Hello friend, welcome back to PEDESTRIAN.TV’s journey of Kuala Lumpur, uncovering all that the culturally rich capital has to offer. My stomach’s still full from that food journey we embarked on. Check out that tummy-tingling adventure below:
The next mission I embarked on? To treat myself as much as possible without breaking the bank.
When it comes to KL and spending, I’d heard that the savings were pretty damn good in comparison to its neighbours (what’s good, Singapore?). Still, I was rather dubious – my bank account was tight and I wasn’t sure whether my truly luxurious fantasies would come to fruition.
That being said, I was ready to get opulent or die trying… in the name of self-care, of course. Alexa, play “Glamorous” by Fergie.
First up on the self-care agenda? Nails.
JAC & IVY
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To successfully reach the pinnacle of self-love, one must get their nails looking fly as all hell, obviously. Jac & Ivy – one of the most prestigious nail salons in KL – was the answer, with an abundance of cool nail art on offer, and options like marble art, stickers and bedazzled diamantes. And when I say options, I mean thousands of options. Naturally, I chose Marilyn Monroe stickers, because, well why the fuck not?
Toot, toot, sis, the self-love train has now officially departed.
HAMMAM SPA
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Fun fact: a hammam is a traditional Turkish bathhouse which rose to prominence way back when as a meeting place for people to congregate and socialise. This particular hammam was actually the first in Southeast Asia. The very presence of hammam in KL symbolises the manner in which the city successfully merges a whole variety of cultures and practices.
As soon as I walked in, the atmosphere was electric and my wild Scorpio brain was instantly calmed by a wave of tranquility. I chose to be rubbed, scrubbed, pressed, steamed, ironed and every other verb that exists in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Safe to say, I left in that slighty-comatose-but-extremely-satisfied state. Success.
RENAISSANCE HOTEL
It didn’t take me long to realise that I could get a lot of bang for my buck here in KL, and this also applied to my choices of accommodation. If you’re broke with expensive taste, like myself, you’ll be pleased to know that you can reside in literal 5 star accomodation on a budgeter’s dime. I almost felt a bit of imposter syndrome at the Renaissance Hotel Marriott – like I didn’t belong amidst all of this luxe living…
…but then I snapped myself out of that negative thinking and reminded myself that this trip was about treating myself. I then settled right in…
PAVILION
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If it gets too hot, many like to hide away in air-conditioned palaces. Cue Pavilion, which has to be one of the biggest shopping malls in KL. I was blessed (or maybe cursed) with so many options in one place.
This was, without a doubt, the most pampering and self-indulgence I’ve ever done in one day – I not only boarded the self-care train but I became the fully-fledged, unapologetic train conductor. The best part about this fancy KL lifestyle? I felt entirely guilt-free about it – with all of this cheap living, I felt like a true budgeting baller.
If you’re thinking about where to travel next, why not chuck the opulent yet inexpensive KL on your list with AirAsia?
It’s called self-care for both you and your wallet, sweetie, look it up.
