Rough Night at Ascend

Another Banawe escapade, another massage parlor to try. I didn’t enjoy my experience at Ascend though.

Ascend's Lobby

It's cheap... that's for sure!

I, in fact, hated my Chi-Thai massage for several reasons:

1. STUPID STICKS: I was excited to try the Chi-Thai massage because I thought it was going to be different for it utilizes sticks in the massage process. The massage indeed started with the sticks but it was all for show. There was no technique or science behind the use of the sticks and it certainly didn’t give any comfort to the body. Walang kwenta!!! Good thing the stick show only lasted for a few seconds.

2. ROUGH TECHNIQUES: I also felt that the techniques used for the massage were a little too rough for one to relax. I don’t mind a little stretching but the stretching component of Chi-Thai massage was simply too much. I was put in such awkward positions that I wondered if I would be breaking a bone in the process.

3. SLEEPY THERAPIST: My therapist was also probably tired from the long night that there were some instances wherein she just stopped from what she was doing. I guess that I should be thankful that she didn’t completely fall asleep as she resumed after a few seconds. This, however, is simply not acceptable.

It’s safe to assume that I will never go back to Ascend. There are far better massage joints in the market for me to return to this one.

Ascend Chi-Thai Therapy is located at 115 D. Tuazon Cor. Maria Clara St. Quezon City. It is open daily from 11am to 12midnight.Telephone number is 6646585.

Dimsum Promo at Causeway

Curls and I recently trooped to Causeway Seafood Restaurant. We made sure to arrive just in time for Causeway’s dimsum promo which starts at 9 p.m. daily. All orders of dimsum are sold at only 45php!

Curls, who actually arrived earlier than me wasn’t deterred by the long waiting list as she was determined to have her Causeway fix. Good thing we were given a table after about 10 minutes.

Curls taking charge

Causeway has a dimsum cart that goes around the restaurant so that diners can easily pick and eat the dimsum they want.

Our Dimsum Choices

CURLS: 3 Chicken Feet for 45 pesos? Not Bad! I love Causeway's Chicken Feet because it is bigger compared to other restaurants. (Le Ching)

CURLS: Among all we ordered, this Beancurd Roll is what I liked least. It was just ordinary. :(

GLUTTON: Causeway has a very good version of Taosi Spareribs. The chunks of pork were huge while managing to remain tender.

GLUTTON: The Siomai though puny in size was also good. I had no complaints.

GLUTTON: We had to wait a few minutes for the Hakaw to arrive since it was cooked upon order. It was worth the wait as the shrimps were gigantic and fresh.

Here’s a dimsum gluttony tip from Curls:

What I do when I eat dimsum is I make my own sauce. You need the following: Black Vinegar, Chili, Soysauce and Calamansi. Mix it all together and it complements all the dimsums. Yummy!

Curls also ordered a bowl of Plain Congee with Fried Wanton Wrapper (40php).

CURLS: Mix the congee with all the sauces from all the dimsum you ordered and your plain congee turns into a delicious congee.

Overall, we were very happy with our dimsum escapade at Causeway. If Causeway had a more convenient location, we would surely be at Causeway every week as they are lovers of good food enjoyed on the cheap.

Causeway Seafood Restaurant is located at 883 Banawe St. cor Del Monte Ave. Quezon City. Telephone number is 4108690. Causeway also has branches in Tomas Morato and Libis.

Our First Time at Bali Palace

It’s no secret that Curls and I are massage enthusiasts. A month isn’t complete without us meeting up to indulge in our favorite relaxing activity. We usually hunt for new Thai massage places to try but decided to give something different a go one Sunday night.

We went to a joint that specializes in Balinese massage therapy, Bali Palace. Balinese massage is an ancient traditional massage technique from Indonesia. What makes Balinese massage unique is that it brings together several practices such as massage therapy, acupressure, reflexology, and aroma therapy.

Here’s an account of our experience at Bali Palace.

INTERIORS
CURLS: I was so impressed with the interiors of Bali Palace. It may look expensive since the interiors were superb making me hesitate to go inside at first. Good thing the security guard was very helpful and informative.

GLUTTON: Indeed! Bali Palace looked good with its Balinese inspired interiors. Dum and I have had our fair share of seedy massage places; thank God this was not one of them.

WAITING GAME
CURLS: We had to wait for at least 20 minutes because there was no massage girl available. I was just wondering why because the customers were not as many that we had to wait that long. But well, I am on my understanding mode that I did not even complain.

GLUTTON: Bali Palace earns the dubious record of letting me wait the longest out of all massage parlors I’ve been to. Good thing Dum was entertaining enough to make me forget that we were waiting for a long time as patience is not one of my virtues.

ROOMCURLS: The room we had was perfect for tomboys...not for us! At least the cushions on the floor were soft.

GLUTTON: It was too late when we realized that we were billeted in a couples room! As we were already settled, we no longer requested to be transferred to individual rooms. The couples room was at least big.

THE MASSAGE
CURLS: When having a massage, I always choose the oil massage rather than the dry massage because I think it's more worth it. My Balinese Oil Massage (1 hour at 220php) was more expensive by 20php compared to Dee’s. At first, the massage was weird. She was concentrating on my toes and fingers which I found super weird. But as it progressed, I was satisfied with everything- massage girl's strength on me, ginger oil which heats up after being applied on your skin, and the strokes which are quite new compared to the usual Thai Massage in Tonton's and Pattaya. Unlike Thai massage, no participation required from the customer which means you can take a nap while having the massage except when you have to flip to the other side.

GLUTTON: I, on the other hand, have always preferred my massages to be dry so I chose Balinese Dry Massage (1 hour at 200php). Unlike Dum’s oil massage, I soon learned that Balinese and Thai techniques are somewhat similar except that Balinese massage involves less stretching. Balinese massage also gives much importance to the fingers and toes which I didn’t appreciate. I felt that other areas of the body which are prone to aches and pains should have been given more priority. My 1 hour Balinese massage, sadly, left me feeling bitin. I didn’t want the massage to end not because of pure bliss but because I felt that some kinks in my body were not given the proper attention.

AFTER THE MASSAGE
CURLS: The massage ended with a yellow/rice tea which is what I miss in Ahavia.

GLUTTON: A tip bag with the name of your massage specialist is also thoughtfully placed on the tray with the tea.

VERDICT
CURLS: Overall, I was satisfied with the massage! I can't wait to go back to Bali Palace next month.

GLUTTON: While I still prefer the techniques of Tontons, I see myself going back to Bali Palace because of its cheap rate and superior interiors. Next time, I’ll just opt for a longer massage.

Update: Here's Bali Palace's list of services:

Bali Palace is located at107 D. Tuazon Avenue, Sta. Mesa Heights, Barangay Lourdes, Quezon City. Call them at 3536182.