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Bali Itinerary Overview (2015). p.s. Read about our post of how to get a Taxi at Denpasar airport without being cheated – learn from our mistake!

Massage

It’s our first time at Seminyak, and we only have the itinerary to eat, shop and massage. Basically a time for us to just relax and chillax. On our second day there, we went to Carla Spa based on a recommendation online. It is one of the many massage places in Seminyak with dirt cheap prices! But many of them are not as busy as Carla Spa.

Carla Spa (Budget)

Website: www.carlaspabali.com
Opening Hours: Daily from 9am to 11pm
Location: They have a few locations. We went to the outlet nearest to our hotel. It is just across the road from Seminyak Square (Jalan Kayu Aya, Kuta Utara, Badung).

Our Package:

1^st day: Massage Package A for RP 170,000 pp. This package includes full body massage, manicure, pedicure (both without nail polish) and facial. I changed my facial in the package to French Nail Polish and TL changed his facial to feet scrub.

2^nd Day: Head and Shoulder massage RP 7,000 pp

Services: Other than massages, they seem to do everything else you can think of in a beauty salon. For the 2 consecutive days that we were there, we saw people doing all sorts of stuff with Carla Spa – manicure, pedicure, ear candling, fish spa (where little fishes nibble away your feet’s dead skin), haircut, hair braid, hair dye, facial, etc. All of the staff are all-rounders, each of them can handle all of these services, no kidding.

Verdict: Full body massage was good for that cheap price we paid. Hence, we made an appointment to do a head and shoulder massage for the next morning, just before we left Seminyak for Uluwatu. But it turns out to be quite disappointing. The staff can multitask and handle all the available services, but they are jacks of all trades and master of none. They can do everything but at mediocre standards. The head and shoulder massage was not good enough and my nail polish started peeling the very same night and badly peeled within 3 days? Worst of all, after 2 days of observation, we realised that they are unhygienic.

Massaging your face after massaging your feet without washing their hands first, and the cloth they used to wipe you clean looks dubious, and they seemed to use only one type of lotion for both your body and face. And I reckon facial for them just meant massaging of face. Oh one more thing, a ear candle nearly fell on a customer’s face! WHAT?! Thank God the staff caught the fumbling candle in time. I think if I am back at Seminyak for massage the next time, I will pay a little more for Bodyworks (see the following).

Bodyworks (Mid-Range)

This spa is actually just opposite our hotel, Sense hotel, but with so many cheap options around, we didn’t consider this relatively expensive place. It is even more expensive than our hotel spa’s massage service. But come to think of it, the prices at Bodyworks is comparable to Singapore’s promotional prices for a massage.

Be sure to book in advance, Bodyworks is a very popular place. After trying Carla Spa, the better one among the dirt cheap massage places, I decided I should probably pay more for hygiene, comfort and good massage. You get what you pay for.

Prices: Rp260,000 for a 1 hour full body massage.
Opening Hours: Daily from 9am to 10pm
Website: www.bodyworksbali.com

Spa en Provence by L’occitane (Luxurious)

We walked past this massage place by L’occitane, famous for its lotion and other skin care products! Woah, it must be pampering to do your massage here. If money is no issue to you, you can book your massage at their website.

Prices:  Their 1 hour full body massage starts from US$70++.
Opening Hours: Daily from 10am to 10pm

UPDATE: The Seminyak outlet has since shut down. However, you can still visit Spa by L’occitane at Jimbaran or Ubud.

Shopping

Hipster Shops

Seminyak is a hipster district, and not a place to get cheap clothing. Very commercialised and a tourist wonderland. With rows of shops selling nice but expensive beachwear and interesting knickknacks, the place feels more like Australia’s Bondi beach than the authentic Bali. It didn’t help that during the off-peak season when we were there, there are hardly any Asians around. We saw more of the real Bali on our taxi ride from Sense Hotel at Seminyak to Uluwatu. At least, I saw more Indonesians living their everyday lives than Caucasian tourists walking around.

Flea market

I stumbled upon a flea market in a obscure place, and thought I can finally get some reasonably priced clothing. But guess my budget was not big enough for Bali. Here was when I found out that flea market in Asia does not necessarily mean cheap clothing. I was expecting clothes to be sold at Bangkok market price, but nope, even the flea market in Seminyak is expensive! The place was eerily quiet with fewer than 5 customers walking around. The shop owners look uninterested and bored too. Not worth making a trip down, unless you are going to one of the restaurants nearby. Go early if you must, think the shops close about 9pm.

Seminyak Square

Nothing spectacular. Period.

Seminyak has a lot more to offer when it comes to eating. Can’t wait for my next post on it!

Photo Credits:
1/ Carla Spa Source
2/ L’occitane Spa Source: hellobalimagazine.com

Travels During January 2015