Tucked away in a corner of Orchard Road away from the hustle and bustle of the shopping district, one of Essence Vale Spa's outlet lies in Trader's Hotel next to Tanglin Mall.

Okay, I have to admit this was my first visit to a spa as I had to submit a school assignment based on my spa experience for my module.

You'll be surprised to know there is a menu catered for students with prices around 30% below the normal spa menu price. This is one of the very few spas that offers student menu. Being a student who's receiving a humble monthly pocket money, I obviously went for the Full Body Massage therapy in the student's menu.

Service wise, I have mixed emotion. The service on the part of the counter staff and the receptionist are not up to standard. I had to wait outside upon reaching the spa, only moments later then the receptionist came. The counter staffs was uninterested in servicing me as she knew I was a student, so she did not bothered to go the extra mile.

But I would say the therapist was quite experienced. She managed to guide me around the session, especially when I was a first-timer. She knew her stuffs, and the whole session went smoothly. Pressure applied and flow of treatment was absolutely grasped to perfection. The therapy supposedly detoxify my body and allowed me to feel rejuvenated.

The ambience was quite built-up though. Instead of feeling relaxed, I felt pretty concealed within the 4 walls. The spa should have been situated at places with more windows so people would not feel catastrophic. I like those of the concept of Aramsa Spa and Spa Botanica, but too bad, no money :(