Healthy Manes with Phyto Hair Spa

Hair tugging while making out releases endorphins, which in turn intensify orgasms. Besides, it is more primal and makes love making more passionate. 


Men are attracted to women's mane. The thicker the better, the longer the more desirable. But not this...

Ok, ok...i think to erase that horrifying image, i think i need to populate your mind with less horrifying manes...

Longer hair have a significant positive effect on the ratings of a woman’s attractiveness, with almost 100% of the men i've asked telling me it's a HUGE mistake to cut short your hair, especially after a break up. Yet many women do, a sign of rebellion and liberation. It's a good idea actually. With short hair, you get hit on less and you'll be ready for the next relationship once your hair has grown back. A healthy amount of time for self healing.


Long hair increases the perception of good genes too. It takes years to grow long, thick hair so hair is a track record of your health.


So much focus on a woman's mane! However, hair loss is Singaporean men's worst fear (Straits Times, July 2011)! I can attest to that as my boyfriends disliked me running my fingers through their hair! They looked far from balding but they'll duck and fight my roving hands.


Hair loss has multiple causes ranging from genetics, poor diet, stress and more. The health of your scalp also plays a factor. Pollution and bacteria impacts the scalp environment that either promotes hair growth or accelerates hair loss.


So i visit Phyto Hair Spa for my regular mane maintenance.


There're dozens of articles about how to prevent hair loss on Google but i'm not going to copy and paste here because i don't know if it works as i haven't tried them personally.


But i do know that it is a pampering treat to visit Phyto with new movie titles every visit to pass the treatment time. To be honest, i don't see concrete evidence of it improving my mane (unlike acne...results aren't quite measurable) but for the past year, i've been doing the Dandruff Detox. It's like cleansing the scalp of bacteria and pollution regularly, ensuring a healthy scalp environment that prevents hair loss. With the abuse of hair perming and rebonding, i alternate the detox with Intense Hydration.


Phyto Hair Spa ($208 for a spa session) is not just for the ladies, but for men too.

Tug away at my mane.

Phyto Hair Spa
501 Orchard Road Wheelock Place #05-08A 
Tel: 6220 6948

Ngee Ann City Tower A, 391A Orchard Road, #05 - 26
Tel: 6734 6776 l 

Tangled.

When I was schooling, I often take bus 61 from Ngee Ann Polytechnic to Lavender for my weekly Takewando lessons. The bus got crowded as it inched towards my destination.  Upon arrival, I panicked, as I was nowhere near the exit.

Afraid the bus will rumble on without me alighting, I pushed my way through the sweaty bodies.  There was a shrill cry, but I didn’t waste time turning back.

Something was caught onto my wrist, I didn’t care. Something was holding me back, I lounged forward with might.

Finally, I gulped the breath of fresh air, stumbling down the steps of 61.

Watching the bus rumbling away, I saw an Indian woman’s face red with rage, fist clenched, raised and furiously shaking.  Unsure what the commotion was about, I raised my hand to wave back.

Then, I saw what the rage was about.

A chunk of her hair was caught in my bracelet and I had ripped it off her scalp.

With hair grazing your ass crack, the last 15cm is at least 1 year older than the rest of your hair! Suffering the most damage, going through 2.5 times more chemical treatments than the crown. Mine was certainly dry after the perm few months back.

Not wanting to risk Bus 61 happening to me, I make sure my hair stays silky soft, smooth and supple with Phyto’s intense hydrating treatment.

At $155, I do it every 3 months.  Other hair care tips I adhere to are:

1.  I apply hair mask (I use Asience) on my hair ends weekly, encased in a hair treatment shower cap ($2 from Daiso) for 3 minutes. You look like an alien with the aluminum-looking cap and it feels a bit steamy underneath.
2. When using a hair dryer, I use cold air and I blow-dry the crown and not ends.
3. Do you know why there is a shower situated next to swimming pools? I always thought it was for hygiene reasons and I selfishly won’t rinse myself before diving in (the other people can take my dirt!). However, if you wet your hair before entering a pool, your hair will soak up the initial water instead of the chlorinated water! That’s reason enough for me to rinse now.
4.  Instead of using shampoo on the full length of hair, I apply it on the scalp but avoid it on the hair ends. Instead I apply conditioner at the same time the scalp is shampooed. This is a great time saver tip as well.
5. Finally, I rinse off my hair with a good strong spray of cold water. Having the last splash of cold water on the body also keeps it supple!

With regular hydrating treatments and disciplined daily care, nothing is sexier as hair that swings as you move!

When in Rome.

Am a HUGE fan of Spartacus: Blood & Sand, even though the title reminds me of when i saw a sanitary pad on Sentosa.

A drama series on slavery, gladiators, brotherhood, greed, sex and violence. I am sure i've learnt alot about history from this banned show.

Like:

1) Servants are at the beck and call of their owner. They wear metal collars like dogs, a permanent fixture. The servants even help with the foreplay, eliminating the efforts of the husband/ wife.

2) Gladiators are often prisoners of war, slaves bought for that purpose or criminals sentenced to a Ludas (gladiator school). Even as a gladiator, full of pride and glory on the battleground, they can still be treated and degraded as gigolos by the very rich and powerful wives of the Romans.

3) Some movies depict the King giving a thumbs up or thumbs down in deciding a gladiator's death. However, that is historically inaccurate as the industry was merely dramatizing the hand signals. Thumbs up do not signify life and thumbs down do not signify death. Instead, if death is ordered, the thumb will be stuck out to the side in the manner of a drawn sword, fist closed.

If death is spared, the thumb is is tucked away inside the closed fist, signaling the winner to sheathe his sword.

4) The Romans do not wear toga all the time. Toga is formal wear, thinking that they wear toga always is like us wearing tuxedos and bow ties always.

5) The Romans often throw lavish parties to show power and weight, instead of decorating their premises with balloons and streamers, they like works of great art. However, at such short notice, sculptors cannot complete decoration in time. As an efficient alternative, they will order their slaves to paint their entire bodies grey and stand very still while holding large fishes.

Lived the Spartacus dream on the weekend at a friend's birthday. Zsofi Tapas Bar in Dunlop Street gave us a very spartan rooftop. An unlikely venue in Little India, it serves the best Sangria (white wine with apple and strawberry bits) i've tasted! With a rooftop where a DJ spins, it is certainly a undiscovered gem.

Got the new haircut and curls from Phyto!

Defined by Hair.

A recent study revealed that Singaporean men are most sensitive to hair loss. Not the beer paunch, not the skinny frame, but thin hair. Their self-esteem is largely dependent on the thickness of their hair.
I on the other hand felt ashamed of my kaboomz hair.

When i turned legal, immediately i went to straighten my hair. I would do at least twice a year!
So my hair became flat and boring, like anyone else on the street.

At least i was pretty, i think.

Then curls became trendy, and i wanted to be sexy.

I became like an Auntie. I remember spending $300 downstairs my house and it was so not worth it. I asked for the top to be flat (fearing i return to having kaboomz hair) and soft curls at the bottom. I came out of the salon with really frizzy dry and tight curls and really flat at the top.

I vowed never to curl my hair again.

Then i went to Japan and decided to risk it with their salon. It was after all, very cheap to get a perm ($60). Cheapskate me took a risky bet and came home with gorgeous hair.

I came home and within 2 weeks, the curls went flat. Japan's salon did warn me though. They said due to the humidity and achieving the big waves, the curls will be weak. Still, i thought it was $60 well-spent because i got to be sexy for 2 whole weeks.

I vowed to only perm my hair in Japan and kept my hair till butt crack long before i visit the salon again the following year.

This year, i got news that the salon no longer takes in non-Japanese speaking customers. They are such perfectionists that they fear a miscommunication.

I was gutted.

Then came Phyto.

A luxury hair salon located in Wheelock, they cut treated and permed my hair. I was taking a HUGE risk. Just 2 weeks before my summer holiday in Europe, if this screws up as bad as my first perm, how do i cam whore in Europe!?!

They came out as gorgeous as Japan's and lasted even longer than Japan's, that even if these pictures turned out awkward and hilarious? At least the hair's gorgeous.

Cuts start from $60 at Phyto.

Crowning Glory

I was once caught on Gotcha! I was checking out the street stalls along Kallang stadium and being a sucker for freebies, I was drawn to the stall that offered free Hanna paintings.

I perspire a lot and I am not without scrunched up tissues in my fist. I sat down, extended my hand and the lady started drawing on the back of my hand with Hanna (but actually brown paint). While she chatted with me, she started drawing obscene images and vulgarities on my hand.

Frankly, I was too caught up looking at her pretty face, I didn’t even notice what she was doodling on my hand! Only when she asked me to look down and asked what I think about her art, then I calmly told her “it’s different.” I wasn’t shocked, embarrassed or angry. I guess I was a failed prank.

What was embarrassing however was, the lady did not tell me I had huge pieces of tissue paper broken down from me swiping my sweat on my forehead! This image was captured on film and aired on national tv. For months, my prank was replayed on TV mobile and the embarrassing part wasn’t the rude drawings and nonchalant expression but these white bits.

That shame, is equivalent to having a date reach across and pick dandruff out of my hair.

And that, my dear friend, has happened to me not once, but many times.

I am not the type who’ll lament I’m fat knowing I’m not (I can’t stand girls who eat fries but blot them with tissue before!) So I’ll say I have a mild dandruff problem (or maybe I’m afraid to admit I have a full-on dandruff problem?)

For a long while, when dates pull dandruff out of my hair; I wave my hand, shrug my shoulders and say “oh, it must be remnants from the hair products I use before meeting you.” Or “oh, it must be the tissue I used to wipe my sweat!” Being a perspiring girl was better sounding than I have dandruff.

I am such a bad liar but thankfully none of my dates examine the white speck on their fingers.

One date even casually commented “it’s much more obvious because your hair is so black.”

If we were monkeys, I bet my white specks will be very attractive.

Why do people get dandruff?

It’s largely due to hormonal imbalance, and condition of the scalp. Dandruff conditions are the result of disorganization of cellular activity: cell of the scalp renew too quickly, leading to excessive desquamation of the scalp combined with bacteria. More than 30% of us suffer from dandruff. With higher level of stress in our daily lives being one of the main causes, dandruff problems can exacerbate and become a larger issue that may lead to hair loss.

How does one get rid of dandruff?

Through a proper and effective treatment and maintenance that helps one to achieve clean, healthy scalp and hair. With PHYTO Hair Spa’s Dandruff Detox (S$208 for 2hs which includes the signature scalp massage & infra red treatment / S$188 for 1h 45mins which includes the signature scalp massage), dandruff conditions such as itching or scalp congestion can be managed effectively through the exfoliation of dandruff that helps to slow down cell division. The treatment also has antiseptic and anti-fungal action, which is soothing and cleansing to the scalp.

How many sessions are required to typically cure dandruff?

There is no straight answer for this as it varies per individual. Typically, for a medium-serious condition, one would require between six to ten sessions.

I have done 3 at Phyto and my dandruff have diminished significantly. They still happen every now and then but at least you can't collect enough to form a little salt mound.

Boys can also be pampered too!

Domestic Goddess

If stay-home mums were to earn a salary, they would be getting USD 134,000 annually for all her work. And a housewife looking like this?

She'll earn an extra $80,000.
I couldn't afford the wage my mum deserves so i took my mum out for a Phyto pampering session on Mother's Day instead.

Luxury at its Best

Haven’t had time to eat? Phyto has a delivery service from a nearby Thai restaurant. Finally found the Malaysian Hokkien Mee ($4.50) that is black and don’t come with just prawns.

Some fortunate mothers get to play majong, have high-tea and buy LV but most mothers like mine hardly get time to put their feet up to veg out. Here at Phyto, amidst the nourishing hair treatment she gets to choose from the latest block buster (Wall Street, Unstoppable, Eat Pray Love) or Korean drama serials.


Holed up in a dark room, in a cushy Osim massage chair with complimentary free flow of hot honey lemon, I was ecstatic to get Protégé with my favourite actor Daniel Wu (who is sadly married now, but why should it matter? Fantasy lives.)

Visual and sensory delight as the therapist kneads the tight knots of house work away.

"I have too many fantasies to be a housewife.

I guess I am a fantasy.” (Marilyn Monroe)

At the start of every school year, my form teacher would always ask us what our ambition is. I raised my hand and said “a house wife!”


Without fail, she would chide me every year and said I can do better than that. Not allowing my teacher to thrash my dreams, I told her a house wife is not only a housekeeper, but a day-care teacher, a cook, an accountant, and psychologist. She is the CEO of the home!

The best present to give to a mum/ a girlfriend or a woman (period) is to send a pampering session down her way. I am preparing to be a domestic goddess with luscious hair like that.

 “I would be content being a housewife if

I could find the kind of man

who wouldn't treat me like one.”

(Terry McMillan)

The Phyto Experience

Here’s how I portion out my finances monthly. Half of it goes to savings (for rainy days and travel) and the rest is split up for other necessities. Shopping and beauty treatments are necessities. Like how men splurge on his car, women splurge on her body. Monthly maintenance on a woman’s image can be expensive, but mandatory.

Not everyone does it but I started caring for my body at 15. Looking good = feeling good = attracting opportunities in career, love and life.

However, if you’re a student or making ends meet; try home remedies to get the same effects. As a student, the only beauty treatments I get monthly without fail are facials. I do my own hair spa at home; get manicures and pedicures as a treat for special occasions.

Now that I am a working professional, my monthly beauty fixes are facials, manicures and a trip to the wax salon. A hair spa and a massage are indulgences I would like to treat myself to every 2 months. My hair is often neglected and it’s only recently that I start treating my hair with more TLC (tender loving care).

Better late than never, good thing I got the TLC started.

The Phyto experience was orgasmic. Facials are never enjoyable because of the painful extraction, waxing just leaves you squeaky clean and smooth, manicures make your nails look pretty for 2 weeks (only). All other beauty treatments are just part of the routine in making you look good, but getting a good hair spa not only makes me look good, but the entire process was mind-blowing (as I get my hair blowed). 

After neglecting my hair and not knowing how to treat it right for so long, I met the consultant who set me right from wrong. She analyzed my scalp and dispensed the right treatment for it. There may be Yun Nam and all other haircare centers about, but I’d dare say if you’re paying big bucks for treatments there, you’re better off taking your dough to splurge at Phyto because not only do they treat you for hair loss, dandruff, oil and sensitive scalps, they do it the pampering way! I had a trial session at Yun Nam before and it is incomparable.

The Phyto experience is getting your own relaxation corner where you change into bathrobes (optional) and slip into slippers (optional), sink into an Osim massage chair, sip hot lemon honey (other choices available) and watch the latest movies.

My consultant deduced that I have an oily scalp, coupled with hormonal changes and stress, I get flakes (dandruff, yikes!). When the scalp is unhealthy (oil=clogged pores), over time it can create hair loss. She isn’t trying to scare me, but I do get flakes occasionally and my long and heavy hair do fall when I comb through (this is normal though however if you drop more than 50 strands a day, you ought to start panicking).

Thus she dispensed for me the Oily Dandruff Detox Treatment. My therapist set to work cleansing my scalp first with Phyto’s botanical extracts to prep the hair follicles.
An anti dandruff ampoule is then used and massaged (not a patronizing 5 minute, but a full 15 minutes at least) my head to stimulate better absorption and promote hair growth (ahhh….bliss).

Then, it’s the Oxygen Therapy – A 20-minute process that involves the opening of hair pores through the oxygen therapy, that aids in better penetration, detoxification and ensuring healthy scalp for healthier hair growth.

Prior to washing the scalp and hair, an aromatherapy oil massage will be done to the scalp, providing hair and scalp with the essential oils that will penetrate deep to work on prevention of dandruff and encourage growth. (Not complaining of the multiple massages in a day!)

After the cleansing and rinsing of hair and scalp, an anti dandruff ampoule will be massaged into hair, sealing scalp with the protective guard that aids in prevention of dandruff in both men and women.

Finally, the Infra-Red Treatment that uses low intensity light and heat to jumpstart sluggish follicles and even resurrect dead hair bulbs. It reduces hair loss, accelerate hair growth and even stimulate hair growth on hair bulbs that have been dormant. A mere 15 minutes under direct Infra-Red Light can yield instant significant results.

The entire process took about 2 hours and it kills two birds with one stone. Caring for your scalp AND scoring a 20 minute shoulder and hand massage. Two orgasms in a row! Can’t get any better than that!

The Phyto experience doesn’t just end at treating your scalp. It makes sure you step out feeling and looking like a million dollars. You can request to have it thronged or straightened, perfect for a hot date, company dinners or girl’s night out! I stopped counting all many birds I get to kill with one stone just by stepping into Phyto already.

Like Barbie with beautiful soft curls, I prance towards my hot date with Rob Schneider.

Thank you Phyto for giving me some TLC when I need it most! $208 worth spending.

501 Orchard Road Wheelock Place #05-08A Singapore 238880

Tel: 6220 6948 l

Ngee Ann City Tower A, 391A Orchard Road, #05 - 26 Singapore 238873

Tel: 6734 6776 l

http://www.phytohairspa.com.sg