Beauty 100 (Marine Parade)

The buzz: Opened by local entrepreneur Julie Zhu, the newly relaunched Beauty 100 Spa does skincare, massage and slimming treatments. Not your typical spa, Beauty 100 focuses on treating individual conditions rather than relaxation and general pampering. There are branches at Bugis and Kovan, as well as the main outlet at Marine Parade.

The vibe: The downstairs area looks much like a nail salon, with glass facades, rows of shoes lined up by the door and aunties chating on couches in reception. Upstairs sports a more professional look with individual treatment rooms, cream colored walls and (slightly clinical) white lighting.

The goods: Every treatment begins with a futuristic computerized health assessment using hand-held transmitters to test the energy throughout your body. We were skeptical at first, but our health assessment hit the nail on the head. Once the health assessment is complete, the therapist on hand suggests a range of facials and massage techniques to treat your individual concerns. Important to note, the majority of the therapists are Chinese-speaking. If you require an English-language practitioner, be sure to book ahead.

Why you’ll be back: The Beauty 100 therapies are not for the faint hearted (our massage left us bruised, but the result was like being given new shoulders so we’d still say that’s still a win). If you go to spas for pampering, Beauty 100 may miss the mark, but if you’re interested in a solutions-focused health and skincare assessment then this is the spa for you.