I have been so tired of late and so in need of some good ol' pampering that I decided to go for a massage. But as always, I call my regular spa too late (on the day itself) and they never have a slot for me. The number of times that the Strawberry Butter Meltdown has eluded me is unfathomable. So anyway, I decided to try my luck at a facial in their sister establishment - Mask at Wheelock Place.

With my body needing more soothing than my face, I opted for a Mask+Neck & Shoulder Massage for $58. But the therapist told me that for $60, I could get a Mask+Scalp+Face+Eye+Neck+Shoulder Massage, which was just great for me because I needed as many parts of my body massaged as possible.

So I plopped myself onto their "Zero Gravity Chair" which tilted me backwards into a 180degree position and there my pampering began. Don't expect a thorough cleansing because this is, after all, an express facial which is simply a cleanse/exfoliate/mask routine without all the painful extraction stuff. I would have loved to go for the full on-slough-off-all-my-dead-skin-cells facial but they didn't have the time for me. The 35 minutes of pampering went by just too fast. I loved the neck and shoulder massage with essential oils. When she placed a warm towel over my decolletage and shoulders, it was PURE HEAVEN. The facial was okay, nothing out-of-this-world but I guess it will have to do unti l I find the time to book myself for a more heavy duty one. But the massage... oh... loved the massage. I was even sad when it was over.

Would I go back? Probably. But a word of advice - they're pretty hard sell and will try to get you to buy a package but if you stand your ground (like I did), you'll get out pretty unscathed. Truth be told, I hate the hard sell tactics. It really spoils the whole spa experience. I'm there to relax and be taken care of, not stress over how to say no to an $800 package. Still, apart from that, I had a pretty nice time there.

So if you're in the area and want a fuss-free facial, go check it out. My overall experience - 6.5/10. Worth a shot.