I went for a facial yesterday at a place I’d been meaning to try out for ages: Adeva Spa at Paragon. [Note to those of us who aren’t very proficient in spelling or reading – clearly both in my case – this is not an Aveda Spa which I spent about a year thinking it was. A confusingly similar, but different, spelling.]
Sadly it is not nearly as impressive as I was hoping. I usually go to the most amazing facial lady (Joanne Chiam) who I rave about whenever anyone asks me for a facial recommendation so I really don’t know why I occasionally bother straying from her.
Adeva Spa should, by all rights, be a little haven of tranquility from all the hustle and bustle in one of the busiest malls on Orchard. But somehow they get it all a bit wrong….
Right next to reception is a horrible little cupboard where they make tea that you can’t help but notice as soon as you walk in. The treatments rooms are rather brown and drab (see second picture below) but when I nosily sneaked a peak behind the crimplene brown curtains there was an amazing rooftop garden that for some reason they have decided to keep under wraps. It seems a bit of a shame to be wasting such a nice view.
The actual facial technique was OK and the products were faultless but the therapist skipped out of the room as soon as she had slapped the face mask on me, and I hate that. I like a hand massage/arm massage/something or I don’t feel like it’s value for money. Joanne scores again on that point.
Extraction is such an important, if painful, part of any facial and at Adeva it wasn’t included (I feel it isn’t really a proper facial without it). And my last gripe is that there was lots of bulky equipment lurking in the corridors between treatment rooms which made it feel temporary and messy (I can get that feeling for free in my rented house).
Disclosure: My facial was free and courtesy of an Amex voucher. If I had been paying, it would have cost me $192.60 plus GST for 60 minutes (really not worth it). Game, set and match to Joanne, who would have cost $150 all in and works on your face for anything between an hour and a half to two hours, depending on the state of your skin.
Adeva Spa: Paragon #6/22-24 tel: (+65)6836 9988
Joanne Chiam works for herself and is a one (wo)man show who can be found at: 57 Cairnhill Road, #01-01 Elizabeth Heights (she rents a treatment room on the ground floor of the condo. Very much a treatment room and it nestles between a nail bar and dry cleaners that service the condo). Read my blog post on her here.
As she is often with clients, SMS is better than calling: (+65) 9734 8075
Adeva counter image courtesy of Beauty Undercover
