St. Gregory Spa At The Marina Mandarin Hotel is one of Singapore's iconic sanctuaries.

 
Located in the Marina District, the Marina Mandarin is one of Singapore's iconic hotels, an elegant property with modern Asian touches. Conveniently located, the hotel is also within striking distance of all of the city's major attractions and shopping, including Orchard Road, Chinatown, Little India, Arab Town, Sentosa Island, Clarke Quay and Jurong Bird Park to name a few.

Although the first thing you may notice upon entering the hotel is its impressive 21-story atrium, and the live birds chirping away in cages, Marina Mandarin is also home to a lavish spa facility called St. Gregory. Tucked away discretely on level 5, it boasts seven treatment rooms and a full list of spa services.

There's also a signature 25-metre mineral water pool in the hotel. One of the first of its kind in Singapore, it has a patented system infusing the water with minute amounts of silver, copper and zinc for good health, also minimising the risk of sore eyes, dry skin or bleached hair for users of the pool.

The Decor:

As soon as you walk in the door the welcome is quiet, warm and friendly, putting you into a relaxed state if you are not already there! Overall the decor is modern and elegant, if nothing unusual in the world of spa today; warm dark wood, plush fabrics and relaxing gold and cream hues with a splash of Asian flair. The facility is relatively small for a large hotel, but the treatment rooms are spacious and the locker rooms well equipped and pleasant.

The Treatments:

This spa is an Elemis devotee, and the menu combines its range of facial and body treatments, with signature St. Gregory facials. The treatment I opted for, however, was a traditional Chinese Therapy Massage called Tui Na, with a highly experienced therapist called Mae.

Tui Na means "push" and "pull" in Mandarin, and is an ancient Chinese therapy combining both massage and acupressure. Using a range of vigorous and penetrating techniques such as squeezing, pushing, pulling and kneading, the massage stimulates key pressure points, unlocks and enhances the flow of the body's vital energy, Qi, and both restores balance and relieves tension.

The treatment used lavender oil, and began with Mae asking me about the room temperature and the level of background music - both were changed to my liking. Then the massage began, starting with stretching and pressing of the muscles through a cover, combined with breathing. Then the muscles were warmed up using long, vigourous, shiatsu-style strokes, followed by the acupressure element which involved squeezing and pressure on specific meridian points.

Tui Na is one of St. Gregory's signature treatments, and is more therapeutic rather than relaxing. It's perfect if you have any tension or issues with your back, or as I had, too many knots from sitting on airplanes!

The Verdict:

This is a lovely spa should be on your list to visit whether you are staying at the hotel or not. And if you are looking for a effective massage which takes you beyond the relaxation state, this is one well worth considering.

We're here to offer you holiday competitions and other free stuff to win as the only competition magazine in Australia. Our free competitions will also feature as Facebook competitions and we'll also provide you with travel guides and travel advice as a hotel advisor and we'll be reviewing spa day packages, food and gourmet reviews, reviews of cruises and check out spa day hotels. Keep checking back for our regular travel reviews for first-hand accounts and photography from some great destinations, hotels, cruises and airlines, along with our reviews on must-have travel accessories.