I have a group of BFFs and we often do something special on each other’s birthday. What we normally do is buy/treat the friend with gift based on their interest and we all join along.
This time for one of our friends birthday, we decided to gift her an onsen package since she had been wanting to do it. Surprisingly, there are few places near Kuala Lumpur that have hot springs. We steered away from them because they are public places and there’s risk of contracting COVID in such open places. Another alternative we found was the onsen at Urban Retreat. They had several bundle packages beside package with only onsen. You can learn more about their menu from their site.
There are two branches in Kuala Lumpur: one at Petaling Jaya and the other at Mont Kiara. We went for the branch at Mont Kiara since we had a reservation at a restaurant near Mont Kiara. Also something that I didn’t come across in the internet is that the spa is inside a mall.
It was our first time so we really did not know what to expect. We simply made a reservation for 4 people via Watsapp. The number is available in their site.
We were warmly greeted by the receptionist and was asked to choose the kind of mineral salt that for our onsen. They have 3 different kinds of mineral salt to choose from and you can go for any one based on your preference.
After we had chosen our salt, we were asked to wait at the lobby while waiting for our baths to be ready. We waited for around 10-15 minutes before we were ushered to the locker room.
Once all set, the staff took us to our respective onsen room adjacent to the lockers, where we were guided on the steps to do onsen as a beginner.
I had to first make sure that I washed my body, face and hair (i.e if you want) for around 5 minutes before entering inside the tub. They provide body wash, shampoo as well as face wash. I really loved the smell of the body wash.
As a beginner, I was to wash my body for 5 minutes and then enter the tub for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes was over, I had to come out of the tub and shower for 5 minutes and restart the process until my time was up. Since we had bought a 45 minute package, I was able to do 3 rounds. While in the tub, we were also advised to drink water also included in the package to prevent dehydration. They had all the steps written down on a black poster hung on the wall which you can also refer to.
When our time was up, a staff came by to inform that there were only 5 minutes left. They weren’t particularly very strict about the timing probably because there were very few customers around. Once we had changed, we were taken to another room with our refreshements waiting. The dessert was super tasty.
How did I feel? At first, I felt that it was just a luxurious way to shower and every time I had to come out of the tub, it was cold. But I think it was near the 2nd round, my body seemed to be loving it and I felt relaxed. The funny thing is that I was not sure what the white cloth hung on the tub was for but later came to know that you could use it as a body scrub.
Would I try it again? Yes I may go there again given that I feel super tired and need to relieve my stress but this time around I would buy a package bundle with Onsen and shoulder/upper body massage. Needless to say, me and my friends were flushed towards the night time and I had a very good sleep.
A quick snap at the changing room 🙂
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