Get updates. Enter your email address:

Subscribe

Subscribe to manila gay guy.


Dec 28
Friday
Beauty and Wellness
Body Scrub + Massage at Revivir

revivirspa.jpg

One December evening, I went to Revivir Spa, a quaint little massage place tucked in one of the narrow alleys perpendicular to Tomas Morato in Quezon City. I was there once before, I even wrote about it here although did not mention it was in Revivir. (That Star Masseur has since moved on from that place; last I heard, he’s busy managing his barbecue joint somewhere in the cool hillsides of Antipolo.) That December night, I had an agenda, which was to try out Revivir’s Body Scrub + Massage package. Priced at Php 1,000 the package was pretty tempting. I thought to myself, 2 hours of pampering at Php1k? Not bad. Besides, who knows what pleasurable extras I would enjoy within those 2 hours. Hahaha! Well, how did I find my visit? Read on and find out.


Location

First I like the owner’s choice of the location. Revivir is along a quiet road in a busy Quezon City district. Meaning, it enjoys the best of both worlds — easy to get to, yet discreet and quiet enough to be a short microvacation hideaway. It is in a residential cluster of apartments, with a lighted signature signage that simply says Revivir. Pretty, actually.


For the Urban Gay Man

Just before you enter, you will see evidences that the owner has indeed put some thought in assembling this place for its niche market: the urban gay man. Decent landscaping of the greens right in front, quite a welcoming sight considering other massage places catering to the same market usually have a wishy-washy dubious thing about them. Revivir stands out in that regard. It’s clean and homey.


Alain

Alain, the manager of the place is himself like a neigborhood barkada/friend in the way he treats guests. He is a former masseur (although he still does it pa rin daw, as a sideline to being the spa’s manager) and you can see that in his physique — guwapo, matikas, and extremely pleasant short of being saccharine. When I arrived he wanted to show me the masseurs in his stable so I can take a pick — but I had a previous arrangement. I told Al, Revivir’s owner, to give me his best masseur. And so he did. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Greg, a simple but goodlooking enough masseur, picked among the stable to take care of the royalty of the moment, me.


Starting the Scrub Experience

Starting off, Greg asked me to take a quick shower. “Sir, para mag-open ang pores ninyo before ko kayo i-scrub.” I was confused with what he said, but was nevertheless obedient. I showered alone, although I must admit I would have enjoyed (and prolonged) the shower more if Greg was there with me inside the stall. Hahaha!

After the shower, I proceeded to Room #2, a spacious room with floor-level bed and a kawayan throne. Cool. Greg scrubbed me with a watermelon-smelling concoction all over my body. He was very meticulous and made sure every square inch of my skin has been scrubbed. Literally every square inch. *wink* After about 40 minutes we proceeded to the bathroom (yes, this time he accompanied me — weee!) where he helped me wash the scrub material off my body. He did it in the buff (double weee!). While doing it, he was proudly telling me about a massage technique he would try on me, “sir, gawin ko sa inyo mamaya yung ‘body massage’ masarap yun!” I was again confused (ain’t it really part of the package? But with the way he said it, I kind of surmised he was referring to a special massage technique — and boy was I right!)

He toweled me off like a disappointed baby (I thought he would go naughty on me while in the shower), but he snickered and I kind of imagined he would do that in Room #2 after my ‘body massage’. Thanks to EQ I was able to wait and did not gobble him up there and then.


The Massage

We went back to Room #2, where he did a dry massage on me. The massage was good, not noteworthy, but nevertheless good. He knew some good pressure points, although as points of improvement he probably should have more confidence in pressing some points harder than others. Per my experience very few masseurs has this skill (I’ve only found 2 so far).

Greg’s ‘body massage’ consisted of using his body to massage mine. I was lying face down, and he on top of me, on my back — just oil/lotion between our skin. It was very sensual, I being naked, and he… yes, he was too. Whew! (Just writing this down makes the room uber-hot. Hehehe!). I probably should not detail what happened after that, and let me just say Greg was very generous, and was willing to give what would translate to total customer satisfaction *wink*

One other notable thing about Greg is his attentiveness to me, his client. I guess it’s one of Revivir’s strengths — they train their masseurs well in this area.


Recommendation

Finally, do I recommend Revivir? Based on my experience, yes, very much so. The management has put together a place that respects the discriminating taste of urban gay men. As far as the service quality goes, Revivir should continue with encouraging their masseurs to ensure customer satisfaction. I know that some clients may go overboard in terms of expectations so it would be a challenge for them to satisfy all. And this is the part where I would put my disclaimer — all disappointments really come from failed expectations. So do a reality on your expectations, friends/future Revivir clients. (Fortunately I’m not one of those divas who feel mega-entitled, so it was easy to please me.) So if you’re like me and have very moderate expectations as regards ’service’, I would say give Revivir a try. You might just come out as one happy and loyal customer, just like me.


Final Note on Service Consistency

P.S. I believe the consistency of service quality can never be 100% controlled by Revivir — or any spa for that matter. In this industry, I would say 80% of the customer experience is under the individual masseur’s control… so even if I was totally satisfied with Greg one day, if I come back on another and say, get another masseur, I will not expect to have the same experience. Just a little word of caution.

* * *


For More Info

From Revivir’s site:

Revivir Spa
RELAX. REVIVE WITH US!

109 Scout De Guia Street, Quezon City
(Near Tomas Morato)

Landline 410-5249

Mobile
0917-858-5295 (AL)
0919-660-7575 (GERRI)

Landmarks: Jollibee, Aruba Bar, Cheesecake, etc. — all at the intersection of Tomas Morato and Scout De Guia

We have ample parking space and 24-hour security guard.

RATES
First visit is PhP 500 for one-hour full body massage. Future visits are discounted by Php100.

We do home or hotel service …. PhP 700 + actual transportation expense.

HOURS
We are open from 5pm to 2am daily. We have stay-ins who cater to guests arriving outside these hours.

We also take appointments.


Post Tags:
Enjoy the Article? Subscribe!

37 Responses to “ Body Scrub + Massage at Revivir ”
  1. Yes d former star masseur of revivir- Jake/Adonis alrdy has his own direct selling business Sometimes we go out 4 a drink

  2. i’m not judging what others do, but inquiring minds want to know: doesn’t paying for sex make one feel “unwanted”?

  3. harrypotter

    Dec 28, 2007
    Reply

    tried the massage thrice months ago. satisfied naman ako.
    meron na din palang body scrub. ma try nga.

    migs magkano naging total cost mo?

  4. harrypotter

    Dec 28, 2007
    Reply

    tried thrice na their massage. satisfied naman me.
    di ko alam na may bodyscrub na pala.
    ma try nga din.

  5. harrypotter

    Dec 28, 2007
    Reply

    sorry for the double posting, i thought di nag submit, nag re type tuloy ako e n post na pala, waah.

    pero ok jan sa revivir.

  6. praise release na praise release. IMO lang po. peace.

  7. harrypotter

    Dec 29, 2007
    Reply

    honga no? dapat humingi ako ng fee sa kanila.ROFL.

  8. with this article, i bet he gets a 200 peso discount in the succeeding visits hehe

  9. whats the standard tip ba for a happy ending? or sexy massage? i never know hw much to give.. i dont wanna be overly generous.. i dont wanna look cheap either.. anyone?

  10. @avp- 1k up to 1.5k but stl depends on you Kung super enjoy ka naman e pwde ng 5k

  11. i wana try it to.. migs for a beginner lyk me haha… wat cn u suggest wer shud i go? iv been reading ur posts bout massage parlors pero im kinda scared kasi pero i swear gusto ko siang matry so if u have any suggestions to wer affordable clean and satisfying for a dalagita lyk me plz share haha!! tnx… pm me sa blog tnx!!

    hapi new year!

  12. i already went to revivir. surprisingly, i was satisfied with the massage. I was a bit disappointed with the place. i value privacy very much and… well… just visit the place to know what i’m talking about. i suggest that you get the VIP rooms.

    and oh, the masseur i got was not good-looking but i think he’s only a teenager! i hope not! but the nips are telling me he’s freshly picked :)

  13. Massage Boy

    Dec 30, 2007
    Reply

    Praise release nga. No offense, Migs. I know you mean well but the Revivir owners is probably taking advantage of your reputation to gain more customers. They’ve been receiving very bad feedback from dissatisfied customers lately. Check the weblink below for more unadulterated, honest to goodness reviews on Revivir and other spas and massage parlors:

    http://pinoypride.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5024&page=31

    http://pinoypride.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5024&page=32

  14. I tried Revivir and am satisfied with Cris, who has been getting both good and bad feedback. Ok naman siya.

    The place needs some improvement still. The turkish bath was in a small shower stall (nagkakabanggaan kayo ng masseur na magpapaligo, which may be a good thing also).

    Anyway, they are still new and can still improve. Good luck.

  15. peak fantasy

    Dec 30, 2007
    Reply

    hi migs, share mo naman how much tip you gave greg for that “extra service” after your body massage? i can visualize what happened..sigh..

  16. I’ve been tp revivir yeserday. archie was the one who did the bathing, massaging and some extra… he’s a good masseur… i had a very relaxing massage… he is cute for me… nice body but the THING… is small and he had a hard time keeping it up… (overworked. i’ll be going back for another massage there with archie minus the extra(because it is not worth it)

  17. @satin- how much did u give 4 d extra service

  18. satin? ano ginawa sa extra?

  19. mga baklah talagah papatusin lahat ! KYEMS!!!!!!

  20. Yung Datu massage parlor din ba yun kasi lagi kong nakikita pag papasok nako ng opis ang gagwapo nung mga tumtambay sa labas pag gabi. Along the way papuntang Cubas E Rod ata yun…please advise

  21. Jun Lozada

    Feb 18, 2008
    Reply

    to patrons of male massage parlors, including Revivir: if you are paying more than 1,000pesos to the masseur and the center for a “less than 2 hours” body massage, with or without extra service INCLUSIVE ALREADY in the 1,000pesos, then you are either a sucker, or a rich person, or simply desperate. To pay more than a thousand pesos to masseurs who are mostly (not all, but almost the majority) untrained in anything related to massage, is actually silly, pathetic and degrading. Fact is, the more you pay, the lower the masseurs think of you. Because they know how “worthless” they are both in service and performance, but yet they are able to “squeeze” so much from you. It is about time that Gay Men DECIDE, DICTATE AND DEMAND A MANDATORY UNIFORM PRICE/RATE FOR THESE SERVICES. Good Day.

  22. Yes markus. Datu is a massage parlor. Go there and all those guys can be urs. You will be spending at least 2k.

  23. Jigen Riztag

    Mar 2, 2008
    Reply

    With the permission of Migs.

    Markus,

    Datu on E. Rodriguez Avenue near New York Street, Cubao, Quezon City is a “massage shop” catering to bakla men and gays.

    I went there late evening of Thursday, 22nd February 2008 hoping to get a good body massage. One of the men hanging out outside ushered me into the lobby where I was greeted by a man in his 50s. He turned out to be the manager. You can peek through a small window and choose the masseur from amongst the mainstays in the show or holding room. That night alone I saw more than twenty male therapists, some of whom have “pleasant and good looks”; while others have average and below-average looks.
    There are gym-toned, athletic, slim and bulky men working at Datu.

    At Datu, you pay Php350.00 for the room and Php500.00 for the massage. The place is not cozy and does not appeal to people with discriminating tastes. Except for what look like a single-size wooden bed, the rooms are tiny and bare. The manager will proactively offer a certain masseur especially the one who has not gotten any customers yet, but you can always pick the guy you like. He will even readily encourage the chosen masseur to offer extra service if the customer asks so, which service I declined because I only needed a “good massage”. He hands a freshly washed bedsheet to the masseur before the latter leads you to the rooms upstairs. My chosen masseur selected the streetfront room for us.

    The service was poor and sloppy, an evidence my therapist knew nothing about body massage, although he claimed he had been practicing the “skill” for over a year. The massage lasted less than an hour, and as soon as he told me we were done, he asked me to lie on my back and he quickly dropped his boxer shorts, revealing his 3-inch long sleeping bird. I was shocked! At this point, he turned off the light and approached me, and was about to lick my right nipple when I motioned for him to move away. I told him straight into his face that I came only for a massage and not for any extra service. I also told him I was offended by his solication of sex service in exchange for Php1,000.00. He countered “virtually all customers” in his shop asked for sex service after a massage. I refuted his claim saying not all customers would seek extra service, and unfortunately for him, I had no interest in such service, lecturing him on the difference between a legit masseur and a callboy. He was a bit embarrassed but still persisted on offering sexual pleasure. I declined anew, this time loosing my patience. I hurriedly put on my clothes and shoes and told him I would pay the massage fee of Php500 + Php100.00. He begged for Php700.00. I said “No!’. After giving him the payment, I left the room. On my way down, I saw the manager standing by the stairs, probably waiting for me. I ignored him. As I faded into the lobby, I heard him say “Salamat, bossing!”. The masseurs in the lobby also “thanked me” for coming but before I could finally step outside, I told them I would never return there because the masseur did not know how to massage.

    My advice to you and other interested persons: Do not go there if you are looking for a good body massage. I opine Datu, which my masseur claimed is owned by a cop, is a front for prostitution.

    My disappointment that night only encouraged me to proceed to Mr. Body Physique along Kamias Road in Quezon City where I had a truly excellent whole body massage performed by Al. I paid Php600.00 upfront to the information/customer desk for the room and the massage, and gave Php600.00-tip to Al. I declined his sex service offer, despite his insistence.

    Jigen Riztag

  24. ryan andrei

    Mar 14, 2008
    Reply

    i heard a lot of complains in these establishment., especially the manager Mr. Geri, he’s very rude..many of my frends experience unbecoming act and how he treat the clients..i just hope the management will do something about to change the impression of the people in your place..

  25. Island Body Spa at Jupiter Street has great massage service

  26. u try billy he is great in massage and extra service…he is also biggie….his look is very gwapo.. try him and you wont regret it.. super bait ba ang attitude

  27. Hi Jeanny,
    What do you mean by “great massage service” sa Island Jupiter Spa?
    May extra service ba? =)
    TY!

  28. Hi jeanny,
    where is this located? What are their amenties? Is it really a spa or just an MP with just a shower area? What are their services?

    TY!

  29. hi to all readers, i will take may 2 weeks wacation in Manila, I want to go with Revivar….whos the best massuer? and where are other places for massage and good extra??? please reply.

  30. Try to join the revivir yahoo groups. There are photos of the masseurs there. And the yahoo groups discussions give some feedback on the performance of the masseurs. I have had Cris and Justin and have been very satisfied with their various services.

  31. hi i hve an expirience w/ this massuer he is a chinito, bodybuild w/abs, and he is o nice, he is the best for me among all that i hve been tried he is “?”. if you wanna try this guy just send me ur email at ryan.contreras@yahoo.com

  32. can you give me the exact name of the revivir yahoo groups. I recently visited the place and it was so disappointing, the massage was done poorly and the massuer was really obscene in a very bad way.

  33. Metro

    Manila shuts down reflexology center

    Friday, July 11, 2008

    The Manila city government has shut down a reflexology center and arrested nine men working as “reflexologists” for allegedly engaging in prostitution.

    Retired colonel Franklin Gacutan, who heads the Mayor’s Complaint and Action Team, reported to Mayor Alfredo Lim that during the raid on the Blue Palm Reflexology in Bacood, Sta. Mesa, the team found pornographic materials and boxes of unused condoms.

    The team also found used condoms that littered the center, “bolstering information that the establishment was being used for prostitution,” according to a statement issued by the Manila city government.

    Gacutan said Lim’s office received an e-mailed complaint about the center’s male therapists offering “extra services” to clients, both male and female. – Sandy Araneta

  34. Wala na ba si Justin sa Revivir? Nawala ang pictures niya sa yahoo photo folder

  35. re Marebro’s query, yes wala na si Justin sa Revivir. as well as a few more.

    it’s sad to note that the place had stagnated. kept urging them to offer gimmicks and something different specially to old time clients, but I guess they thought they didnt need to do that coz theyve been getting good reviews anyways.

  36. Revivir has apparently closed. The lease has expired and the owners did not find a comparable and affordable site.

    The website has also shut down, with messages and photos removed.


1 Trackback(s)
  1. Aug 7, 2008 : Revivir No More | manila gay guy
Post a Comment



All content and source © 2008 manila gay guy | News Plus wordpress theme brought to you by Zidalgo.

WordPress Lightbox JS by Zeo