Love it or hate it, the festive season is fast upon us. Charlene Fang plots out the ultimate guide to Orchard Road so you make it through your holiday shopping in one piece and – gasp! – maybe even refreshed 

Seek sweet relief 
Treat yourself to a slice of banana cream pie at Projectshop Café (#03-41/42 Paragon, 290 Orchard Rd; 6735 6765) and browse through a magazine – they stock Vanity Fair, I-D, Vogue – for more gift inspiration. Between rushed retail sprees, meet a friend for a tête-à-tête at the Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge (Level 2, Takashimaya Department Store, 391 Orchard Rd; 6735 6833). The high tea set ($19.90 from 2.30-6.30pm) offers a choice of two mini open-face sandwiches and two slices of cake, all presented on blue and white porcelain and chic Georg Jensen cutlery. If your blood sugar is running low, a little sweetness is all you’ll need to zip through the day. Slurp down a cup of rich hot chocolate ($8.50) from Hediard (123-125 Tanglin Rd; 63336683, pictured right) – just don’t blame us if you no longer fit into your holiday threads. For chocoholics hankering for the ‘hard stuff’, go to Leonidas (#01-12B Orchard Hotel Shopping Arcade, 442 Orchard Rd; 6836 6317), where $15 buys you a 100 grams of fine Belgian chocolate to fuel your mission. 

Spread out, breathe and reboot 
Finding a well-sized, nice-smelling restroom during shopping season is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We don’t suggest you take a power nap next to these commendable sinks, but taking a breather near them is not a bad idea. The restrooms at the Singapore Marriott Hotel (320 Orchard Rd; 6735 5800) are spacious enough for you to unpack your loot and take stock of all you’ve bought. (Just pretend you’re a guest and you’re golden. Just sayin’.) For those with little ones, there are diaper-changing stations at Centrepoint Shopping Centre (176 Orchard Rd; 6737 9000), specifically at the Level 2 ladies’ toilet and Levels 2, 3 and 4 men’s toilet. Otherwise, the Nursery Room on the third level of Takashimaya (6738 9111) is our recommended spot to feed and change the tots. 

Treat your toes 
After a long day of trudging up and down Orchard, nothing beats a footrub. My Foot Reflexology (#03-30 Centrepoint, 6736 2562; #B1-16 Forum Singapore, 583 Orchard Rd, 6235 1103) ‘washes’ off some of your shopper’s guilt by using the services of visually impaired (but very precise) therapists for a 40-minute foot reflexology session ($28). A half- and full-body massage service is also available. If you’re stuck at the other end of ‘town’, pop into Footworks @ Orchard (#01-04/05/06 International Building, 360 Orchard Rd; 6737 3555). Put on a TV headset and zone out as you get worked over. A 30-minute session starts from just $35. Another option is the more traditional (read: no-fuss, nofrills) Wan Yang Foot Reflexology (#06-10 Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Rd, 6339 2068; #05-18A Ngee Ann City, 6733 9188), where $40 will buy you 40 minutes of bliss. 

Make yourself over 
If there’s one time of the year that calls for you to put your best face forward, it has to be the Christmas-New Year’s season. And when strapped for time, an all-in-one or quick service spot is a lifesaver. Most know Visage-The Salon (#02-11 Delfi Orchard, 402 Orchard Rd; 6733 0933) for its Brazilian waxes, but did you know about its mani/pedi, hair-styling and massage services? Well, now you do. Cheap, cheerful and fast is what EC House (B2-12 Plaza Singapura) promises. A quick trim will take no longer than ten minutes and won’t cost more than $10. Mask (#03-05 Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Rd; 6238 7737) has an array of quickie facial treatments using Malin+Goetz products. Suitable for both sexes, if you only have half an hour to spare, pop in and ask for a mini-facial with massage ($58). 

Quench that thirst 
Feeling drained and ready to drop? Perhaps a little liquid refreshment would help. The Salty Dog (vodka with grapefruit and a slice of lime) at Mezza9 Martini Bar (10 Scotts Rd; 6738 1234, pictured right) adds a spring to one’s step. Otherwise, the all-night-long, $20-for-three-Asahi-beers deal at Ice Cold Beer (9 Emerald Hill; 6735 9929) is one to ‘abuse’ on a regular basis. If booze isn’t your thing, swing by Glow Juice Bar & Café (2F Hilton Hotel, 581 Orchard Rd; 6730 3397) and get a jolt of natural energy from a tall glass of organic carrot-apple-ginger juice ($10.60). 





Drop the shopping mate 
We all know shopping is best done solo. Unfortunately, from time to time, there is the dreaded task of friend- or man-sitting. Here are a few options: Situate the easily amused individual at the basement of Wisma Atria (435 Orchard Rd; 6235 2103) where the large aquarium provides a worthy distraction. Or send your shopping buddy off to Comfort Space Spa (#06- 19/26 Paragon; 6836 9988), which is open from 10am-11pm. Drop $93 for a spa meal and use of the facilities (sauna, Jacuzzi, lounge area). If your companion is a sports fan, settle him in front of a plasma screen at Harry’s @ Angullia (#01- 01/02 Far East Shopping Centre, 545 Orchard Rd; 6838 0460). The daily happy hour (from 11am-9pm) should keep him chirpy. Or take him to E2Max (Level 9, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, 8 Grange Rd; 6235 9249) and treat him to some gaming action for as little as $2.50 an hour. That’s what we call a good (and cheap) babysitter.