MTM Spa - BodyFul Swift Revival ★★★★★

The Spur: Simply put, I visited MTM Spa because I had a 50% off coupon that expired on this day. Not many people in Hong Kong even know what MTM is. It's quite a large Japanese cosmetics brand, yet its brand awareness is just crap. So for a little background: it specializes in high-tech "custom-blended skincare," which, frankly, is just confusing to the average consumer. Yes, I believe you can get creams custom-created for your skin, but many of their products, such as the ones they use at the spa, say "custom-blended" but were obviously not created specifically for the customer. But whatever. The spa is just glorious.

The Sticker: In line with their theme of customization, a questionnaire was presented before me so that the staff may help me choose the most suitable treatment. See, you can't look at the spa menu beforehand online or physically. It's all a big secret. So that they can sell you, of course. Well, I said flat out that I just want a massage around 60-minutes and pointed to the cheapest ones in the brochure. The girl, having initially suggested I get something more expensive, caught my drift, and to my surprise, pointed out one treatment that's by far the best deal. It is the BodyFul Swift Revival (75 minutes, $980). It involves a full-body massage, followed by a moisture mask (on the face), during which a Japanese foot massage is applied. As a comparison, the regular 60-minute massages are $975, so for just $5, you get 15 minutes more treatment. Seriously this is a gem in that big brochure of overpriced bliss, and glancing down the price list, it clearly doesn't belong. The girl later told me that this treatment is so cheap because they stuck it in during the financial tsunami (she initially just said "tsunami" and I took pause, thinking what's the 2005 tsunami got to do with Hong Kong spas?), although I take everything salespeople utter with a huge grain of salt.

The Atmo: The location on busy Yun Ping Road in Causeway Bay is a bit unusual but convenient. They say the design is award-winning, and it is quite cool. It is a lot of white, some really modern light fixtures, a kind of chain mail curtain, a very high ceiling in the lobby, minimalistic, techy-calm, the iPod of spas. When I arrived I was greeted heartily - but the environment manages to remain hushed at all times. ★★★★★

The Goods: I was led upstairs to the changing area and instructed to take a shower first. The changing area is small but beautiful and immaculate. This is when the Japaneseness of the place shines. Everything is a bit small but makes perfect sense. There are plenty of amenities in front of the mirror, including MTM products, a tiny hidden box of makeup, even contact lens cases, and a woefully small and weak hair dryer. There's no sauna or anything hydro except the showers, but the showers are beautifully tiled with mosaic glass in shades of green and again, smaller than usual but perfectly functional. ★★★★☆

The Service: The staff are extremely eager and professional. The cleaning ladies play an integral part in the overall service. They are the ones who attend to the customer's every need in the changing rooms with huge smiles. Before changing into an alarmingly small robe, a little drawstring bag was provided specifically to store my underthings. I am reminded to wash my face since I will be getting the mask done. The attendant took me to the shower, made sure I had the face wash and provided a little basket of neatly-arranged amenities, such as shower cap, disposable underwear, pantyliner - very considerate. Interestingly, there is a little electric wire of some sort in the corner of the sliding shower door. I realized it makes a faint buzzing sound when the door is open, and someone is standing in the shower's drying-off section, which alerts the attendants somewhere that someone is exiting the shower. Wow. ★★★★★

Treat Me! The masseuse was just as friendly as everyone else. I must say also that this was probably the best massage I've ever had. It's not like at some spas where the same people give massages and facials (and manicures!). They have separate masseuses and facialists here. She was really good, just extremely professional, doing every right to keep the customer at ease. Before she started, she reminded me that the whole point is to relax. It's easy to forget to relax sometimes! The staff here also communicate really well, because the salesgirl had told her my preference for lighter pressure - and she continuously made adjustments until I thought it was just right (which turned out to be not light at all). There were also nice little touches that I noticed, such as when she covered my eyes when I was face up, it was with a nice eye pillow, not a towel or pieces of damp cotton. After the treatment, it was shower time again, when the masseuse suggested I use the moisturizer afterwards, and grabbed it and stuck it in my shower. Amazing service here, truly. Then there's dessert on a tray (sesame pudding, but I saw another customer get served something else) with ginger tea and warm water. Yes, it's pricey here without the fancy steam rooms and jacuzzis, but it feels worth it in the end. ★★★★★

Lastly, the sell. They sell really hard here. The tactic is to have you sitting down at all times in the lobby area, so you can't just slowly inch toward the door. They do have trial prices for first-timers. Highly recommended.