SPA REVIEW | Hopemed Spa (Cubao)

How To Reach

From Philcoa, ride a jeepney going to Ali Mall and get off at Save More

Hopemed Spa is located on the 2nd floor of the nearby building

Address: General Romulo Ave, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila | Contact: (02) 421 4932

Operation Schedule
Monday - Saturday: 8:30am - 2:00am
Sunday, Holiday: 2:00pm - 2:00am
Note: Appointment required especially on weekends

Note:

The only good thing I liked about this spa is the massage.

The facilities and services are all below expectation.

The Massage

Their so called 'signature ocho' treatment is a combination of swedish and shiatsu massage, with longer strokes and uses the elbows during the latter part of the session. The groins are hit but no contact with the more private ones.

They also apply this facial whitening cream in the middle of the massage (I don't understand why this is included since you came for a massage and not facial treatment). But the cream is I presume mixed with menthol so it calms your nerves. Never mind the whitening purpose.

The only thing about the massage is that it tends to get very cold since the rooms are wide open to the airconditioner from the ceiling. If the rooms cannot be covered, then at least inform the therapists to use thicker blankets for the clients lying in bed.

The Price

At 700 PhP, with only the massage as the best part of the deal- I feel that it is a bit too much. I am speaking in comparison for instance New York Spa which at the same price you can have unlimited iced tea, coffee, and fruits or Yama Chu Spa which at a lower voucher rate, you can have massage, food and lounge. Plus NY Spa & Yama Chu Spa have better facilities (we'll go through that later on).

The Facilities

The Shower

I really don't mind a shower area that has no dividers which means you take shower with other people at the same time (hey, you can make friends through that).

But what really gets me is that the water current is weaker than any spa I've been to. Me thinks that it's because the same pipe supplies all the same shower nozzles. So when you open them three, barely anything comes out.

And the shower floor tiles, oh please! If this cannot be cleaned at least level the ground in such a way that water can pass through a different canal sort of waterway.

The Steam

There is no dry sauna, so you only have the steam as your option. When I came in at 8pm, the steam fumes fairly well- it was steaming and hot. But as the night progresses, the steam seemed to be lagging. One fume is followed by another fume in like ages, so the steam room does not get hot. Inconsistently, the steam will be working for an hour then take a break after another hour and so on.

I spoke to one of the staff and told them about this predicament. She went inside a room and adjusted something. And then the steam room was OK. I thought, "perfect, we can sit in peace".

But later on, the same thing happened with the steam. It was not steaming again. So that was it, I would not go back to the staff and tell them again. I've had enough.

The Towel & Robe

Note: This is a very important section. Do not skip!

According to the receptionist, only two towels are provided for each client. The towels are made of thin material which comes in white and blue.

Let's do the math-

1 Towel - You go in, take a shower, go to steam and shower and steam and etc.

1 Towel - Therapist calls you for your treatment so you take a shower and use another dry towel

No more towel - you have the option to save your towel and be naked when you go the steam or use the 2nd towel… which means you have no towel to use for the last shower

So you end up using a soaked towel at the end of your session. Bravo!

And what about the robe? Yes, the malong robe which does not have anything to tie it around. It was such an awkward robe, If I may say.

The Tea

Initially, I asked for a green tea. But nobody in this spa can give me a tea. According to the attendant, the tea was still being prepared.

Prepared? I thought to myself. Why do you have to prepare a tea?

So I explained to the attendant as gently as I could- "just give me a hot cup of water and a bag of tea!" But it fell on deaf ears and I was left bewildered why this spa does not have any provision for tea.

The Background Music

The background music is just fit for the place. It is mainly of soothing instrumentals (the time I visited, they were playing Christmas instrumentals).

The Locker Room

If you are a claustrophobic person, then the locker room can kill you. It was so cramped that only a maximum of 3 people can fit inside at one time. No, actually only 2 persons can open their lockers at the same time.

I also noticed that the padlocks are different from each other. Well it's not really a big deal for me so long as the things don't get lost, but if you want to project a professional image then all facilities should observe a proper standard. But I'm not going to dig deeper on that.

The Lounge

The small lounge can house 2 persons at one time. But I really didn't mind that thought. It was the blue lighting that really caught my attention.

Come on, blue lighting in a spa? You should know better.

The management should seriously consider altering the lighting in the lounge into a more appealing one. Check out the interior designs for spa lounges. And start pulling out the blue lamp.

The Reception

The receptionist guy was friendly, but if I may suggest- please do not make the clients fill out forms in the reception. You can usher them to the lobby where they will be more comfortable in writing, and at the same time away from the prying eyes of the next customers. Remember, no one wants to be the monkey in a circus show.

And then there was the pseudo attendant who'll take your blood pressure. It was funny that you have to undergo such, but since you've offered it then be sure to do it properly. The attendant took my BP using the automatic machine, but ushered me to the locker room without explaining anything. Is this how clients are supposed to be treated?

Clients do not need to be VIPs, but small things like explaining what the figures on the machine stand for matters a lot. It was after all my BP, my health concern. So be professional and do your job well.

And at the end of my spa session, when I had to get my shoes back… I politely excused myself to get something back from the locker. But suddenly I heard a loud sound on the floor- it was my shows thrown like ordinary garbage lying on the floor. I was so disappointed at this attendant.

How difficult it is really to wait for a client to personally handover the shoes? Why do you have to throw it simply because you cannot leave your desk and walk to the other side. Truly disappointing.

Ratings

Overall Spa Rating	2-star spa
Massage
Technique	8 / 10
Pressure & Stroke	8 / 10
Stretching	6 / 10
Facilities
Shower	4 / 10
Jacuzzi	Not Available
Sauna	Not Available
Steam	6 / 10
Towels	4 / 10
Floor	6 / 10
Overall Interior	6 / 10
Service
Wet Area Attendants	6 / 10
Tea Attendants	3 / 10
Lounge Attendants	3 / 10
Reception	6 / 10
Price	Not Reasonable

5-star : Luxury standard / Massage & facilities are excellent

4-star :  Semi-luxury / Massage OR facilities are acceptable

3-star : Standard / Massage OR facilities are acceptable but can use some improvements

2-star : Below Average

1-star : Poor