Amarin Spa

Amarin Spa took over the space previously occupied by St Gregory Spa. Operated by Marina Mandarin Hotel itself, it should be fairly safe, and less worry of it closing down suddenly if you sign up for a package of treatments. Well, at least I would like to think of it that way.
I was late by 10 minutes for my appointment due to unforeseen traffic congestion. As with any other spas, I was aware that my treatment time may be reduced if I was late, so I was pleasantly surprised when the therapist did fulfill the 60 minutes treatment. That was nice of them.
The place is calm and soothing with the quietness a spa should have. It is not overly dim but is filled with soft lighting which is easy on the eyes. I really dislike it when you stepped out of a spa and need to blink furiously against the light outside. This did not happen at Amarin Spa.
There are chairs in the reception area for guests to fill in the registration forms, and also a lounge just off the area where you can relax for a while after the treatments. There are pots of tea on the counter though someone will have left a cup of tea with a small cookie on the table for you. This is also the area where the sales consultant will give you the typical spiel of their current promotion and package deal. This is actually quite surprising as hotel spas usually do not do it. It quite destroys the whole experience.
Why the 4 stars then? Other than the sales consultant ruining the experience, the spa itself is pleasant, with a clean and bright locker room. The treatment room is also spacious, no worries of knocking against the wall when walking around the bed to the mini closet to put your bag and clothes. The room I had also has a shower room in it. A proper shower room, with shower head and frosted glass door and draining system. None of those plasticky portable shower thing.
And I had a very good massage therapist assigned to me. She is simply amazing. She is very experienced and knows the problem spots. She also knows what she is talking about when I asked her about certain things. Basically because of her, I actually did sign up for a treatment package which allows you to either have a massage or facial. That is quite flexible which is good. The drawback is it is only valid for a year.
As with any spa which sells packages or relies on package holders, it will be hard to get a last minute appointment, especially for the popular weekend and after work week night slots. I was advised to make an appointment at least 2 weeks in advance for those timing.
TIP:
The nearest MRT to Marina Mandarin Hotel is Esplanade on the Circle Line, but it is not linked directly to it, so you do need to exit Marina Square Shopping Mall and then enter Marina Mandarin Hotel which is next door by its main entrance.
Parking is available at Marina Square Shopping Mall.