So, I'm not the kind of girl who will put money to manicures and pedicures.
Neither am I the kind of girl who will go for just about any kind of massage whether they be Thai or Balinese or Swedish for the sole purpose of pampering myself without first considering the necessity, the budget, and the time.
But there be one kind of massage that for me is a sure-go, and just so long as it's a good one, that's the pamper, self-love, and self-care that I will go for.
I'm talking head massages and hair spas.
And I'm talking this one at a place called Oscar Head Spa in Downtown Central Clarke Quay.
The Princess in me was absolutely delighted, I tell you, when told that an appointment had been booked for me at the spa.
Especially since (after watching all those videos about Japanese head spas on Youtube) I had been wanting to try.
The first thing that struck me about Oscar Head Spa was her location.
Instead of being on the retail floor of a shopping mall as most spas usually do, this one was in the Office block high up on what I think is either the 9th floor or the 12th.
Not just that, the interiors surprised me too.
Unlike most spas whose interiors resemble that of a cocoon- dim, relaxing and cool- the waiting area of Oscar Head Spa was sunny, bright and cheerful.
Best of all, she had a view.
I loved how they first brought you a cup of hot floral tea to let you nerves calm down, after which, there was a bit of scalp analysis where the staff ran a scan machine through my hair and showed me all the gunk that had collected at the roots of my hair.
I need a deep cleanse, she said, and the anti-aging treatment which I had come here for, today, would do just that.
Almost right away I was brought to their treatment room, told to change into one of their robes, and settle down.
I had thought that the treatment would begin with a hair wash, but no, before that there was a bit of aromatherapy where the therapist rubbed essential oil over her palms and let the scent whuff through the air above my face, letting me breathe in the relaxing scents of what I think is lavender, and bergamot. (Or was it rosemary...)
A shampoo and condition followed right after, and then began the session they call the gua sha.
For those who don't know what gua sha is, well, I don't, either.
Best way I can describe it is to say that it's a form of massage where the therapist uses a tool to loosen the meridian points and the acupuncture points along your nervous system such that it relaxes the nerves, releases tight muscles, and encourages circulation of blood flow.
Anything else that gua sha is supposed to do, I don't know.
Except that oit makes one get really comfortable, and I got so comfortable that I fell into a deep slumber.
What happened after the gua sha, I don't know.
If I'm not wrong, it was a scalp scrub that followed right after.
All I felt was a bit of vibration where she used some sort of tool over various areas on my scalp to press deep minute (acupuncture) points that the gua sha tool might have missed out.
And that's it.
The next time I woke up was when I (sleepily) heard her say she was going to spray something on my scalp and hair.
Turns out, it was an ampoule.
Now, what it does, I don't really know- I think it seeps into the pores of the scalp or something, but then my hair got wrapped into what felt like a big shower cap, following which was a scalp steam.
How long my head and hair got steamed like a xiao long bao, I don't know- slumber overtook me again- but it must have been a while- maybe twenty minutes thereabouts or so- and then she came back in, did another final round of hair wash (with an amazing rose-scented shampoo!) and then the treatment was over.
Secretly, I wish it had lasted longer.
Perhaps then my shoulders and head and neck might have been able to feel even more at ease, and perhaps then I might have been able to get even more of (desperately needed) sleep.
The hour-plus rest, despite the deep slumber, really wasn't enough.
Unlike others who might wake up feeling completely refreshed with a good massage, and an hour's sleep or so, unfortunately, not I.
I wasn't exactly tired- the fatigue wasn't as bad as it had been an hour before- but I was sleepily dazed.
Maybe that's how scalp and head massages work for me, and even right now, thinking about it, I could certainly do with an hour or so more.
That, however, will have to wait for the next time I have a scalp massage and head spa, but chances are I'll be coming back here to Oscar Head Spa again.
It's not merely for the view.
It's also not merely for the little cakes, the grapes, the strawberries and the cup of floral tea that they serve you after your session is over.
But it would be for the treatment- it was relaxing, it was very thorough- they did a blow dry and straighten before sending me on my way- and I for a long time afterward began to realize just how much I needed this dose of femininity, and just how much I needed to think of myself, and my girly side more.