Upon entering La Costa Spa, the place looks soothing enough. There's a Chinese background music playing, and some standard soft lights against wooden furnishings for the interior. Seats with pillows welcome guests at their receiving area.
La Costa Spa is connected to Tagaytay Country Hotel and a few steps from the hotel's pool. The rustic interiors feature a second floor loft where private rooms for massages are.
At the ground floor, the salon / barber shop has bright lights, huge mirrors, and barber chairs. On the other side of the wall are a row of foot massage chairs, covered with white towels and mini pillows. Most of their services go for Php500 for 1hr, be it foot massage, body massage, scrub, etc. At first they agreed to accept credit cards, but after my foot massage, the attendant insisted on cash.
Anyway, my experience with the Spa was not good at all. Staff were very lax and unfriendly. Perhaps because it was late, the foot masseuse I got was a diva and only massaged my foot for 45minutes, because according to her 'most massages are really just 45minutes anyway'. Nobody else was there and she probably want to go home already as it was already so late for her (10PM).
The massage itself was not so bad. The standard procedure started with a dip in hot water à la washing of the feet. They closed most of the bright lights to provide a more spa-feel. Wonder how it works if somebody else is getting a haircut.
But what really made it worse was when I asked her to 'soften' the massage, not too hard. She replied that 'that's how she does it'. How rude. Although I'm sure they give great service to foreigners. There might be a case of discrimination of some kind, or just plain unprofessionalism. I reckon the hotel is also connected (physically and institutionally) with Olivarez College, and that some of their staff and trainees are students.
Verdict: I am definitely not coming back to La Costa Spa. Across the street there is a newly opened Balinese Spa which is probably worth a try.
La Costa Spa
Olivarez Plaza, E. Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City
Tel: (632) 888-5784
Tel: (6346) 413-3097
Cell: (63910) 3700545
/travelspeedx
0 comments:
Post a Comment