Lee Lian, Grace & Eileen. Lee Lian & Eileen are the founders of TOUCHE™ .
Whenever I ask image consultants or beauty queens for tips on how to look good, they tend to give the cryptic “There are no ugly women, only lazy ones” reply. I think the statement is flawed because a woman need not be lazy, just disappointed by the way some beauty places are run and thus not go for their facial (or other) treatments as often as they should. Case in point, spa and beauty centres which have folded and left customers stranded.
If you’ve been following my status updates on Facebook, you’d have noticed in July that I was extremely dissatisfied with my Groupon purchase of a $28 for 2 90-minute facial treatments plus facial kit package. I redeemed the Groupon voucher at the outlet in Vivocity (I shall not mention the company’s name). To cut a long story short, here’s what happened:
- Groupon voucher costs $28 (which I paid), while walk-in customers paid $18 for the EXACT same package in the SAME promotion period. Very strange business practice, don’t you think?
- Upsell pitch for $300 BEFORE treatment and upsell pitch for $2688 after treatment. I said I’d discuss this with my boyfriend when we got home. The consultant invited my boyfriend into the consultation room, told us she’d give us 5 minutes to decide whether to sign up for the $300 OR the $2688 package and left the room, shutting the door behind her. (Those of you familiar with NLP will know what an awesome double bind this was; used in the wrong way!)
- She pulled out the records of my friend, whom I’d mentioned to her is a regular customer of theirs. She pulled out all his records (last transaction, last visit, total amount spent, packages paid for, credit card used, etc) just to convince me that $2688 is a small amount as my friend had spent over $7K! And I didn’t even show her proof that I knew this guy; just mentioned his name.
So when I received a card via post, which included a Gift Certificate for a Grape Wine facial treatment, I was unimpressed. Not again! But now I have to admit – these Gift Certs are awesome birthday gifts! I redeemed the treatment at TOUCHE™ in Simei Eastpoint and TOUCHE™ managed to salvage the reputation of these facial places. I was impressed enough to later ask the founders for an interview, and I’m glad I did.
What I loved about the experience:
(No, they didn’t offer me any red wine to drink) 
*Very polite and welcoming staff even though I came with a Gift Cert and didn’t fork out any cash
*A very plush comforter, made me feel right at home and ready to snooze
*The pre-treatment massage was awesome. Too much blogging makes my back and shoulders stiff but that massage really hit the right spots
*I was adequately briefed about the procedure, what to expect, and what to do and not do after treatment – e.g. no swimming or other activities requiring prolonged sun exposure
*No hardselling involved. After the treatment, the sales consultant told me about the packages she had to offer, heard my need to think about the commitment first before signing, and bade me a cheery farewell. I guess that’s why they got their CaseTrust accreditation (when the company in Vivocity did not) and certification for Good Business Practices
What could have been better: better soundproofing (so I don’t hear any noises from outside the room), massage after instead of before the facial treatment (as the lymphatic drainage was so good; it gave me the sudden urge to visit the washroom AGAIN), briefing about the treatment process before instead of during the treatment (so I can sleep in peace) 
The treatment itself was relaxing and rejuvenating. But of course, that is to be expected from all facial treatments. What impressed me was the afterglow, and the improvement in my complexion. It was even possible for me to go out shopping without any makeup – this has always been a dream of mine! Having said that, we need to go for these treatments regularly because our skin still gets affected by our environment, diet, hormonal changes, stress levels, etc.
My recommendation to my lady (and sometimes, guy) friends would be TOUCHE™ , which has 4 outlets: Orchard Hotel, Palais Renaissance, Bugis and Simei. In all my 25 years, I’ve gone for only 2 facial treatments: the first left me deeply disappointed, the second impressed me.
So here’s the interview with the TOUCHE™ founders, Lee Lian & Eileen, conducted at their TOUCHE™ Elite outlet at Orchard Hotel. I like that outlet a lot and can’t wait to visit again! You’ll see why in the video:
Credit: Adrian Lee and Rai Suraj from VideoLane.com for the lovely video
Some things I learned:
- I have to use makeup removers as part of my skin cleansing regime. I used to just use a facial cleanser to get rid of my makeup; obviously it’s not good enough.
- Sunblock is essential! I went to TOUCHE™ with a bare face, expecting it’d be much easier for them since they wouldn’t have to remove my makeup for me. The consultant said I shouldn’t have worried about that, and at least put on sunblock to prevent any damage to my skin. Oops!
- Toners act as cleansers too.
I asked TOUCHE™ for a special promotion for my blog readers, and I’m glad they agreed!
Exclusively for readers of this blog:
Grape Wine AntioxidantPLUS Treatment at S$39 (Usual Price: S$350)
+ FREE Anti-fatigue Illuminating Eye Treatment
+ FREE High Precision DermaMap Skin Diagnosis worth S$175
*This is only for Singapore residents aged 21 and above who are first-time customers of TOUCHE™
*Advanced booking is required and you need to quote “Grace’s Blog” when you call any one of these outlets for the special promotion:
TOUCHE™ Elite 6221 6612
442 Orchard Rd #01-13 Orchard Hotel Shopping Arcade Singapore 238879
Orchard 6738 8441
390 Orchard Rd #04-02 Palais Renaissance Singapore 238871 (opposite Hilton Hotel)
Bugis 6238 0500
No. 9 Tan Quee Lan Street #01-02/#02-07 TQL Suites Singapore 188098 (Opp. Bugis Junction)
Eastpoint Mall 6789 6616
3 Simei Street 6, Eastpoint Mall #02-45/46, East Ave Wing Singapore 528833
(Next to Simei MRT Station)
I don’t know about the other treatments offered at TOUCHE™ , but I have tried this Grape Wine one and can vouch that it really works. Just try it once and you’ll know what I mean!
