The year is very quickly coming to an end. As I’m clearing my leaves now, M and I started looking into activities we can do in Singapore.
The past few months have been really hectic and tiring for us. Instead of our usual outdoor adventures, we’ve wanted to look for something more relaxing to pamper ourselves.
We chanced upon Yunomori Onsen & Spa while doing our research. After some positive feedback from our friends, we decided to give it a try! This article will be a review of our experience at the Yunomori Onsen & Spa in Singapore.
Our experience
I would have never thought that there would be an Onsen in Singapore! Given the conservative nature of Singaporeans, I did not expect that there would be so many people.
Contrary to our belief, it was fully packed with people when we went on a Monday afternoon! Due to social distancing measures and limited capacity, we even had to get on a waitlist. We were lucky to have made booking for our massage treatment in advance.
When you first enter the Spa, you’ll have to deposit your shoes at the shoe locker area. No shoes are allowed within the Spa compounds.
After checking in, we then proceeded for a safe-distanced registration. During registration, you can choose to either purchase a Spa membership or the packages itself.
You’ll be given a wrist tag to wear throughout your entire time at the Spa. This tag can be used to unlock lockers and even pay for your meals. How convenient!
Massage Therapy
Yunomori Singapore offers multiple different therapy packages, including Aroma Oil, Thai Massage and Foot Massage. They even offer treatments such as IPL and scar removal!
We chose the Traditional Thai + Onsen package ($118 before GST). Make sure to call in advance to make a reservation as they are very popular!
If you want to go for just the Onsen, you should consider signing up for their membership. It offers a 1 for 1 deal during off-peak periods which can save you a significant amount of money!
The service by our therapists Noknoi and Jasmine was amazing! They were attentive and made sure not to press any harder if we were clearly in pain.
Before cracking our backs, they made sure to check if we were ok with it. Of course, who could turn down a slight nerve-wracking yet oddly satisfying back cracking experience?
For those of you missing that cross border massage experience (aka at the famous Bangkok Spa), perhaps this could be a good temporary substitute.
While filling up the survey form in the food area, they offered us a cup of warm ginger tea. We felt taken care of before, during and after the massage.
Onsen
I was both excited and nervous for the Onsen as it was my first experience! We did not get a chance to visit any Onsens back on our trip to Japan last year. It was a pity and I’d definitely want to try if I’m ever back there.
The Onsen at Yunomori is gender-separated and each area has its own capacity limits. If this is your first time experiencing an Onsen, we recommend reading up on some Onsen etiquette before visiting. You’ll want to make sure to have an enjoyable experience there.
Naturally, we were not allowed to take any photos inside and therefore, we don’t have any photos of the Onsen area.
There are 6 baths available. Namely the Jet Bath, Hot Bath, Bubble Bath, Soda Bath, Silk Bath and Cold Bath.
We both agreed that our favourite was the Silk Bath! It had the most ideal temperature and best texture. After dipping in the bath, my skin felt really smooth and supple for days.
Some baths like the Hot Bath, as the name suggests, was a little too hot for me. Due to Onsen etiquette, I had to act like it wasn’t hot even though it was so that I don’t disturb the other people using it.
I’d recommend ending off the Onsen session with a dip into the Cold Bath. It was a refreshing (literally) change from the other warm baths.
At the end of your Onsen session, you can choose from a variety of Yukata designs. You can wear them to the food area for your meal or the relax area for a quick nap.
Food
M and I were most excited about the food. We’ve heard great things about the food at Yunomori while doing our research. It’s funny how we were more excited about the food than the Onsen experience.
The restaurant offers a plethora of classic Japanese cuisine which ranges from Sashimi to Bento sets. Food prices are similar to mid-range restaurants in shopping malls.
I chose the Salmon Sashimi Don ($13.90) while M got the Curry Udon ($8.90) with a plate of Salmon Sashimi ($9.90). They were really generous with their servings! It was one of the largest and fattest pieces of Salmon Sashimi I’ve ever eaten.
The Salmon Sashimi Don was good because of its generous serving of Salmon cubes. The Salmon was fresh and I’d highly recommend anyone who’s visiting to try it.
We ended our meal with an order of Vanilla Mille Crepe ($8.80). What a great way to end our day!
How to get there?
Yunomori Onsen & Spa is located at Kallang Wave Mall. The nearest MRT station is Stadium.
Within the mall, the Spa is located at the West Wing. When entering the mall, head towards NTUC Fairprice and take the escalator nearest to it.
The Spa has several other outlets in Thailand. From their website, it seems like different outlets have different offerings for their therapies. We will definitely want to give them a try if we ever visit the country!
Conclusion
We’d highly recommend Yunomori to anyone who’s looking for a great way to relax in a busy city like Singapore.
If you can get past the initial awkwardness of being naked around others like I did, bathing in an Onsen can really take away the stress of your body after long workdays.
What Yunomori offers is more than just a Spa experience. It is an ideal activity for friends or family to spend an entire afternoon together.
Check out Yunomori Singapore’s website for more information on the treatments and packages that they offer.
Looking for more things to do in Singapore because you can’t travel right now? How about kayaking at the Kallang Basin! Located just beside Yunomori, you can combine these 2 activities together into a full day trip! What better way to spend a day off.
