Nothing can beat a foot and back massage after a hard day at the campus and then getting stuck in traffic in Jakarta.

One ideal place to relax and recharge afterward is the House of Relax, also known as HoRe. Located not far from the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta, the massage house is open every day. Many of its customers are students who keep returning not only because of its low prices but also because of the laidback ambience.

A massage corner at House of Relax. Courtesy House of Relax

Although the building is not spacious and its parking area can only accommodate five cars, the wooden massage chairs, the decorative ceiling and friendly masseuses and masseurs make the 90-minute massage all too brief.

Tiara Widjanarko, 26, together with friend Nugrah Handandani, 27, opened HoRe in 2009 to provide customers with professional, but affordable, services. “I want everybody to enjoy massages. I treat my employees well so they enjoy working with me and can give their best to customers,” said Tiara, now the sole owner.

She said that HoRe customers included not only young moms but also teenagers and university students, including men. It has separate rooms for men and women, as well as for a group of friends or family.

It even offers massages for children, so anyone babysitting a nephew can also take him along.

“I’m addicted,” said Flora, a loyal customer. “It keeps its promise to cure my body aches as on its tagline of ‘gives a healthy massage without inflicting any pain’. Two thumbs up for the masseuses. I always sleep like a baby after a massage here,” said the employee of a private business on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta.    

Before a massage, a customer is served a ginger drink with five combinations of herbs that refresh and keep the body warm. No wonder many customers fall asleep during a massage.

“We want our customers to enjoy the treatments and not feel pain from the massage afterward. We want them to return again and again, and so their comfort is our first priority,” said Tiara.

A 90-minute full body massage is priced at Rp 55,000, a foot and hand reflexology massage Rp 45,000, while a back and shoulder massage is Rp 40,000. A 90-minute traditional Javanese massage is available, and you can ask for extra time to have a body scrub. For those wanting to retain beautiful facial skin, facial acupressure is recommended. The procedure is available for a very reasonable Rp 40,000.

“The other reason that I keep returning is that the service suits my budget perfectly,” said Flora.

House of Relax
Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Jl. Sungai Sambas 2 no. 2, Kebayoran Baru
South Jakarta, 12160
Phone: (+62 21) 726 2088; (+62 21) 9887 3443
www.thehouseofrelax.com

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