.  You have to walk barefoot.

Upon entering the lounge, you will be greeted by the locker area (and some naked women).  You will find here the water dispenser, weighing scale, the sink, and some toiletries.  They are of course, free of charge.  However, it would still be best to bring your own.  :)

The Locker Area

The water dispenser and the big vanity mirrors :)

The weighing scale and the bulletin board for some spa announcements.
Seen on the rightmost part of the picture is the entrance to the wet area.

The toiletries.  We never bothered using any of them due to personal hygiene reasons.

House Rule #2: Since this area is just beside the wet area, picture-taking is not allowed when there are other spa-goers as it is mandatory to be naked at the wet area.

Back To: Our Arrival
Up Next:  The Women's Wet Area

LASEMA Spa - Upon Arrival

We arrived at LASEMA spa just in time for our reservation - 10pm.  There were other customers when we got there - some were paying the full price while others have the Ensogo vouchers just like us. 

Note: If you are using an Ensogo voucher, make sure to have a reservation.  From what I heard, they may accept walk-ins but the total number of voucher holders that may be accommodated in a day is only 50.  So might as well, have the reservation.  Anyway, reserving is just one call away. :)

The spa is located inside Makati Golf Club and the building is not really that inviting.  Although the entrance and the hallway going inside the spa are (see pictures below: Reception Area). 

The signage pointing to LASEMA but oh please! Don't you think that it's too high?



Upon registration, we were give a pair of pink t-shirt and pink shorts (the official outfit inside the spa).  A wriststrap was also provided that comes with the locker key.  You have to use the wriststrap for all transactions inside the spa which will then be billed upon your check out.

We were also asked to select our massage so they could reserve us a slot.  I and She opted for the shiatsu and swedish combination while Jane chose deep tissue massage.

Up Next:  Take a Peek of the Women's Lounge

Intramuros: The Fort Santiago Today

Fort Santiago is one of the oldest Spanish stone fortresses in the country.  During the 16th century, it serves as a military defense structure.  It is also home to Jose Rizal's prison cell before he was executed.

Today, aside from being a popular tourist destination in Manila, Fort Santiago is also a popular venue for birthdays, weddings, pictorials and other social gatherings.

In early 2007, me and kiboy (who would later become my husband) went there for the 'historical' feel of it.  

The tickets during our 2007 visit

Little did we know that almost five years later, we would be back on its grounds for our pre-nuptial photo session.

 

With the reconstructed gate of Fort Santiago

During our last visit (that's almost a year and a half ago) the entrance fee is 75.00 and the discounted fee for students is 50.00.  The fort is open from 8am to 6pm daily.

Bohol-Cebu Trip: The Planning

Again, this is Ressie's and She's idea. :) And I oh soooo love it!

That is why, when they asked me if I wanted to join them, without any hesitation I said YES! Finally, I will be able to cross those places out of my long (and I mean very looooooong) list of places I wish to visit.

Tip #1: Set your budget and save for it.

In our case, the estimated maximum budget for the entire trip (two days and 1 night) is 8,000 each.  That is inclusive of airfare, ferry fare (from Tagbilaran to Cebu), Bohol countryside tour, accommodation, dophin watching, island hopping, food, cebu and mactan tour (that's going to be more of sight-seeing for the history addict <3 ), terminal fees etc.  The only exclusion is pasalubong.

So we'll not create so much damage on our monthly budget (especially for the months of November and December) we decided to set up a 'Travel Fund'.  Each of us would give 200 each payday from June until November.  It's not so big but it will surely help.

Tip #2: Book your flight as early as possible so you could catch those amazing seat promos.

Our flight for this trip was booked on June 1 but guess what, our trip is still on November 30.   We only paid around 2,600 each for the airplane fare.  The only exclusion to that amount is the terminal fee which is to be paid at the terminal prior departure.
 

Air Asia Rate

Tip #3: Choose your accommodation wisely.

Since we will be out touring Bohol the entire day and will only need a room to sleep and get some rest, we're not going to choose the expensive ones.

And hey! Did I mention, we are expecting some loose change? Seriously.

Excited for the Sparty with the Girls

It started with a simple kwentuhan with Ressie and She about spas - saunas and massages.  The original plan is to go to Ace Waterspa since they offer a discounted rate via Metrodeal.  However, the location/branch was not so appealing since it's in Pasig.  As a result, we searched for other discounted spa deals and ended up at Ensogo - now Livingsocial. 

We stumbled upon Lasema Spa located in Makati City inside Makati Golf Club.  Although the deal is a little expensive compared to that of Ace Waterspa, we fell in love with it immediately. 

Buying the vouchers was not done right at that moment since we decided to invite other officemates but in the end, it is still me, Ressie, Ken (Ressie's boyfriend) , She and her sister.  But nonetheless, we're still hoping for an ultimate relaxation and nth level of bonding.

VOUCHERS PAID!
We opted to pay via 7-connect but unfortunately, during that time, I think their system is down.  So we ended up paying using a credit card the next day.

BOOKED finally.
Late that night, we called Lasema to book our preferred date and time.

EXCITED much.
And yes, we are VERY EXCITED! We will definitely try that - - - what is it again? an Igloo?

Update: Our Arrival at Lasema Spa.