Review: Saging Repablik

I don't know about you but I enjoyed my time at Saging Repablik (partly because it was a treat by my boyfriend's parents, -thanks!-). Initially, I thought it would be like Kasagingan along Torres Street (which is closed now by the way huhu).  

I love the modern- ish feel of the place. It's kind of like a mix of country and urban/modern/minimalist ambience.

monobloc chairs? I'm not sure about this.

When I scanned the place, the first thing that caught my eye is their souvenir shop. It's cool that they incorporated their merchandise in their cafe. They have shirts, bags, and mugs. The items' prices range Php 300. 00+

We found ourselves a table and the waiter handed us the menu. It was quite strange that we had to be seated, check the menu and go to the counter to place our orders. 

Here's their menu and prices:

I hope these are recycled because this will be a huge plus :)

I found their choice of utensils quirky and amusing. One thing's for sure: it's definitely something out of the box.

We ordered the banana cake, banana chips, turon, pasta ala cubana beef and chicken lollipops

The banana cake. It's light and fluffy, unlike the banana cake that's dense. Perhaps they can improve on the presentation? 

The banana chips. You would expect it to be sweet, like the ones you're used to. They are actually quite salty, like junk food. But the salty seasoning is not grainy. The texture of the salt is quite soft. I'd take this over junk food any day.

Pasta Ala Cubana Beef. First, the bread pieces are big so it makes you full. This has raisins so the last bite is a surprise of sweetness :)

Turon. You get three for Php 85. 00. Kind of pricey. The sauce thing is condensed milk and cheese.

Chicken lollipops. Here you have the chicken lollipops and bite- size banana pops. Quite an interesting combination.

More than anything else, I enjoyed the ambience of the place. The service was quite good, the waiter was quick and cheery.

My rating:

Ambience: 4 out 5. It's clean, spacious, quirky, and some of the stuff are upcycled (I hope)

Food: 3.8 out of 5: They can still improve more on their menu.

Price: 3 out 5: I have heard a lot of comments that this place is pricey. Maybe because for bananas they did not expect to pay Php 80. 00 +

You can find Saging Repablik at V. Mapa Street Davao City.

Review: Basic Kneads Massage and Wellness

After a long day of training and my boyfriend just had a rough time at school, we both scheduled a much needed massage treat. I opted to try a new massage salon but we found ourselves back in Basic Kneads.

My experience

It's our second time here and as always their services are good. 

Basic Kneads keeps track of their loyal patrons- what services they usually subscribe to or what other preference they usually choose (oils, massage pressure etc).


It was also here in Basic Kneads that I fell asleep because the massage was gooood :). The therapist was also quick to respond to my uncomfy reklamos.

After the massage, this little set of green tea awaited us. It's not just a tea set served on a tray but they also added little details like flowers and candles. These little details really make a difference, and add to a more pleasant experience.

These are some of the oils you can choose from that the therapist will use. I noticed that every time she finished massaging an area of my body she sprays it (with water, I think) and wipes it off to remove the sticky- icky feeling of the oil.

After the massage, the front desk lady asked us to rate our massage experience on a scale from 1-10. I gave a rating of 9 because I felt relaxed afterwards. My boyfriend gave a 7. He said that the male therapist was too rough. Haha! Anyway, I appreciated the effort that they constantly seek their customer's feedback so they can improve on their services. 

 

Thumbs up:

• Great service!
• Constant customer feedback
• Free tea! (and candy!- I'm a sucker for freebies)

Thumbs down:

• Maybe they can do something with the noise. You can hear the other therapists slapping their customer's bodies.

My rating:

Ambience: 4 out of 5- the place was clean. The rooms were also semi-private ward-ish (divided by a curtain) but I did not feel like I was waiting for a surgery. There are two beds in a small room but it is divided with a curtain (not like the type where all of the spaces are divided by curtains)

Relaxing factor: 4 out of 5- again, I fell asleep because the massage was good.

Price: 4 out of 5- Although they are the same with Happa's price, the freebies and good service make up for it.

Basic Kneads Massage and Wellness services price list:

Swedish Massage

(60 min full body massage) Php 250. 00

(90 min full body massage) Php 400. 00

Shiatsu Massage

(60 min full body massage) Php 300. 00

(90 min full body massage) Php 450. 00

Combination Massage (Swedish and Shiatsu)

(60 min full body massage) Php 300. 00

(90 min full body massage) Php 450. 00

Foot Massage:

(45 min) Php 180. 00

(60 min) Php 230. 00

Back Massage:

(45 min) Php 200. 00

(60 min) Php 250. 00

You can find them at 2nd Floor Gempesaw Bldg., Quimpo Blvd. Ecoland Phase 1, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines

Review: Happa Massage & Spa

Massage and a little pampering are two of my little vices in life. I usually treat myself to massages when I feel my PMS starting to brew up. I recently found out for myself that it can improve my mood when I'm in this crazy cycle every month.

Happa Massage & Spa is my 5th search of trying the different spas available in the city (I'll be doing the reviews for the others soon). This day was particularly rough for me at work so impulsively I decided to treat myself to a massage to avoid becoming a cranky monster.

I opted to try Solaz Massage & Spa but I was surprised to know that their prices increased. Since it was a spur of the moment decision, I thought of not spending more than Php 250. 00 for the massage. So a little walk further and I found myself in Happa Massage & Spa

My experience

As I entered, I expected that a receptionist would greet me. Lo and behold, no one was there! Good thing there was a bell so I gave it a ring. After filling out some information and paying the fee, I first came to the comfort room to relieve myself. While I was passing though to the comfort room, there was a lady sitting there (so why wasn't anybody at the front desk?)

Anyway, you get to choose the scent of oil that will be used (lavender, vanilla, sweet orange, grapefruit, eucalyptus, there were two more that I forgot) I chose the grapefruit scent because it smelled sweet. I also chose the 1 hour Swedish massage.

After the foot soak, I prepared myself for the pampering. The masseuse's routine involved fast strokes, which lessened the relaxing experience. There were many times I was tempted to tell her to slow down but I was just too darn tired. I have yet to discover if the same applies to other Swedish massages for other salons but I just don't find it remarkable in Happa's.

Thumbs up

• Their beds have lockers beneath them, so you can store your things without having to worry if someone will try to swipe your stuff.

Thumbs down

• I kept hearing 2 ladies whispering, which was really annoying. I hate it when masseuses or employees who are not attending to customers talk to each other. They're actually disturbing the customers. 
• I didn't feel the aroma of the massage oil. What was the point of letting me choose?
• No free tea :(

My rating

Ambience: 3.8 out of 5- the place started a bit humid because they just turned the AC on when I entered. I also felt like I was in a semi- private ward because of the curtains (you just know those types of massage parlors). The beds were pretty good and I really liked the locker beneath the bed.

Relaxing factor: 3 out of 5- like I said, it wasn't that remarkable and I had a better experience elsewhere (I'll only give a 5 if the masseuse was able to put me to sleep because the massage was soo good)

Price: 3.5 out of 5- a bit pricey compared to other massage salons. The Swedish massage was the cheapest one.

Here's the price list of their services:

You can find them at Dr. #1 CelPaul Bldg., #71 GSIS Heights, McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City