My Wensha Spabulous Night

News of a cheap spa in Pasay broke like wildfire in our office and googling about it, I learned that:
1. For 580 pesos, I can get a one-hour body massage (That sounded great to me, having had only two massages before–one that cost 700 at Sonya’s Garden, and one that cost 500 but left me wincing in pain the whole time I was being massaged.)

2. I can use the spa’s jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, and pool, which I have never tried before in my life (with the exception of the pool of course.)

3. I can avail of an eat-all-you-can buffet or shabu-shabu meal (This has got to be too good to be true.)

4. I can sleep after the massage and stay in the spa for up to eight hours.

I was like, what?Is there such a place?I called up Wensha at 832-0515 just to make sure all the people who have been there ang blogged about it did not lie to con people like me, and the person I talked with said, yes, it is all true.

Together with three friends Shengka, Leizl, and Ate Kay, I went to Wensha Spa at the CCP area, in front of The World Trade Center and just next to where the old Boom na Boom place stood. I was suprised with how big it was from the outside.

As the cab stopped in front of the spa, a guard immediately opened both cab doors for me and my friends and I was immediately impressed with the service. At the lobby, a girl asked for what service we wanted and gave us four red bracelets with a round metal thingy that would open our digitized lockers.

When I turned around, a guy in uniform pointed to four pink flip-flops and asked us to put them on. He took our shoes, asked for our numbers (the numbers on our bracelets, so he would know where to keep our shoes) and led us to the ladies locker room. So, I was more impressed.

In the locker room an attendant asked us our numbers and pointed to our respective lockers. She handed each of us a towel and a robe.I noticed the hair dryers mounted on one side, where there’s a big mirror. There were also bottles of baby powder, hair gel, and other things that quests can use for free.

Several people were getting dressed, clearly about to go home. I was quite amused how the foreigners uncaringly strip off their clothes (it was a ladies’ locker room anyway) and how the Filipinas struggle to remove and put on fresh underwear while wearing a towel. Most of us are still very quesy about people seeing our bodies.

We entered the ladies’ wet floor area and took a shower in the many cubicles lined up on the sides. In the middle was the jacuzzi and on the opposite wall a huge LCD screen was showing some kind of program that I didn’t bother to look at. As I entered the shower stall, I was glad to see a bottle of shampoo and body wash readily available. Only, when I closed the door, eeek-there was no lock.

The showers really didn’t have any locks so I decided to transfer to another stall which was next to one of my friends. Leizl was also out of her stall, and quickly asked me “Walang lock yung iyo?” There we were again, being paranoid about others seeing our naked bodies, while some Koreans freely roam around wearing nothing.

After our shower, we entered the steam room, and I was very pleased with the wonderful minty smell of the room.Then, we transferred to the Sauna Room next door. It turned our to be too hot for Leizl and Ate Kay, so they stayed out. Shengka and I stayed for about ten minutes, and enjoyed being soaked in sweat.
Our next stop was was the jacuzzi. We all had a little bit of trouble getting in the water, because we all didn’t want to expose our bodies. On one side they all sat and enjoyed the water, but I couldn’t even put my feet in! It was too hot for me. I went to another area of the jacuzzi where the water was only warm.

We went to the dining room next, and was quite disappointed with the food we saw. For their shabu-shabu, Wensha served some cabbage and pechay, sweet corn, tofu cubes, fish balls, glass noodles, chayote fruit, and little bits of chicken. The problem with us is because we went there hungry. If we weren’t, the food would’ve been just fine. Another thing is that Leizl doesn’t eat veggies.

We collected out ingredients and put them in our hot pot. The act of cooking is what made the experience enjoyable. And you know what, our soup turned out be delicious!

After a little rest, we got our massage. We were led to a dark hallway with rooms on each side. The rooms have glass doors so you can see other people getting massages inside. Here I encountered another problem:It was too cold !As I took of my robe I felt the hairs on my back stand.

The girl who massaged me did a pretty good job. I didn’t wince in pain, and enjoyed the whole experience. I even forgot I was cold, Only, halfway through my massage, I had to pee! I had too much shabu-shabu broth.

After the massage, we were asked to sign a tip form, and feeling very sleepy and satisfied, I did it gladly. The attendants left us to sleep, and I was able to really relax that night.

My body clock woke me up at 15 minutes to six am, and I woke the others too. When morning came, that was the time I started getting “unrelaxed” again. Why? I didn’t have my toothbrush. Leizl and Shengka had the mind to bring theirs, knowing we would stay overnight, but I totally forgot about it.

I was already dressed and was feeling poopy and uneasy when, lo and behold, in the ladies’ locker room, there was a sink, and next to it, a big bowl of free toothbrushes! My prayers were answered!

They were not Oral B, of course, just the cheap mass produced type whose handles easily bend, but hey, I was very happy with them. There was also a big tube of toothpaste lying near the sink for everybody to use.

For 580, I couldn’t believe I had all of that. And I will definitely come back.

Wensha Spa is open 24 hours a day. They offer free buffet-style meals MWF, and Shabu-shabu on Tuesdays,Thursdays,and Saturdays. They offer other kinds of massages other than the 580-peso wensha massage, as well as body scrubs and facial treatments.