Pre-holiday pampering at Endota Spa Malvern

On the weekend before our trip I decided to get into the vacationing mood (and to appease my spa addiction!) by booking in for a massage and facial at Endota Spa Malvern. I had come across a September special on their website - a free half-hour facial if you book in for a one-hour massage for $80. Bargain, I thought.

Endota Spa is an Australian day spa franchise, with branches all across Australia. There are some 25 Endota day spas in Victoria alone, spread across from Berwick to Williamstown. I figured that a franchise this successful would be a pretty safe bet.

When I rang to make my booking, the phone at Endota Malvern did not even ring, or go to voicemail, or even emit the fax machine sound. Instead, it kept giving me the busy signal all day. I rang both the Chadstone and Camberwell spas to make sure that I had the right number, and that they were open. As a final resort I made my booking online and rang back the next to confirm. That went pretty smoothly as they had received my email and had already booked me in. I also got a call the day before my appointment to confirm, which although standard in the industry was still a nice touch.

Endota Spa Malvern is located on Station Street, near the train station (duh). There's plenty of parking. The spa itself struck me as being more like a beauty salon than a day spa. Maybe I've been spoiled by Aurora Spa Retreat - to me a day spa should have, aside from its treatment rooms, a change room, showers and amenities like robes and slippers. Instead, I was led straight to a treatment room (after filling in the questionnaire and a cup of tea), and advised to leave my bag and clothes wherever there was space for it. Maybe they only reserved the robes for clients who got the water treatments?

My one-hour massage was blissful. Then again it was a relaxation massage, so the therapist wasn't as heavy handed as the one who gave me a detox massage at Aurora. I found my therapist pleasant enough, but learnt that she wasn't exactly big on explaining how things work to me. She didn't talk through the treatment in detail, and when she finished the massage she didn't bother saying the obligatory "now we're going to start your facial, so just stay where you are and we'll look after the rest bla bla bla" line. She just left the room and me wondering what was going on, as she had a towel over my eyes and head.

She then came back in and started the facial without saying anything. I was like "...umm, are we starting the facial now?" - dumb question, I know. But I had to be sure!

The half-hour organic facial was less pleasant than the massage. I'm not sure if it was the products she was using, or the over-hot towels she placed on my face, but my cheeks started stinging a little, and for the next two weeks they were red and flaky, like some sort of a reaction. I didn't say anything at the time as it was only in the early stages of the facial, plus the half-hour went by pretty fast.

Afterwards I was taken to the lounge to relax. The therapist told me what products she used on my face, and mentioned that my skin was a little on the dry and sensitive side, which wasn't all incorrect. Overall it wasn't a bad experience. The massage was really nice but I've always been wary of facials (had my fair share of red, splotchy skin afterwards), so maybe that marred the experience a little. The staff were friendly and professional, and while the place is no Aurora Spa Retreat, it's still a nice little spot to get your beauty and spa fix, at more affordable prices.