Revived at Bali 9 Reflexology & Spa

 

Since 2012, we started to see development plans for Iskandar Puteri that turned brown fields into buildings for commercial, residential and leisure destinations.

 

Facade of Bali 9 Reflexology & Spa
at Sunway Boulevard 88, Sunway Iskandar

Developed on a site that spans across 1,800 acres in Iskandar Puteri, Sunway City Iskandar Puteri is Sunway’s largest integrated township to date.

 

Planned with a full range of services that comprise education, hospitality, entertainment, retail, commercial and residential components.

 

Sunway Iskandar, as it is popularly called, became my regular destination for grocery shopping and dining at the Citrine Hub and Sunway Big Box, the first retail hybrid park, since 2019.

 

It was exciting to witness the opening of Sports Direct.com in 2020 and later, Sports Direct USC in 2022 but my deepest joy was when BookXcess opened at Sunway Big Box in 2020.

 

The reception counter in the lobby

I also had the pleasure to participate in food reviews hosted at the Pendas Café in Sunway Big Box Hotel and joined events held at the Sunway Avianna Residences.

 

When the commercial area dubbed, Sunway Boulevard 88, opened, I was pleased to discover a range of restaurants, charming cafes and boutique businesses here.

 

For those who are unfamiliar with the layout of Sunway Iskandar, Sunway Boulevard 88 comprises rows upon rows of interesting shops, located between Sunway Big Box and the Sunway International School.

 

Bali 9 occupies two shop units plus upstairs

Readers may know that I have been busy with my Heritage Walks in downtown Johor Baru in the past few months, with the most recent Walk on March 23, so the rest in between the Walks was very welcome.

 

When a friend suggested that I should go for a relaxing treatment at Bali 9, I replied with a deluge of keen questions like, where it was located, what type of therapies they offer, who are the therapists, among other queries.

 

With a name like Bali 9, my guess was that Bali was the inspiration for this place and I was right because the owners enjoyed their experience in Bali so much that they decided to bring that experience here for everyone to enjoy.

 

A straightforward menu with
Happy Hour rates at Bali 9

I could not help but continued to ask, “And what about the ‘9’ in its name?”

 

Their reply – which reeks of confidence in their treatments – was that their professional treatments hold a promise to send guests to Cloud Nine, a phrase that describes a sense of well-being.

 

Such a reassuring explanation simply made me to head out to Bali 9 for my own therapeutic experience.

 

To reap the benefit of not meeting the weekend crowd, I checked for their Happy Hours and found that it was from 11am to 5pm on weekdays and from 11am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday.

 

I arranged an appointment for 2pm on midweek Wednesday, right smack in the middle of Happy Hours to enjoy some 35% off the published rates, and headed out with Florence, fellow food-taster and trusted assistant who deserved proper pampering for all her hard work.

 

Separate cubicles with "O" windows on side walls
that can be opened by drawing back the curtains

A smooth drive from the city along the Iskandar Coastal Highway brought to Sunway Iskandar. I exited the roundabout adjacent to Sunway Big Box and headed towards Sunway Boulevard 88 where Bali 9 is located nearby.

 

I liked that there were ample parking lots along the shopfronts and parked just steps away from Bali 9 which occupies two units, plus upstairs, in Sunway Boulevard 88.

 

Upon entering the lobby, the sight of low shelves arranged with pairs of guest slippers reminded me that we were required to remove our footwear to put on their slippers.

 

Feet washing before foot reflexology treatment

With feet shod in comfortably light foam slippers, we looked at the menu to select our treatments while the receptionist answered my queries about the facilities.

 

I was pleased to note that theirs was a straightforward menu of treatments in choices for Foot & Shoulder and Body Massage either with oil or traditional massage.

 

On the lobby level, I saw cubicles arranged to the left with the Men’s Changing Room at the rear while the Ladies Changing Room was through an archway in the unit to the right.

 

Inside, there were toilets and lockers complete with keys to store personal items safely before we started the treatments, beginning with a foot reflexology treatment.

 

The therapists invited us to wash our feet before leading us – each to a separate cubicle – furnished with a comfortable deck chair with foot rest.

 

In separate cubicles for foot reflexology
treatment, with the "O" windows opened

It was interesting that the row of three cubicles were designed with large round windows on both of the side walls for guests who may wish to draw back the curtains and chat with their friends in the cubicles on either side.

 

As we sat back for the foot reflexology treatment, we agreed that this was a fun arrangement to kick-off a Girls-Day-Out activity at Bali 9.

 

In addition to these cute cubicles, there were twin chairs in a double room upstairs for pairs of people to enjoy foot reflexology in the same private room.

 

Our therapists, who were from Myanmar and Thailand, could speak/understand basic English so we could say what pressure was preferred. But if I let out a yelp when she pressed on a tender point, my therapist certainly understood such universal language…

 

I could not help snapping shots of
my therapist in action

After our tired feet and calves received the relaxing pampering they deserved, we were ushered into a therapy room for the next part of the treatment, body massages.

 

Since Florence chose an oil massage, I picked the traditional massage so as to have a different experience.

 

Before the therapists left the room for us to prepare for the treatments, her therapist left Florence with disposable items for her to wear after she removed her clothes.

 

She was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a set of disposable panties complete with brassiere for her to protect her modesty.

 

I learnt ahead (from quizzing a friend who had prior experience in Bali 9) that we need not remove clothes for the traditional massage so I was dressed in comfortable sports attire with no worries about getting my clothes crushed.

 

Skillful therapist at work
on my tired calves

When the therapists returned to the room to start our treatments, all conversation ceased as we surrendered our bodies to the strong hands of the skillful therapists.

 

[I noticed that curtains provided privacy on the doorways for the therapy rooms and not doors. The shut doors were only for the Male and Ladies changing rooms.]

 

When my therapist worked her magic on my tired body, I felt the fatigue lifting bit by bit as she undid the knots and realigned my body to normality again.

 

I knew she was well-versed about pressure points on the human anatomy as my therapist systematically exerted bearable pressure on me. Meanwhile the song playing on a loop in my playlist was John Cougar Mellancamp’s rock tune, “Hurts So Good!”

 

Revived and restored after the treatments, I then understood why Bali 9 claims that they would send their guests to Cloud Nine…

 

A peek into a single
therapy room located upstairs

Back in the lobby, we were invited to make our tea from the tea choices available at the counter and enjoy warm tea before leaving.

 

And yes, we remembered to change the comfy slippers for our own footwear. The receptionist chuckled and told us that some guests literally floated out after the treatment and left wearing their comfortable slippers!

 

The best part about this therapeutic experience was our chat – as soon as we got into the car – on when we will be back again, with our friends and family, for the next rejuvenating treatment.

 

Our chit-chat continued about our Bali 9 experience which was an interesting mix of therapies where Chinese foot reflexology paired well with both the Balinese-style oil massage and Thai traditional massage.

 

Bali 9 Reflexology & Spa is located at Unit L75 & L76 Sunway Boulevard 88 of Sunway Iskandar in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. Open daily from 11am to 1am, with last entry at 11pm. 

For reservations, Tel: +6010 762 5757.