Skip to main content

Review of Bale Bale Traditional Spa in Jakarta

I was searching for a spa near the city or Senayan and chanced upon Bale Bale Traditional Spa/Massage which has a branch at Gandaria; they also have a branch in Cipete. I wanted something not too expensive and a quick fix- a massage and a scrub. I was also hoping to find something not so clinical, I usually dislike spas in shopping malls or chain spas.

We drove by Gandaria City and cut through a lane on the side towards a residential area; we found Bale Bale Spa amongst the houses.

Traditional Spa in Jakarta
The spa entrance.

Traditional spa and massage in jakarta
A down-to-earth Balinese ambience greets one when entering.
The first impression of the spa was good as the space smells nice and looks clean. There were couple of ladies doing the hair creme bath, a popular hair treatment/head massage among both locals and expats here.

The menu is comprehensive and prices are cheap as compared to average spa standards in Jakarta; so I decided to try all three- the traditional massage, lulur (body scrub) and waxing on the legs.

I was led to the side of the compound and was thrown a little off guard when the body massage area was much shabbier than I expected it to be (judging from the hair massage area which was pretty decent). It was on a wooden platform with makeshift dividers and it didn't look the most appealing, at least to me.

The air conditioning wasn't working too well at the massage area either; I was thinking in my head that this was truly 'traditional' so you can't really use the air conditioning to be authentic..hehe..

That being said, the massage was good and the masseuse was diligently trying to smooth the knots ; considering it is 20 bucks for both massage and body scrub, it was really value for money if you can get pass the shabby interior.

The traditional scrub which they call Lulur; was a bit of a mess and I wasn't really expecting it to be the way it was. They applied body mask and scrubbed you at the very same area they massage you.

Finally after 2 hours, it was waxing time. I really didn't know what to expect. They used the sugaring method, but room temperature ones; which successfully removed just couple of hairs..lol..  I was not very hairy at the first place and so you can imagine how very effective the waxing was.

Overall

Ambience- 5.5/10
Service- 6.5/10
Value- 7/10

I would return to Bale Bale again to try their hair creme bath which looked like their best seller and perhaps the massage if I felt like doing both at the same time. However I would skip all the other tempting options on the menu.

Bale Bale Traditional Spa
Housing Gandaria Park Block C 16-17 Jakarta Selatan
 : 021.7253326 / 021.7506587
Website: http://balebalespa.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ikkousha Japanese Ramen in Jakarta

We were craving for something soupy the other day; Indonesian food is mostly fried. We decided to check out the ramen store- Ikkousha. We went to the branch in Senayan City but they have couple of outletsIt is supposed to be a franchise from renowned ramen chain in Japan. I was feeling a bit skeptical of halal ramen-  you know great ramen broth is usually stewed from pork bones. The ambience is pretty nice and its attempt to make it look japanese is not bad. Miso Ramen Some spicy egg broth ramen, surprisingly tasty! Chicken Karage The outcome? I was surprised that it was pretty good! Of course it lacks the oomfph of the usual thick pork broth but they got the taste as well as the ramen right. I found the spicy egg broth really delicious and satiable to my soup craving; it's quite spicy though. The prices are also reasonable, costing about 80,000IDR (8USD) per bowl. Since we live only couple minutes away, we will definitely be coming back here quite regula...

Weekend brunch: Tana Merah Coffee Shop, Jakarta

My Indonesian girlfriend and I decided to check out this cafe- Tana Merah Coffee Shop for brunch last Saturday. Tana Merah Coffee Shop is located near Thamrin City amongst a row of shophouses. It is quite hard to find if you are going there for the first time. Just give the cafe a call (like we did) and they will give you or your driver precise directions to the cafe. This post will have lots of foodporn! Yay! For once, I made a conscious effort to take pictures of the food before digging into it. The reason I can't be a food blogger (despite I am such a foodie!) is that I can barely have the discipline to take pictures of all the delicious yummy dishes before I already poked one of my utensils in. Upon entering the cafe. Situated amonst a row of shophouses. I eyed the next table's order and the sandwiches looked great so I decided to order one for myself. My friend went for the french toast. The food presentation (for Jakarta standards) was pretty good and th...

Dinner Buffet At The Ritz Carlton, Asia Restaurant (Mega Kuningan)

To 'celebrate' our successful week in Jakarta, I suggested to G that we should do a nice dinner at the Ritz just across the street. It was actually just an excuse to have a variety of food that I would like- satisfying both my Sashimi and Bakso (Indonesian meatballs) cravings at the same time. So we arrived at the Ritz, just 2 minutes drive or 5 minutes walk from our apartment and was greeted once again, by an entourage of friendly and eager staff (seems like every slightly higher end place in Jakarta practise this). I was pretty looking forward to the dinner as I'd thought that the Ritz will probably have one of the best buffets in town (I am a huge buffet lover). Fresh Seafood Section Mexican/Grill Section Desert Section Back to 90s: Seating Arrangement Ambience To be frank, I wasn't very impressed by the interior layout of the restaurant (you can judge for yourself from the above picture). I almost wanted to turn around and walk out of the r...