Strip

Dear Strip,
I really like you, but I’m afraid that our time together may soon come to and end. It’s not me, it’s you.
I have decided that you have been too needy in our 2-​year relationship, and I need somewhere that isn’t as demanding and pushy as you’ve been all this time.
I know that you like the finer things in life, as seen from your reception area (though your treatment rooms are becoming a bit shoddy). I know that you love SMEG fridges (though I think that a SMEG fridge is rather excessive for bottles of ultrasound/​IPL jelly). I know that your equipment looks clean, hygenic and modern. And I do appreciate that you are very good with your IPL-​work. This is why I’ve paid so much to be with you for the past 2 years. So much that I’ve been paying via installments (how ironic that I’ll still be paying when our dates are done and dusted).
But I don’t get why you have to be so NEEDY. Everytime I visit, you want something from me. Nevermind that I have $ 1200 worth of credits with you. No. When I didn’t have a package, you kept on bugging me to buy one. When I did, you bugged me to buy your cooling creams. When I had your cooling creams, you bugged me to buy your shower scrub. And Now, when I have 3 sessions left, you’re bugging me to buy more sessions. Every time you tell me that you’re offering me a wonderful deal and that it’s 60% off or buy-​10-​get-​3-​free and you’re not sure when this promotion will end so I’d better buy it NOW. And everytime I visit the same promotion is still going on. Haven’t you realised that I’ve now recognized that you’ve been lying to me all this time?
So after 2 years, I’ve had enough of your annoying badgering. This is adieu, my friend.
With (not much) love,
Steffi

Oh, these people.
Strip is one of those establishments that have a monopoly on this island, and in most cases I understand why. They have prime locations, their hours are decent (10 AM — 9 PM), it smells great, the ambiance is nice, the rooms are comfy, the therapists follow strict hygiene rules, and the waxes are under 20 minutes.
Their prices are reasonable, HOWEVER, they are relentless with their hard selling for packages no matter which branch you go to.
What pissed me off was that they have a 20% surcharge for a la carte waxing services during Chinese New Year. What does waxing have to do with Chinese New Year?! Am I having a cultural misunderstanding here? I understand if you’re a restaurant and you know it’ll be busy, or if you’re an airline and you know people will travel. But waxing?! I really don’t understand the business sense behind it, and why I need to be penalized for it.
To avoid paying the surcharge, I made a deal with the devil and bought a small package with them. Why the change of heart? Well, I’ve been meaning to have a better maintenance schedule, and now that I work full time it’s a luxury I can afford again. They’ve also been annoying me for a year, so I hope they’re happy now.
Guess an unofficial goal for 2014 would be to visit all the Strip locations and Unilocal ‘em.

I’ve been coming to this Strip outlet since they first opened in early 2000 and have never been disappointed. They’ve gone through some renovations over the years so now the outlet is much smaller. The services however have not suffered.
They do an excellent job of making sure you’re comfortable and are very gentle with all their services. Unlike its sister Browhaus, getting a walk-​in appointment is much much easier (depending on the treatment) so its great in an emergency situation.
The only thing about Strip that gets irritating is the hard-​sell they do on packages. As I’ve learned with Browhaus, having a package really means nothing except slightly cheaper rates. I think they’d do a much better job in customer service if they gave some sort of priority to package holders

Like my previous Strip review, the one is Wheelock is similar. I appreciate their services but not their hard selling. This is one of the first Strip outlets in Singapore and a plus would be the fact that they also do services for men.
A minus is that this one gets really crowded. And its necessary to call in advance to make an appointment. Its clean and they do a good enough job, but if I were to go to Strip, Id rather go to the Mandarin Gallery outlet.