Reborn Reflexology has a chain of 20 outlets in Malaysia, and just a single operation in Bali located near Simpang Siur. This is not the prettiest spa I have ever been to; in fact it leans towards tacky in decor – think fake plants and office-type carpets up the stairs. Nevertheless, news of their therapeutic … read the full post

Fluff alert! Yes, this is just about getting your nails or your toes done while you’re on holiday in Seminyak. For something more highbrow, please see here, or here, or here. Still with me? Okay, if you’re preparing to bare your feet for the first time in a while — at say a nearby Seminyak … read the full post

Let’s be honest: attending a writers festival is hard work, and the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is no different. If you’re not pouring over your schedule trying to juggle your panels with your lunches, you’re busy actually attending a session, sitting in a possibly plastic chair for hours on end, listening, pondering, asking questions, … read the full post

Having had a splurge dinner on Nusa Lembongan, what better way to follow up than a splurge spa visit? Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa is one of the island’s higher-end spots to stay or to go for a massage, so expectations for a visit here were high. I called in advance and couldn’t … read the full post

There was a stuff up the other day when I headed to Fivelements outside Ubud for what was supposed to be a very special treat for myself and my four-year-old daughter: a spa treatment, an afternoon tea and a puppet show. The show was cancelled, but I didn’t see the email they sent me; I … read the full post

I know that you can easily get a 40,000 rupiah foot massage pretty much at any run-of-the-mill massage place in pretty much any town in Bali. But when you’re after something special — say a one-off treat during a one-week stay in Seminyak — then you might want to consider going a touch upmarket. What’s … read the full post

Jari Menari, with two branches in Seminyak and Nusa Dua, is one of our top picks for massage in Bali. The all-male therapists are truly well trained, so you actually feel like you’re getting a massage for your particular knots and aches and pains and anatomy, not just a one-size-fits-all rubdown; the style of their … read the full post

Hardy’s supermarket in Sanur is one of the few places in Bali I despise. I am driven crazy by how often the prices on their shelves are not actually for the products in front of them, their unapologetic staff, their habit of giving lollies instead of proper change and… Well, I digress. One place is … read the full post

Street-level massage joints are a dime-a-dozen in Bali, and so too are the high-end US-dollar priced ones. The market in between, where you pay just a little more and get something a little different is where there’s a bit of a gap, but that’s where Cozy, just near Simpang Siur (ten minutes from Kuta on … read the full post