The Spa Indulgencia

The Spa Indulgencia
Lower 2nd Floor
St. Francis Square Mall
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong

Note:  Despite the Similarities in the logo of The Spa and The Spa Indulgencia, do not be deceived, they are not related.

How to get there:

From EDSA north bound, a few meters right after SM Megamall, turn right between Asian Development Bank and St. Pedro Poveda College.  Turn right to ADB Avenue.  Turn Right to Doña Julia Vargas St. St. Francis Square Mall will be on your right.

First Impression:


The place looked homey and appeared like a real spa despite being at the second floor of a "greenhills" like mall.

Photo Reference

The lounge chairs are for the Indulgencia Classic Nail Treatment.

Photo Reference

These are the massage beds, it turns out these are 2 of the 3 (or maybe 4?) massage beds in The Spa Indulgencia, from what we've seen.  And these two beds are in one room and separated only by a curtain.

Note:  We were informed that The Spa Indugencia does not have its own restroom and no shower room.  We were already wondering whether buying the Php500 coupon from Ensogo for the Php1,000 service worth it at this point...

Services offered and estimated costs:

Photo Reference

The Spa Indulgencia offers basic spa and massage services. 

What we had:

As noted above we are redeeming our Ensogo Coupon for 1 and 1/2 half Hour Massage and Body Scrub.  But since they offered basic nail services, we also tried their Manicure & Pedicure Combo.

The Spa Indulgencia Ensogo Coupon

Manicure & Pedicure Combo (Php230) - We knew we had a problem when the "manicuristas" were borrowing each others nippers.  Apparently they were missing some equipment.  We had to say that our initial impression was immediately crushed by this incident.  They could have informed us about the situation and we could have simply cancelled our requested service.

We were quite surprised when we were charged Php245 for this service, it turns out we charge 1 Manicure (Php100) and 1 Pedicure (Php145) each and not the combo price of the service we requested, which was weird specially when we specifically requested for the Combo service.

1 and 1/2 Hour Massage and Body Scrub (Php1,000) - The massage was good.  We do not really know why we were caught between disappointment and pleasure at this point until we remembered that were not having basic massages but we had body scrubs coming up.  It was also quite disturbing that the attendants who had no clients to attend to were very noisy.  And despite the god massage, we were not relaxed at all.

The Body Scrub was weird.  We were scrubbed in the same bed we had our massage.  Remember we said earlier that they had no shower room and restroom?  This is where it all matters now.  After the srcub, we were the therapist washed away the "scrubs" by pouring water from a pail beside the massage beds...  We knew then that this was an experience we will never forget and wouldn't want to have again.

If you still want to try their services after what we said, you can get discounts by availing of group purchases from sites such as Ensogo and Groupon if they are still available.

Conclusion:

2: We recommend you try other spas and salons for the same services offered.  The massage was good and that is the only reason why we did not make this into a 1 experience.  We had a terrible body scrub experience and didn't feel that all the dirt from the scrubbing was washed away.   The "manicuristas" sharing the nipper while working on their clients was a big downer.  On top of that, we felt like it could have been done better.  But if you're getting a basic massage, the masseuse in The Spa Indulgencia could be worth your while and it could be a 4 leaning to a 5 if you are able to avail of their promo prices, otherwise it would be a 4 leaning to a 3  for the regular prices.  We still think that Php275 for a 30-minute massage given the facilities is a little steep.

If you have comments or recommendations, please don't hesitate to drop us a line on the comments page.

If you are looking for a Healing Spa Basket for yourself or for purposes of a gift you might want to check this product from Amazon.com

LEMONGRASS asian bistro

LEMONGRASS 
asian bistro
Ground Floor, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City

Note: There is also a LEMONGRASS "asian bistro" in the US but according to the wait staff they are not connected.  We were informed that there are other branches in Cebu, Davao and SM Megamall.  Since they have very similar logos, see here, and food offered made us wonder if the staff was just misinformed.  But then again, we were just there for the food!

How to get there:


Shangri-la Plaza Mall is at the corner of EDSA and Shaw Blvd.

If you are going North along EDSA, turn right to Gourmet Drive right after the Shaw Blvd.

If you are going South along EDSA, turn right after Star MAll (Shaw Blvd.), take a U-turn under the flyover, turn left to EDSA, turn right to Gourmet Drive first street after Shaw Blvd.

First impression:


It gives an impression of class, as if the restaurant is out of place somehow but the place looks cozy and some tables have lounge chairs and sofas.

Cuisine:


LEMONGRASS serves a mixture of the various Asian Cuisines.   More on the Korean, Thai and Japanese side from the dishes we've sampled.

What we had:

Togarashi Spicy Tuna Roll

Togarashi Spicy Tuna Roll

For starters, we ordered Japanese, Togarashi Spicy Tuna Roll (Php195) since we love sushi, sashimi and maki, we thought this would be a great appetizer.  It was a pleasant surprise to find this king of maki in a fusion restaurant. However, we all wondered where the spicy tuna went... we tasted neither tuna nor spice... still it was a great dish to start us off.

Tom Yum Goong Prawn Soup

Tom Yum Goon Prawn Soup

For soup we had Thai, Tom Yum Goong Prawn Soup (Php245).  The soup is mildly hot, just enough for our taste so we enjoyed it.  The prawns looked like shrimps both in the size and appearance but we have to say, this is one of the better Tom Yum's we've tried in the Philippines.

Lemongrass Tea

We tried their Lemongrass Tea (Php105).  What we got was far from what we expected, we were divided on this one.  We all expected some sort of Iced concoction, we were surprised to find out the beverage was a cocktail of different fruits (lemon, aloe and dragon-fruit) with a hint of lemongrass, or as some of us would argue lemongrass boiled in water with fruit bits.

Milk Tea with Black Pearl

It was good thing, we also tried their Milk Tea with Black Pearl (Php125), which washed away the lemongrass taste from our mouths after sipping the Lemongrass tea.  The Milk Tea is what you'd expect it to be, it's good to get something ordinary once in a while.

LEMONGRASS Baby Back Ribs BBQ

The LEMONGRASS Baby Back Ribs BBQ with Rice (Php295) we had was a bit perplexing.  The Baby Back Ribs were soft and the texture was good, but it appears to have been boiled and looked more liked Adobong Baby Back Ribs than a BBQ!  The taste was not bad, but nevertheless, it was one of the more disappointing dished we had this night.

Homestyle Korean Beef Ribs With Steamed Rice - Serving

Homestyle Korean Beef Ribs - Dish

The Homestyle Korean Beef Ribs with Steamed Rice (Php280) was good.   The way it was served with the pot and candle was a great touch but the dish itself falls short of the presentation.  This dish is a little sweet but chili (siling labuyo) is included for those who want a spicier version.

Thai Shrimp Paste Rice Pork

Thai Shrimp Paste Rice Pork

We also tried the Thai Shrimp Paste Pork (Php230). What sets apart from the usual Bagoong Fried Rice we usually have in Thai restaurants is the added peanut bits.  It adds a unique taste to this classic Thai dish.

Mango Crepe Topped Ice Cream

For dessert, we tried their  Mango Crepe Topped Ice Cream (Php145).  The presentation was good, though neither the ice cream nor the mango crepe was topped by the other...  The ice cream is vanilla flavored with chocolate syrup.  The crepe appeared to have pandan mixed into it which gives off it a faint green color and the exotic smell.   The crepe in itself was not that good as it tasted and a had texture more closely resembling pancakes instead of crepes.

Estimated cost:


For a good sample of the dishes served in LEMONGRASS, a budget of Php300-500 should be adequate.

Note: Plus Service Charge. Prices are inclusive of 12% VAT.  

Conclusion:


4 - 5: We see the potential of LEMONGRASS. Unfortunately, we had some disappointing dishes.    We would say it is between 4 - 5.  We remain undecided, but are leaning towards it could be worth your while at the very least.

Lemongrass