Xi Shi Well Being - Bringing Relaxing Massages to your Doorstep

So I will admit it, my favorite thing about living in Asia is the massages. I am a huge fan of any sort of massage whether it is body or foot and I recently discovered a new service that makes body massages SO much better! Xi Shi Well Being is a women's only mobile massage service that allows you to have all the benefits of a professional massage in the comfort of your own home (or hotel).

Spa lover Rebecca Ting created Xi Shi because while she loved all the pampering she received when getting a massage at a spa she didn't like the ordeal that came after her treatments such as redoing her hair, reapplying her makeup and the all over groggy feeling she had as she stepped out of the darkness of the massage room and into the busy HK streets. We all can understand Rebecca's feelings and I can't even count the number of times I woke up after a massage wishing I could be transported straight into my bed.

After hearing about Xi Shi I had to try it out for myself and I am so happy I did. The whole process from start to finish was a very pleasant and relaxing experience. After I booked my appointment I answered a few questions that ranged from the type of pressure I liked to the choice of music I wanted to listen to during my treatment. My therapist (Xi Shi only has women therapists) arrived 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment and made sure that everything was prepared for my treatment. She set up the towels on my bed, turned on the music and created a very calming environment for my massage. Being that I was in my own bed I found myself slipping in and out of a deep and comforting sleep and the best part was being able to put on my comfy clothes after the service was finished. I had my massage in the evening and I could have easily gone straight to bed. I would suggest not having any plans after your massage...because all you will want to do is relax at home!

The service was so good that my husband came home to a very de-stressed and happy me that evening. Being a massage lover as well, he was pretty jealous of me too. I guess he will still have to go to the spa for his massages but I am now hooked on having the spa come to me!

Check out Xi Shi's website for more information on the variety of services that they offer. You can book online or call (852) 2892-7399.

Ray of Light

So the real dark and rainy monsoon season weather has set in. Brace yourselves for the fact that this could go on for about another 6 weeks... ick. Hopefully these sparkly and other-worldly fashion images with bring a little light and inspiration to your day. 

We're hoping our Bikini Bootcamp will still be able to go ahead tomorrow - in this season it's even more important to get out and active so you don't feel too "under the weather". We'll keep you posted on whether it's still on! 

Applying Makeup On A Flight

We all travel long distances these days. Whether you are heading home to see friends and family, going on a business trip, or just going somewhere fun for a holiday, you still want to look refreshed and great as you get off the plane. This video provides some fabulous tips on how to look your best after a long flight.

Sample Sale

Sassy got wind about a private sale from HK Fashion Geek for the Fall and Winter 2009-2010 samples including shoes, handbags, fashion, and accessories. Designers are Cavalli, GF Ferre, Exte, and C'N'C. The sale starts Monday and goes through Wednesday. You don't want to miss out on this!

First Jellies, now tie-dye?

Not sure this is one I can get on board with... Though this picture is so cute!

Inspiration: Vogue China - Edwardine

Images via I Know What You Wore Last Season

Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away

If you happen to be in search of some new things for summer you should stop by Pacific Place this weekend. Until May 24th, if you spend HK$1,800 (or above) in a single day at Pacific Place you can win a tailor-made Cruise worth HK$30,000 from Swire Travel! Those who meet the spending criteria can also participate in an instant win game to win prizes that include gift vouchers from Anteprima, Fendi, Jean Paul Gaultier, Loewe, Max & Co. and Sportmax. Pacific Place will also be awarding one lucky winner per day with a Swire travel holiday certificate and a free night at Sofitel.

To get everyone in the mood for a summer cruise, Pacific Place has set up a cruise ship in the Garden Court. Mannequins are scattered throughout the ship's deck modeling clothes from the brands mentioned above. I stopped by the other day on my way to Great and I wanted to make a detour and go shopping so I could participate in this wonderful promotion, but my growling stomach put me back on track to the supermarket!

If you stop by the Garden Court in Pacific Place you may also get lucky and see a Broadway style song and dance performance called "A Nautical Summer". The performance is held 3 times daily so check out the schedule posted in the mall for more details.

For more information on the Pacific Place Summer Sail check out their website.

Jellies Have Made An Official Comeback!

They say that fashions come, go, and come back again. Who would have thought that the 1980's Jelly Shoe would be one to make the fashion pages in 2009? Well, they are back and everyone from See By Chloe to Marc Jacobs, and even Jimmy Choo have their own take on these plastic shoes.

Givenchy

Tory Burch (available at Lane Crawford in many colours!)

Kenzo

Jimmy Choo

See By Chloe

Michael Kors

May Manicure Monday was a great cure for the Monday Blues!

This past Monday was our third Manicure Monday at the Feel Good Factor. We had a great group of girls come out and we all enjoyed an express manicure, wine and a lot of girl talk. You can't beat that for $100!! The most popular nail color of the evening was a pale pink (which is usually my go to color!) and we did have some adventurous girls who opted for some bolder color options. This month we had two lucky draw winners. Kate won a pedicure and Ana won an express facial. At Sassy we think there is no better way to get over the Monday Blues than with a manicure and good conversation with friends (oh, and maybe some wine too!) We hope to see you at our next Manicure Monday on June 15th! With the Hong Kong temperature rising every day it is the perfect escape from the hot summer nights!

Thanks for all the girls who attended this months Manicure Monday. Special thanks goes out to Helen and her staff at the Feel Good Factor. You can see the rest of the photos from the night on the Sassy pics page on our site. 

The Retreat Spa, Repulse Bay

Last week Maura and I escaped....

...On a beautiful sunny day (even in Central), we climbed into a taxi and ran off to Repulse Bay. Such a wonderful place to run off to after you have been surrounded by tall buildings and densely packed people for so long. One often forgets that in Hong Kong the most important thing, even if one loves Hong Kong, is to get out of it. You have to let your eyes see the horizon and rest upon green spaces. It is good for the soul.

We headed to The Retreat, a wonderful new day spa on Beach Road, where they know that pedicures, delicious smoothies and organic sandwiches are also good for the soul. Enter its cool, white reception, and instantly feel more at peace. The staff are welcoming, the decor is calming, and the Eden Cafe (a mini version of Eden Restaurant on Arbuthnot Road), will make you feel as though treating yourself is positively virtuous. We were warmly welcomed by Antonia, the Spa Manager, who showed us around and told us about the great treatments The Retreat offers, from hair styling (they have a Toni & Guy salon inside), to facials, Yummy Mummy massages, and fung shui therapy for your home from $3 per square foot - net or gross we're not sure!

Fully stacked with berry smoothies and armloads of glossy magazines we headed into the nail salon. Very different from anywhere else in Hong Kong, the chairs are separate from each other, and in a white leather, super-modern style. There is a great choice of colours, and the therapists were very thorough, giving lovely foot massages and a great final result. The chairs even allow for the nail drying machine (do those have a proper name?) to balance on the end, so there's no need to maneuver oneself into one's flip flops and then stagger across the room. Let's face it, this "maneuvering" and "staggering" is not exactly a hardship normally, but still nice to do without.

We emerged blinking into the bright sun light, full of plans to return and bring our husbands to enjoy the signature "Life's a Beach" treatment. It would really make the perfect end, or beginning to a day at the beach. Very highly recommended!

The Retreat

1/F, 33 Beach Road, Repulse Bay

www.the-retreat.com.hk

2803 1862

Chanel Cruise: 2010

On May 14th, Karl Lagerfield unveiled the 2010 Chanel Cruise collection on the beach in beautiful Venice. The setting for the fashion show was rightfully chosen because Lagerfeld's inspiration for this new collection was the classic Venetian glamour of the 1930's. The show took place at the Excelsior hotel on the Lido beach. Lagerfeld was quick to explain his reasoning “Venice has a genuine dark and mysterious side to it that fascinated me. I really like the Italian spirit and the Venetian lifestyle. And let’s not forget that Coco Chanel came back to Venice for 10 years."

The collection certainly reflected this Venetian theme. Think nautical with loads of stripes, brass buttons, and wide brimmed hats. Models sported 30's bobs and walked down the boardwalk as 300 guests watched the show from wooden deck seats. Open toed wedge boots were worn with most of the looks. The lion, Venice’s emblem and also Coco Chanel’s birth sign, appeared as a print on flowy sepia-toned or black-and-white chiffon dresses.

I am coveting this Chanel headband worn to the show by actress Kasja Smutniak.

Super High Heels for Spring 2009

If you are searching for shoes that will make you a little bit taller, then head over to Celine in the Landmark Building. Check out these shoes that I spotted yesterday (above)!

The ideas for Celine's collection comes from the '60s drawings, by the artist Charley Harper, representing little animals like fish and birds. It is easy to understand the influence of these years in shoe design. The color scale consists of a mix of brilliant and fluorescent shades like pink, turquoise, yellow, pastel, and more natural colors like grey, beige and pink.

Celine isn't the only fashion house showcasing exaggerated heels and surreal designs for Spring/Summer 2009. Here is a peak at some of the shoes in stores now:

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs

Karo :(Could these have been the inspiration for Marc Jacobs?)

Dior

Dior

Antonio Berardi

Chanel

Chanel

Metamorphosis Coaching with Perri Blake Gorman

Are you looking to make some changes in your life? If so, then you must learn more about Perri Blake Gorman, the creator of metamorphosis coaching.

Getting to know Perri:

Perri started coaching after working as an Executive Recruiter in the Global Financial Services industry. It was one of the most powerful and liberating experiences of her life, but not without deep reflection, realization and assessment of her life, her values and even her identity. Taking on the work as a life coach to share this ability to transform and find ones' "right life" is extremely meaningful to Perri. To read more about Perri's bio, click here.

Call to set up a Free Consultation:

I met with Perri for a consultation to learn a little bit more about her coaching and it was such a great experience. Not only does Perri make you feel as comfortable as if you are talking to your girlfriend she really helps you identify the root causes of the things you want to change in your life. She provides you with homework assignments and questions that will help you begin your road to a better you!

"Declutter your Life" Seminar on May 24th:

The declutter process is one that Perri feels very strongly about in that she believes that by decluttering your present environment and life you can let go of things, habits and people that are not serving you and your goal. Perri will be holding a special Women's "Declutter your Life" event on Sunday, May 24th from 3-6PM at La Bodega in LFK. The price for this event is $500. In this intimate gathering Perri will walk you through the "3 Pillars of Decluttering: Physical Space, Energetic and People". The seminar will include discussion, personal journaling and reflection. If you are interested in attending this event please contact Perri at theperri@gmail.com or 6506-8881 or visit her website for more details.

Awkward Family Photos

It's Thursday afternoon, and I'm dying to get out of "the office" and outside into the sun... Thursday evening is officially the pre-weekend as far as I'm concerned. 

If you're looking to while away a few dull moments you should check out Awkward Family Photos. Extremely funny, in a very painful kind of way - I'm sure my family has a few horrors tucked away that would go very well on this site!

Need a new Swimsuit? Check out Ozzie Cozzie!

Sassy just completed its first Bikini Boot Camp session this week and I am already dreaming about how I am going to look in my swimsuit once the 5 week session is over. I have been wearing the same couple of bikinis for a few years now so I think it is about time to treat myself to a new one (or maybe 2 or 3...)! I will be heading over to Ozzie Cozzie, which prides itself as being "Hong Kong's best swimwear collection for ladies, girls, men and boys". I heard about this store from a friend last year and she raved about the collection of swimsuits they had. In addition to the great selection they are very knowledgeable in fitting all shapes and sizes.

Wearing a bikini at the pool is one thing but when I am heading over to the pool bar for a relaxing cocktail I need something stylish to pull over my suit as a cover up. I was in Ozzie Cozzie the other day and they had some great cover ups that will be sure to take me from my home, to the pool and then over to the pool bar in style!!

Ozzie Cozzie

3A Grand Progress Building

15-16 Lan Kwai Fong Street

Central, Hong Kong

852-2810-1356

Kate Spade Fall Look-Book

It's super-girly over at Kate Spade for this Autumn - I love all things sparkly and glittery, so I'm already coveting those shoes... take a look at their look-book to pick out what you would desire! 

Bikini Bootcamp is today!

Bikini Bootcamp will kick off today at 7pm in Hong Kong park (meeting at the Peak Tram at 6.45pm). It looks like we're going to have a great turnout, so we've even arranged for a second personal trainer to ensure you'll have plenty of individual attention. The sun has even decided to come out just in time... to make us really hot... 

Different fitness levels will be accommodated - you can always join me at the back of the pack if you're like me and think you might die if you run for longer than two minutes! 

The cost is $150 for the hour-long session (payable before the session by cash or cheque) which includes a special goodie bag with various summer-themed discount vouchers as well as a special bootcamp booklet and towel. 

Hope to see you there! 

May Sassy Hour at FINDS

Thank you to everyone who came to our May Sassy Hour at FINDS last Thursday! We had 75 girls come and couldn't have been happier with the way the night turned out. The weather was wonderful, the drinks were plentiful and the company was delightful (as always)! As is customary with any Sassy event, there were plenty of drinks, food (yummy Finn Fries) and conversation. The Sassy girls all enjoyed the outdoor terrace at FINDS and whether they were there to chat with old friends or make new ones there was a good time had by all.

At Sassy we still can't get enough of all the stories we have been hearing about girls making new friends at our events. At this Sassy Hour we learned that two of the girls are now roommates and another pair discovered that they were both from Idaho in the US. They said the chance of meeting another girl from Idaho here in HK is pretty small so for them it was an "it's a small world" type moment...which was fun to see!

We have to say a special thanks to the American Women's Association (AWA) for co-hosting this event with us. We also want to thank FINDS for being so great to work with. One lucky Sassy girl even won a $500 dinner voucher from FINDS!

We are already looking forward to the next Sassy Hour and hope to see you all there on Thursday, June 4th!