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15 ways to destress and pamper yourself in Singapore

Go surfing, get a late-night massage, sweat it out in a yoga class, and more of the best health and beauty experiences in the city

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We get it, living in Singapore is stressful. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to find your brand of mellow – you could crave out a few hours and treat yourself to a spa date or try an unconventional health and beauty treatment. Else, read on for more ideas. 

Get an old-school blowout (with a glass of wine) at Blow+Bar
  • Health and beauty
  • Hair salons
  • Raffles Place

What is it? Priding itself in blowouts, this premium hair salon is decked in its signature colours of red and white with plenty of seats and hair wash beds for a day of pampering with the girls.

Why go? Booking in for a hair blowout to get a bouncy, volumnised finish has been all the rage for those looking for star-worthy bombshell hair. The concept at Blow+Bar is pretty simple: pick from a menu of final looks from the salon’s iPad, get a treatment to solve certain hair woes, add on extras like a manicure or a trim and then select a drink – the unique selling point here is a complimentary glass of wine to complete the indulgent experience.

Don’t miss: Check out its new digs in Boat Quay. The intimate and cosy space is hugely popular for its hen, birthday and wedding packages that’ll have you and a bunch of your closest girlfriends looking effortlessly coiffed while having a riot of a time.

  • Sport and fitness
  • Parachuting and skydiving
  • Sentosa

What is it? Singapore’s first and only bungee jump that’s right over Siloso Beach.

Why go? For starters, you don’t have to hop on a plane to bungee jump anymore. At AJ Hackett Sentosa, you can dive head first or backflip your way over the edge – whatever you like.

Don’t miss: Besides the bungee, there are also other high-element activities for the thrill-seekers among you, including a giant swing that requires partners to link arms as you ’fly’, a vertical skywalk where you ‘walk’ (facedown, mind you) down the side of the tower down to ground level, a sky bridge where you attempt to overcome your fear of height and vertigo, and a top swing where you freefall from 47m above ground.

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  • Health and beauty
  • Bishan

What is it? This spa haven located in the middle of suburban Bishan Park means that it is surrounded by nature and feels a million miles from the concrete jungle of city centre.

Why go? Aesthetics-wise, this spa in a garden is impressive – it features 17 elegantly designed treatment rooms, each with individual outdoor courtyards that boast their own outdoor showers or therapeutic hydrotherapy baths set against a jungle backdrop.

Don’t miss: Service hours extend until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights if you need a longer R&R session.

Scale new heights at Boulder Movement
  • Sport and fitness
  • Raffles Place

What is it? This CBD gym positions itself as a beginner-friendly bouldering-only facility with over 30-metres of wall length and no higher than four-metres tall. But unlike indoor rock climbing, this one’s stripped down to its raw essentials – no ropes and harnesses involved.

Why go? No matter your climbing abilities, Boulder Movement’s got your back. Beginners can sign up for a Basics of Bouldering class, as well as foundational classes for those with prior climbing experience looking to refine their upper and lower body techniques before moving on to the intermediate classes.

Don’t miss: To keep things fresh, a section of the wall is refreshed every two weeks, so climbers won’t have to face the same old wall over and over again.

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Get sweet at Sugar(ed)
  • Health and beauty
  • Bukit Timah

What is it? This natural hair removal studio specialises in Brazilian sugaring which is an ancient Middle Eastern technique that uses a warm, thick paste concocted from sugar, lemon juice and water.

Why go? Claiming to be a sweeter deal as compared to waxing, the all-natural ingredients used don’t adhere to live skin cells, which minimises – if not completely eliminates – the formation of dreaded ingrown hair.

Don’t miss: Pamper yourself with other treatments like a detoxifying full-body Dead Sea salt scrub, a Hungarian mud wrap, a gentle sugar-based facial scrub and a keratin lash lift while you’re at it.

Go to the barber at The Golden Rule Barber Co
  • Health and beauty
  • Beauty salons
  • Rochor

What is it? A quirky barbershop that’s decorated with a musical twist – think electric guitars and framed photos of rock legends lining the white walls.

Why go? The highly experienced barbers here offer a variety of styles that goes beyond the traditional ‘gentleman’s haircut’. Grooming services such as shaves and beard sculpting, as well as hair products such as its very own line of pomades which come in three varieties to cater various hair needs – Stronghold, Firm Hold and Matte. That’s not all – it offers other merch like straight razors, zip hoodies, pullovers, tees and trucker caps.

Don’t miss: The team of dapper barbers also set up camp at pop-ups and bazaars around the city.

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Flow with the waves at Wave House Sentosa
  • Sport and fitness
  • Sentosa

What is it? This Sentosa attraction brings simulated surfing to our waveless shores.

Why go? Making up for our lack of waves, the beachfront space specialises in flowboarding – a hybrid of surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. There is also a pool and a beach bar for beach bums.

Don’t miss: Show off your surfing skills at the FlowBarrel (and its simulated loft wave) or carve up and down the surface of the Double FlowRider.

Sweat it out at Beat X Studio
  • Sport and fitness
  • Gyms and fitness centres
  • Chinatown

What is it? Decked with a futuristic neon clubbing atmosphere, Beat X has three specially equipped rooms that cater to various HIIT workouts. 

Why go? To maximise each workout to the fullest, the studios are loaded with the latest form of equipment. Choose between four highly energetic fitness workouts that activate all muscle groups – rebounding, boxing and riding training – and sweat it out in three different themed studios where each space supports the respective workouts. With immersive pyrotechnics and curated playlists to engage you, pushing yourself to another limit hardly feels like a HITT session here.

Don't miss: For a combination of rebounding, boxing and riding, sign up for its hybrid training where you get to experience all three workouts in one hard-hitting sesh.

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Paddle around on a surfboard at SUP School
  • Things to do
  • Sentosa

What is it? The Stand Up Paddling School in Sentosa offers lessons and board rental beginning at $40 per hour.

Why go? If you’re looking for an alternative way to soak in the sun without baking on the sand, why not give this popular watersport a try. As its name suggests, stand-up paddling involves standing upright on a wide surfboard while propelling through the water using a paddle.

Don’t miss: Once you’ve found your balance, try one of their classes such as the Yoga/Fitness or Core Challenge to really feel the burn.

Get stronger at CrossFit Mobilus
  • Sport and fitness
  • Raffles Place

What is it? One of the largest CrossFit gyms in the city, CrossFit Mobilus is well-equipped with top-notch facilities to aid you in body strengthening and conditioning.

Why go? What sets this one apart from other CrossFit gyms is its strong community bond even when competing for the fastest timing. And MobCon – a 30-minute metabolic conditioning class designed to increase stamina – isn’t any different. Whether you’re doing it with a friend or going solo, the camaraderie that grows from taking part in the MobCon within a group is perhaps the most attractive aspect of CrossFit Mobilus.

Don’t miss: The Workout of the Day is a series of exercises, ranging from cycling on an Airdyne to barbell deadlifts, set by the trainer that are to be completed within the shortest time possible.

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  • Kids
  • Orchard

What is it? The largest indoor trampoline park and adrenaline arena in Singapore.

Why go? Jump off walls and fly through the air at its three areas designed for different interests and various levels of difficulty, so young tots, olders teens, adults and even fitness enthusiasts are catered for. Besides hopping around, show off your basketball moves, Spiderman climbing skills and ability to dodge balls at the Slam Dunk, The Wall and Trampoline Dodgeball arena respectively.

Don’t miss: Adrenaline junkies, head straight for the Leap of Faith – where you jump from a raised platform to catch hold of a trapeze suspended in mid-air, hence the name – for your heart-pumping fix.

  • Sport and fitness
  • Yoga and Pilates
  • Chinatown

What is it? This photogenic yoga studio holds vinyasa-based classes that cater to a wide range of abilities.

Why go? Guaranteed to work up a sweat, the studio also aims to bring the yoga experience beyond the mat through collaborations with local brands and initiatives with a focus on health and wellness to instill mindful living – expect regular art jams and book clubs in the studio.

Don’t miss: If you’re looking to speed up your heart-rate, try CardioFlow which is a hybrid class that incorporates vinyasa poses with HIIT exercises and cardio movements in between.

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  • Things to do
  • City Hall

What is it? A massage and spa centre that offers everything from foot reflexology to fish spa and everything in between to relax those tensed muscles.

Why go? Don’t inflict your unexfoliated feet on some poor pedicurist. Instead, let the fish take care of them. At Kenko Reflexology and Fish Spa, a shoal of industrious little Turkish fish wait in a pool to nibble away dead skin and leave your toes fresh and exfoliated.

Don’t miss: Complete the experience with a foot reflexology after, restoring the natural flow of energy and organ functions by massaging the feet’s reflex points.

Channel Cirque du Soleil at Upside Motion
  • Sport and fitness
  • Yoga and Pilates
  • City Hall

What is it? A hybrid boutique fitness studio in the heart of downtown Singapore that fuses a variety of workouts from pilates and barre to yoga and aerial.

Why go? Part traditional Indian exercise and part circus training, its anti-gravity yoga takes yoga poses from the ancient Indian discipline and – as the name suggests – suspends them in the air. The instructors are very knowledgeable and, with the help of the silk hammocks, would have even beginners upside down in no time.

Don’t miss: Wind down with the opposite – the 45-minute aerial recharge class where you’ll be creating the balance of yin yoga poses while cocooned in suspended hammocks. A great way to catch up on sleep if you ask us!

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Hit refresh at a Aesop Facial Appointment
  • Health and beauty
  • Spas
  • Orchard

What is it? Much like its iconic apothecary stores, this treatment space is thoughtfully designed and offers six customised Aesop facial treatments.

Why go? Its series of unique treatments help balance, stimulate and intensely nourish the skin where a facial therapist will apply pressure to the face in rhythmic, circular motions with generous doses of Aesop formulations.

Don’t miss: Be sure to book a consultation beforehand to better understand the best treatments and formulations for your skin.

Nail your look at Manicurious
  • Health and beauty
  • Nail salons
  • City Hall

What is it? A nail salon decked with plush chairs and cushions that shares a shophouse space with Candour Coffee , so don’t be shy about walking straight pas the cafe counter to the back.

Why go? You can never go wrong with gorgeously groomed nails. Relax and let the pro manicurists work their magic to pimp your nails with stunning art, basic colouring or simply a calming soak-off.

Don’t miss: Book the space for your next hen party, baby shower or corporate get-together to treat your team of ladies to pretty-looking nails.

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