I cannot agree more with the title of my blog post today. Mommies are some of the most hardworking human beings around, serving their families tirelessly round the clock while keeping a job and the household in order. Yet, they are also easily the most neglected bunch. If there is someone you take for granted in your life, it’s usually your mom. At least I know that’s the case for me.
Now that I am a mom of two myself, this ‘reality’ has become even more apparent to me. On days when I am home with the kids, they are constantly talking to me, showing me something they’ve drawn, or sharing about something that happened in school. I’ll be lucky to be able to take a 15-minute shower in peace, without someone banging on the bathroom door every 5 seconds, “Are you coming out YET?” Fellow moms will definitely understand what I mean.
While I am all for moms giving their best and complete devotion to their families, I think that moms should also take time off to do something they enjoy, or go for treats to pamper themselves. I know of other mommy friends who feel guilty for enjoying themselves without the kids, but I think that me-time for mommies is so important! It’s the very thing that rejuvenates us and keeps us sane in our hectic schedule for the long haul. After some me-time, I always feel good and return to my kids as a much happier mom. That’s any time better than a weary and frustrated mom who screams and shouts at her kids all day long!
Last Monday, I was so happy to be invited by Plaza Singapura for a day of pampering treats and I brought my mom along with me! Friends who are closer to us would know that we lost a very dear and precious family member recently, and this was exactly what we needed now. It was a day to hang out with my mom, and indulge in some simple pleasures in life together, without any agenda. Plaza Singapura kindly arranged for us to go for a haircut and styling, facial spa and ended off with a luxurious and delicious meal. We had such a great time together, and really felt very pampered and rejuvenated at the end of the day! I should really do this more - My mom has worked hard all these years and deserves to be pampered often.
Our first stop was at FaSS (Fast Salon for Slow Life, #03-64) where we went for a haircut and styling. My mom was really excited when I told her that we were going for a haircut, “Oh, I badly need a haircut!” It was my first time at FaSS and I love their concept! The salon does only classic cuts and styling, and the interesting thing is they do not do hair wash, color treatments and other kinds of chemical procedures. Everything is minimalistic and simple because their belief is that classics are timeless and always in fashion.
I like how simple everything is in FaSS, and how meticulous the staff are. I don’t usually enjoy chatting with my hairstylists, but I felt so comfortable the whole time I was there. My stylist even gave me tips on how to take better care of my hair at home WITHOUT trying to hard sell any products to me (that’s unusual for salons, I tell ya). In fact, FaSS started off without any hair products for sale until their customers kept urging them to do so, because they love the Arimino Spice Tube Series (imported from Japan) used during the styling.
The salon is not big, with only 4 customers to be served at any one time. Their usual customers are aware of the system and would automatically write down their names on the waiting list when the salon is fully occupied. It’s great that the salon is located within a shopping mall like Plaza Singapura, so customers can shop around while waiting for their turn. In any case, because there is no hair wash, every customer usually gets their quick hair cut with styling and leave the salon within 30 minutes, making turnover time really fast. The little things in the salon fascinated me too – Like the little tray for my mum’s spectacles, wardrobe for me to keep my bag so that it doesn’t get dirtied during a haircut, etc – They all speak of the wonderful service the salon provides for its customers.
Seeing my mum chatting freely with her ‘new found friend’ at the salon makes me really happy.
And we were both really happy with our hairdo at the end! My stylist ironed my hair straight and blew the ends inwards so that they are easier to manage and fall into place. My mum’s haircut was neat and exactly what she wanted. :)
After a fabulous haircut, we proceeded on for some pampering facial spa at Skin Lab, The Medical Spa (#03-33). SkinLab integrates the pampering, attentive yet unobtrusive service of a world-class spa with the most advanced of aesthetic techniques and cosmetic dermatology. In the spa, they create non-invasive, non-surgical, safe and effective beauty solutions to treat body, mind and soul. Their beauty therapists have a minimum of five years of global experience, so I felt very at ease letting them take care of my skin. God knows my tired skin badly needed some pampering spa treatments!
A consultant served us hot tea in a private room, diagnosed our skin condition and made recommendation on suitable treatments for that day. Our consultant was knowledgeable and shared many tips with us on how to take good care of our skin. My mum took the opportunity to clarify many of her skincare doubts – I’m sure you can tell she was really happy to have her questions answered. When our consultant left the room to prepare our treatments, my mum whispered to me, “She knows so much and is so open to sharing with us!” =P
We thoroughly enjoyed our treatments at Skin Lab! My 60-minute treatment was done in a private room with a very sweet-smelling scent and soft music playing in the background. It was super duper relaxing and therapeutic! My therapist was gentle and soft-spoken, informing me on every action she was doing on my face. My treatment included a chemical peel, removal of impurities and concluded with a relaxing mask. In between, there were head and shoulder massages which were just awesome.
Both my mum and I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated at the end of our treatments, and it’s been so long since we’ve had such a great time. We are both busy moms – Such pampering treats are just rare!
Our last stop after pampering our hair and skin was at Nana’s Green Tea (#03-80/82), where we were treated to a sumptuous hi-tea spread! Good food always makes us happy, and we felt so hungry looking at all the beautiful menu display at the shop front.
Nana’s Green Tea is one of the most popular cafes in Plaza Singapura and for good reason. Hailing all the way back to 20 years ago, a Japanese man wanted to advocate Japanese homegrown tea and good to people all around the world. He started the first Nana’s Green Tea then at Jiyugaoka, Japan, and it became a huge hit due to the authenticity of its Japanese green tea. Today, Nana’s Green Tea allows people to experience Japanese food culture and tradition through its offerings, along with providing high quality of service to its customers. Nana’s Green Tea uses selected quality ingredients from various parts of Japan, including Uji tea, and this has a direct impact on the taste of the food. They adopt a hands-on approach when it comes to food preparation; the sweets in its desserts are handmade by craftsmen and all dishes, including the soup stock, are prepared manually.
Love the decor in the restaurant – It feels as if every group of customers have their little private space.
We had a hard time deciding what to order – Everything looks good!
We enjoyed everything we ordered! The green tea latte was one of their specialties and we had to order it to try. It was an interesting drink that tasted better with every sip. My mom, who is a big fan of green tea, said it was VERY GOOD!
Ordered a pot of hot tea as well – It’s a very fragrant and healthy concoction of grains and tea leaves that went well with our dishes.
We ordered a Seafood Salad, and it came all colorful and pretty! We love the greens and the succulent seafood that matched perfectly with the Japanese sesame sauce. It was so appetizing!
We couldn’t have enough of seafood, so we also ordered Seafood Curry – With abundance of prawns, squids and scallops! The curry was so fragrant and delicious.
This really comforting dish of Beef Patty with mushrooms and teriyaki sauce was so delicious! Love the amount of vegetables that came along with it. Hearty & healthy!
The Udon Chicken Soup was another stunner. The broth was light and sweet, with chunks of chicken pieces, leeks and mushrooms. My girls would love this, I’m sure!
My mom is a fan of Unagi, so we ordered a Unagi roll and it was so fresh and light! We loved every bite of it.
A meal would not be complete without desserts. We ordered a Matcha Parfait that came with the shop’s specialty Kanten Jelly at the bottom. Loved everything about this concoction – Matcha ice-cream, azuki beans, rice dumplings. Very yums!
My mom enjoyed this hot bowl of Azuki beans soup even more. The rice dumplings were soft and chewy! What a sweet ending to an amazing meal. :)
What a wonderful day I had with my dearest mommy – We enjoyed ourselves tremendously, and decided that we should do this more often! Thank you, Plaza Singapura, for being a one-stop family destination mall where there is something for everyone in the family. It is a place where families can not only gather and have a great time, but also a place where mommies should take some time out to pamper themselves! We are two happy mommies once again! =D
