Couple look from a rooftop pool over Singapore Marina

Best spas in Singapore

By Karleen Stevens

Think of Singapore, and certain experiences always come to mind – taking a selfie underneath the Supertrees, drinking a Singapore Sling in the historic Raffles Hotel, and watching the sunset from a traditional bumboat are all top-rated tourist traditions not to be missed. But for those of us who like a little luxury, there’s no better place than Singapore to pause for a bit of pampering and to shake off the jet lag. Whether you need some reflexology for tired feet, a romantic couples escape, a pool with a view or an invigorating scrub to rejuvenate your sun-soaked skin, you’ll find it all and more in Singapore. Here’s our recommendations for the best spas and experiences in the Lion City:

  • The Thai Spa
  • Aramsa Garden Spa
  • Banyan Tree Spa
  • St Gregory Spa at ParkRoyal
  • Remede Spa at St Regis
  • Auriga Spa at Capella
  • Oasia Resort Sentosa
  • Yunomori Onsen and Spa

The Thai Spa

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Possibly the most famous spa in Singapore and certainly one of the most popular, The Thai Spa is located in Suntec City, a large, modern mall north of the river between Raffles Boulevard and Nicoll Highway. Here you can experience a traditional Thai massage, renowned for its use of yoga poses, aromatherapy and pressure points, or choose Thai reflexology, slimming therapies, a peppermint body scrub or Swedish, Balinese and Lomi Lomi massage. Couples can even luxuriate in a private rose honey milk bath jacuzzi, and everyone gets a private shower.

Aramsa Garden Spa

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A bit of a trek – but worth it once you get there – the Aramsa Garden Spa is situated in Bishan Park, a 153-acre reserve along the banks of a former canal. The spa itself has 17 treatment rooms, all of which have their own private courtyard with outdoor showers and jungle backdrop, so it’s perfect if you want to get back to nature – or at least to escape the city for a while. Enjoy a mineral garden bath or rainforest shower with botanic views, then continue your nature escape with a walk around the park’s wandering paths, butterfly habitat and lotus pond.

Banyan Tree Spa

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Head to the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel and on the 55th floor you’ll find the Banyan Tree Spa, there to offer you city escapism with an unmatchable view. From your treatment room you’ll be able to look out over the bay, perhaps down at the ArtScience Museum or Floral Fantasy, or even watching the sun set over the Supertrees in the Gardens by the Bay. After your pampering, have a wander around the oriental-themed water gardens then head up to the Ce La Vi SkyBar to enjoy more of the views with your favorite cocktail.

St Gregory Spa at ParkRoyal

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This is a hotel spa with all the trimmings. Here you’ll find a rooftop infinity pool and jacuzzi with a cocktail bar to match, set in an architecturally stunning hotel complete with living balconies draped in greenery and colorful cabanas. Try a workout in the glass-walled gym-box or stroll along the 300-meter-long garden walk, looking out over Hong Lim Park and the city skyline. Try a treatment – they specialize in skin treatments and Chinese medicine – then complete your zen experience by joining a traditional tea ceremony at Tea Chapter, a short walk away in Chinatown.

Remede Spa at St Regis

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It’s all about luxury at the St Regis, which is known around the world for its sumptuous décor and superb service. The spa features steam chambers, a Finnish dry heat sauna, a hydro massage pool and a Vichy shower. Guests will also be treated to exotic teas, champagne and the hotel’s own floral-scented chocolates. Treat yourself to a mani-pedi or a black soap and rhassoul hammam ritual (which involves a soft steam scrub with a face and scalp massage), stretch out on a warm, eucalyptus-scented marble slab and drift along in the heated outdoor whirlpool. Afterwards, take a tour of the hotel’s decadent décor and private art gallery, then top up on fresh air in the UNESCO World Heritage Botanic Gardens nearby.

Auriga Spa at Capella

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Sentosa island is made for leisure lovers, with beaches, theme parks and luxury hotels aplenty. One of the best of those is the Auriga Spa at Capella, where you’ll find a herbal steam room, a vitality pool for full-body water massages and a relaxation lounge with ‘sound wave’ chairs. For treatments, you can choose from Balinese, Thai and Shiatsu massages, or a soothing Senja Sunyi massage which uses warm moon stones and scented body balm. Auriga uses only natural and organic products, and each of the treatment rooms has its own private, alfresco garden. It’s located on the south-western edge of the island, so once you’re done it’s an easy walk to spend the evening relaxing on the beach or watching the Wings of Time evening light show over the water.

Oasia Resort Sentosa

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Another one on Sentosa, the Oasia offers some unique experiences including the cryotherapy facial, bamboo scrubs and ‘Mini-Me’ treatments for 13-16 year-olds. There’s also a meditation room which offers forest bathing therapy, and outdoor classes including pool aerobics and sunset yoga. The Oasia is in a convenient spot right in the middle of the island, so it’s easy to get there on the Mount Faber Cable Car and is close to Universal Studios, Madame Tussauds and most of the island’s beaches.

Yunomori Onsen and Spa

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Located in the Kallang Wave Mall next to the National Stadium, Yunomori gets you relaxed and limber for your massage by offering a Japanese Onsen experience. The onsen baths are treated with hot spring minerals imported from Japan, and you can choose from soda, silk, bubble, jet and cold baths, each at varying temperatures. One admission fee gets you all day access to the onsen, steam rooms and saunas, and you’ll get a traditional milk drink to enjoy after your treatment. Just be sure to learn and follow onsen etiquette before you go – men and women bathe separately, always shower first, and note that underwear and swimsuits are not allowed – though you can take in a small towel or use disposable underwear if you want to.

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Win A Sailing Experience & Cable Car Sky Dining for two this Black Friday

Our Black Friday Giveaway has now ended. Take to the sea and the sky for an experience of Singapore like no other. First, you’ll head off on a four-hour afternoon adventure as you sail to the hidden beaches of Lazarus Island. Feel the wind in the sails as your boat zips through the water and ferries you to secluded destinations. Start off in style with bottle of cold champagne and watch the crew expertly set the sails. Then later it’s your turn to steer as you'll get the chance to take the wheel yourself! Next up, you’ll head for skies as you rise above the city by cable car to the top of Mount Faber. Enjoy a unique dining experience as you’re delivered authentic Singaporean flavors with freshly prepared Bento, in your own private cable car cabin. Treat your tastebuds and your eyes as you fly 100 meters above sea level and marvel at panoramic views of the city. You’ll get the best of Singapore, from around and from above, with this full-day excursion! How to enter For a chance to win this incredible prize, all you have to do is purchase any of our Singapore passes between 9AM Tuesday 22 November 2022 and 11:59PM Tuesday 29 November 2022. Once you’ve purchased, you’ll be automatically entered into the giveaway. Easy! If you’re the lucky winner, we’ll contact you by email by December 15, 2022, so look out for us in your inbox. Click here to view giveaway terms and conditions
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Neon sign advertising live music in green and red lights.
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Singapore Bars with Live Music

Singapore is one of those cities that never sleeps, with oodles of late-night (and all-night) entertainment if you know where to look. And what better way to kick off a fun evening out with friends than by getting your feet moving at one of the dozens of Singapore bars with live music? From sultry jazz joints to crazy rock ‘n’ roll nights and silky smooth soul, we’ve got you covered with our guide to live music bars around the city. So what are you waiting for? Pull on your glad rags, buckle up those dancing shoes and shimmy on in! Timbre Timbre is a local legend of some pedigree with several venues around the city, each with a more unwieldy name than the last. These are the places to go if you fancy tapping your feet along to well-known local and international bands over a few casual beers or cocktails. Set in the historic district by the waterfront, Timbre X S.E.A is perhaps the best of the bunch, serving up pizza, wings, Southeast Asia-inspired dishes and live tunes in a beautifully restored colonial building. Head east to Changi for sister venue Timbre+ Eastside @ Expo. Effectively a modern hawker center with food and drink options galore, and live music every evening, it’s a cool and colorful place to hang out with friends. Last but by no means least is Timbre+ @ One-North in Queenstown, another hawker center with high-octane rock bands and a lively crowd. Find it: various locations Blu Jaz Cafe Kampong Glam, one of Singapore’s hippest ‘hoods, is where you’ll find the ultra-cool Blu Jaz Cafe. Look for the electric blue (or should that be blu?) neon sign a stone’s throw from the landmark Sultan Mosque and enter the bar’s seductive glow, where on any given evening you can expect live jazz music, poetry slams, open mic comedy and late-night DJs. The drinks menu is every bit as eclectic as the entertainment, with a cocktail list that’s longer than your average experimental improvised jazz performance. Find it: 11 Bali Lane, Singapore 189848 Cool Cats Cool cats, crazy cats top cats, and hepcats: all are welcome at this seductively swanky jazz joint directly opposite the historic Raffles Hotel on Beach Road. Hit up the hotel’s legendary Long Bar – frequented by a boozy who’s who of iconic 20th-century legends over the years, including Elizabeth Taylor, Ernest Hemingway, Christian Louboutin and Queen Elizabeth II – and sample the signature Singapore Sling before slinking over to Cool Cat’s unmarked doorway and entering the dimly lit New York-style bar – all velvet drapes, plush cushions and brass fittings – for some of the hottest jazz and coolest craft cocktails in town. Sip on an Ella Fitzgerald-inspired Singapore Sling/French 75 crossover or try the Smoked Fig Sidecar, with its nod to Prohibition-era recipes and the smoky sounds of Miles Davis’s trumpet. Find it: 32 Beach Rd, Singapore 189764 Shake Eat So beloved of Singaporeans that they made a TV soap set there, Holland Village (or Holland V to those in the know) is one of the city’s most happening districts, a thriving shopping and entertainment hub that draws crowds of (mostly) young people. At the heart of this diminutive district is the colorful Shake Eat bar, where you can expect high-energy Mandopop and Cantopop acts performing equally colorful tunes. There’s live music every night and, if the bands don’t float your boat, plenty more to entertain you, from darts machines to beer towers and more. Find it: 34 Lorong Mambong, Singapore 277691 Hero’s I just can’t, I just can’t, I just can’t control my feet. And why would you even want to at the toe-tappin’, shoe-shufflin’, booty-shakin’ boogie wonderland that is Hero’s? The party really gets started when the resident live band takes the stage at this massive Wild West-themed bar in Boat Quay, and it isn’t long before their repertoire of the classic rock and pop classics has the whole place on its feet to bust some hip-swivellin’, hand-jivin’ (ok, that’s enough now – ed.) moves. Not your vibe? Don’t worry: there’s live music six nights a week and a smattering of chilled acoustic acts mean it’s not this high octane all the time. But try telling that to the dudes in the VIP beer-tap booths, attempting to drink their way to the top of the ‘most wanted outlaws leaderboard’. An extensive menu of burgers, kebabs, pasta and pizza provide plenty of opportunity to temper any... overindulgence. Find it: 69 Circular Road, #01-01, Singapore 049423 Maduro This hip Dempsey Hill lounge bar comes over like a friend’s living room, if your friend happens to have impeccable taste in interior decor and Singaporean jazz, that is. Pull up a chair at this plush hilltop hideaway, surrounded by the neighborhood’s lush greenery, and indulge in a few choice cocktails as you soak up the sounds of the finest local crooners and chanteuses. The playful cocktail menu takes the Jazz Age theme and runs with it, with classic manhattans and whiskey sours to satisfy discerning punters. After a few of these killer concoctions, you might imagine yourself listening to Nina Simone in a smoky New York nightclub, circa 1968. Yep, Maduro is that good. Find it: 40C Harding Rd, Level 3, Singapore 249548 Muddy Murphy's Irish Pub It’s a truth universally acknowledged that every city worth its salt should have at least one great Irish pub. And Singapore’s is Muddy Murphy’s, a truly Irish bar that was purportedly built in Dublin, then dismantled and shipped to Singapore back in 1996. This place has it all: cozy nooks and traditional wooden booths, exposed bricks and beams, walls festooned with vintage adverts and other knick-knacks, live music and, of course, great Guinness. Expect the kind of lively atmosphere for which these themed bars are renowned, with great craic and traditional Irish pub bands bringing the entertainment. Find it: 442 Orchard Road, #01-02 to 05 Claymore Connect, Singapore 238879 Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Best Markets in Singapore
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Best Markets in Singapore

Nothing invigorates the soul quite like a bargain. Finding something of true value and getting it for a steal is a high many of us chase throughout the year. Discounts and deals are just in our blood. But stumbling upon one yourself gives you a rush like no other. So, if you're visiting Singapore this year and have an itch for bargain hunting, you're in luck. You'll find plenty of markets there. But which are the best? Rather than force yourself to delve into the tomes, documents, and online hearsay, we've done all the legwork for you. Read on, and discover our picks of the best markets in Singapore, and go hunt down some sweet, sweet bargains. Including: Chinatown Street Market Bugis Street Market So Gelam Market Little India Arcade Far East Plaza and more! Chinatown Street Market Let's kick things off in the Far East. Chinatown, to be exact, where you'll find the eponymous Chinatown street market. It's most famous for its delicious food offerings, with plenty of authentic Chinese and Singaporean dishes cooked fresh every day. If you have a taste for satay chicken, dim sum, duck, or laksa, you're bound to be in heaven as you wander the market, surrounded by all the brilliant smells. But that's not the only thing you'll find here. You can also pick up plenty of souvenirs to take back home, interesting nicknacks, and even clothes should you need an item or two. Bugis Street Market Looking to steal a bargain during your market travels? Then Bugis street market is one of the best in Singapore. You'll find plenty of bits and pieces around the place you can pick up for under a buck. Need some keepsakes to remember your trip, or want some presents to bring back for your friends? Bugis has got you covered. But it isn't all bargains - you can even find quality clothing and accessories if you comb the place hard enough. You might be surprised at the labels you'll find in tucked-away corners. And you certainly won't be paying high street prices for them, so what's stopping you? So Gelam Market So Gelam is the king of flea markets, but it's also a fickle beast. It only runs over the final weekend of the month, so if you're in town before that, you may miss out. However, if you're lucky enough to be around when the market's on, you're in for a real treat. Anything goes at So Gelam. You might find beautiful prints in one stall, and the next may be stacked with old electronics. If you're a collector of older, forgotten things, you'll have a field day here. But that's not all, because you'll also find freshly squeezed juice stalls, produce stalls, and even fresh food prepared on-site if you're feeling famished. Little India Arcade If you're in the market for Indian trinkets, spices, and shawls, then Little India Arcade is the perfect market for you. Given Singapore's large Indian contingent, it's hardly surprising there's a market dedicated to South Asian splendor. You'll find everything among its stalls, from traditional herbs and spices to incense, jewelry, and pashminas. Unlike some of the markets on this list, Little India Arcade is an indoor affair, so no matter rain or shine, you'll be more than welcome to brave its streets and find the perfect item! Image courtesy of pac_aleks/Shutterstock Far East Plaza Welcome to one of Singapore's oldest markets! Well, not a market in a traditional sense, at least. This ancient commerce site is now home to a six-story shopping complex replete with over 800 shops, stalls, and sellers. If you're looking for bargains on electronics, clothes, and accessories, then Far East Plaza is the place to be. It's so well known throughout the city that thousands descend on it every weekend to seek out bargains and go home happy. And alongside all those sweet bargains, they also have plenty of beauty shops where you can get a massage, mani/pedi, or facial. After an entire day of bargain hunting, you've earned some R&R. Haji Lane Jonesing for some up-market shopping? Haji Lane's got you covered. Journey through its myriad shops, and you'll find designer labels, unique boutiques, and even high-end homeware. Even visitors of a less permanent disposition will find things to take home with them. Craft jewelry has made a big splash in Haji Lane, with sellers offering exotic pieces you won't find anywhere else on Earth. And, if you need to take a load off, you'll also find cafes and bars to sit down and refuel before you head further into high-street heaven. Image courtesy of ZDL/Shutterstock Holland Village If you're visiting Singapore to escape the high-street bubble back home, head to Holland Village for some truly authentic fresh produce and cooked meals. Discover dozens of stalls filled with fresh fruit, veg, meats, and seafood. Perfect if you're staying in an Airbnb or a place with a kitchen. But, of course, with so much street food on offer, you may end up leaving full to the brim! Noodles, chicken, and rice dishes are the name of the game here, all soaked in authentic sauces and paired with Singapore beers and cocktails. You could even spend an evening exploring all of Holland Village's delights. Arab Street And finally, if you're in the market for Middle-Eastern treats, then Arab Market is one of the best markets in Singapore. Nestled in the Kampong Glam neighborhood, you'll find this bright lane flanked by small shops selling authentic Middle-Eastern food, garments, accessories, and pretty much anything else you could want. And those are our picks of the best markets in Singapore! Whatever your heart desires - and your wallet can afford - is bound to be found somewhere within the above! After all that shopping, you might be wondering what else Singapore has to offer. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Check out Go City and visit some of the best attractions in Singapore! With our Explorer Pass and All-Inclusive Pass, you can pick and choose the city's best bits for one low price.
Dom Bewley

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