I was in Penang for the past week & a half, working for my mom. I was helping her with her clinic. I was a mash of Personal Assistant, Clinic Nurse, Houseman, Clinical Auditor and Professional organizer and man, was I busy. I enjoyed it, mainly because i could do it and i thought it interesting. The best part of being in Penang, as my mum's daughter cum work partner was the treats : massages, a pedicure, a facial, facial products & aromatherapy essential oil. Wow. I could never afford all that by myself; especially not all in one week!
Pedicures
My first and favourite pedicure is at Sally Hansen, Gurney Plaza. With products like Sally Hansen, you can't go wrong. They are like the L'oreal of nailcare. Not to mention their prices are fair and the treatment is worth it, unlike some other places i've been. My toesies look so clean afterwards! After my first time, i actually stood there with my friend right in frony of the shop and admired our feet. Down side? they only have brances in Penang....aint that weird? I'd thought a branded label will have a HQ in KL.
Facial
It was my first facial with Dermalogica or Aster Apring (formerly known as Leonard Drake....don't know why they changed the name). The facial was fine; not that i really knew what to expect...i've has spa facials before and it feels similar. Later they promote their products and mum got me a basic set : cleanser, toner, moisturiser,mask. I admit, i was a bit skeptical. I'm the type who believes that sometimes branded things are just overpriced & 'buying the brand' when drugstore products can do the same job just fine. But since mum bought them for me anyway regardless of what i have to say, of course i had to use it...they're expensive!!!
Lo and behold, slowly i was falling in love with the smoothness & mildness of the cleanser....really living up to its name, Ultra-calming Cleanser. I'm not much a toner fan, so i'll just say it's fine....it's spray on and dries rather quick, which is a good thing. The moisturiser's pretty good, finally one i can use during the day without turning into a frying pan by midday. Havne't tried the mask, but i know i like the facial scrub they used on me during the facial...might ask mum to get it for me if there is a next time. Like i said, i can never afford all this by myself.
Aromatherapy
Yeah, you may say you can get cheap oils anywhere but there is this shop in Guyrney Plaza that seels pure essential oils, including the more exotic ones like frankinescence, juniper, geranium, saldalwood (you get the idea). Each oil has a different price. Sometimes even the same scent has different prices because of where it came from. So i believe this shop is legit. I've bought peppermint & lemongrass fron this shop, but this time i bought a pre-mixed concoction called Anxiety. Smells divine, but i havent tried it on my burner though. Shouldn't be that much of diff. The key to starting a collection of essential oils is this : get 1 that relaxes you (me=lavender or bergamot), 1 citrus smell to perk you up (i had grapefruit, but it was too mild...i think i'll go for lemon or lime), 1 fresh scent (like peppermint or tea tree) which is fantastic after you've done cleaning your room, and if u need it, get 1 for 'mood' setting, something musky like rose or sandalwood for that warm feeling. Most pre-mixed oils cater around these functions anyway, and they tend to be more expensive. Some common scents you can get the cheaper version elsewhere, so plan your spending!
Massage
massages are a guilty pleasure of mine. i prefer massages that are 'merciless' that aim to loosen tight spots but hurt like hell wheres my mum prefers the light and relaxing kind. so i may find one masseuse to be great n my mum will find her rough. but one thing we bothe agree on is that if u wanna go for a foot reflexology massage, look for a chinese shop especially the ones with workers from China. they really know their stuff. i think for massage alone i have to do a whole separate entry, when and if i'm up for it.
So that's it. My luxurious yet incredibly busy week in Penang. Looking forward for more satisfying experiences as such. Bye-bye!
