Review : White Elephant Spa – the most affordable spa with a CSR Initiative!

If you’re a fan of spa and massages, you would definitely have heard about Thai Odyssey before. Thai Odyssey is famed for traditional Thai massage, providing customers with an authentic experience since their masseurs are from Thailand itself. In the early few months of 2017, Thai Odyssey started a new venture by the name of White Elephant. Similar to Thai Odyssey, this new spa offers their core service of traditional Thai massage in a family friendly, cosy environment. What sets it apart is that thss spa — the White Elephant is actually a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, with a collaboration with Jabatan Tenaga Kerja (JTK) Sabah.

From the responses of the job-seekers in Thai Odyssey’s branch in Kota Kinabalu, the local women there have expressed interest in learning a new skill. Hence, the massage academy trained these local young women and with that, a new opportunity arises to have these ladies work using their new learnt Thai massage techniques. White Elephant is the first concept outlet which provide these ladies a place to work, one which they feel comfortable at and have a sense of purpose and belonging.

The spa is located within the grounds of Centrepoint in Bandar Utama, at the corner shop of the second floor and I was invited to try the Traditional Thai Massage for a duration of 120 minutes. I was greeted by a cosy, relaxing ambiance as I stepped into the spa. The ladies greeted me politely and I was ushered to a large seating area before my masseur was ready for me. While waiting, I took a look at the Services Menu and found that there are four types of services offered.

They are Half Body Massage, Traditional Food Massage, Traditional Thai Massage and Thai Aromatherapy. What surprised me when I looked at that was the prices of these services! It was very affordable, so much so that this was probably one of the cheapest massages service I have seen around. Note: I’m comparing to legitimate establishments offering similar services. So much so, that even this place was cheaper than it would be in Bangkok, Thailand. Since I just returned from a trip there, I can validate that.

Once my masseur informed me that we’re ready to start, I was first asked to remove my shoes and change to the slippers provided. The shoes are then kept in a locker. Next, I was ushered to an area with basins where my feet was washed and scrubbed! Now, this was a first for me.

Then, I was given a set of clothes to change into in my room. The rooms are simple, fitted with a firm mattress and a pillow. Lemongrass tea was served before the massage treatment and you’ll have an option of having an eye mask over your eyes through the massage.

Personally, I have never been a fan of Traditional Thai Massage because of how painful they usually are. My whole body would tensed up with pressure whenever I had those kind of massages. But this time around, the massage started on slow, easy with a flow to it. Most importantly, my masseur asked me if the amount of pressure she was using on me were sufficient and she’d occassionally asked me if it’s alright.

The Thai Massage includes the rhythmic pressing and stretching of the entire body. The stretches involved moving parts of my body into various yoga-like positions, most of which are new to me even though I have tried Thai body massage before as well. It was always done in a gentle manner, to ease my body into those various positions. All-in-all, despite my past horrid experiences (at other locations) I found myself enjoying the massage this time around. Once the treatment have ended, you’ll be served with lemongrass tea again.

I truly enjoyed my experience here especially since the service here is top notch. They were polite and serviced with a smile… they were a bit shy though but that was granted given their background. As I mentioned above, these ladies originate from Sabah and they came to work here in the beginning of the year. The concept of being able to contribute back to the society by opting for a massage here versus other outlets definitely won me over. I would recommend this place to friends and family looking to get a massage! What more, the prices for the services is another plus point. So, you know where to head next if your body needs to be pampered! It’s best to make an appointment, I’ve included the details below.