City News catches up with successful entrepreneur Annie Tay who has made much headway in Singapore’s highly competitive spa landscape.
Contributed By Sharon Tan
Since its launch in 2005, beauty and spa center Inizio has been featured in local magazines such as Her World, Female, Cleo, The New Paper, Prestige and Shape. The plethora of accolades include being an editor’s choice, and selected as a “Must Visit” Spa in Female magazine in October 2006, as well “One Of The Best Places For Massages In Singapore” in the March 2009 issue of Cleo magazine. Recently this year, Inizio’s massage was lauded as “The Best Massage For Aching Backs” in Cleo’s April issue.
Managing director and founder of Inizio, Annie Tay, explains that inizio is an Italian word which means “a new beginning.” Inizio Spa has reinterpreted the age-old traditional Indonesian and Chinese massage techniques into modern-day treatments for work-weary urbanites.
“Although traditional massages have had a long history of providing one with health benefits, many of these massages have not been updated to suit the modern preferences of the working class professional. At Inizio, we apply the traditional techniques and infuse the treatments with the latest technologies in spa therapy, slimming, detoxification and anti-ageing,” explains Tay.
Inizio hopes that by revitalizing these techniques in the luxury of a modern spa setting, traditional massages such as the Jamu Slimming Massage and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Sculpting Massage will be better received by modern day working executives who will be able to reap the benefits of these massages that have been well tested and proven over time.
A former makeup artist, Tay’s quest for professional improvement in the beauty arena and desire for upward mobility challenged her to open up a spa business in the highly competitive market in Singapore. Her success today is proof of her tenacity and perseverance.
Constantly looking for opportunities to upgrade herself, she has obtained professional diplomas and other related beauty qualifications from the College Of Beauty Therapy And Cosmetology as well as from The Confederation Of International Beauty Therapy And Cosmetology. She has also mandated that all of her employees undergo training and are professionally certified.
During a visit to Inizio, City News had a taste of the in-house expertise at the hands of Doris Ning, a body therapist who specializes in the TCM Body Sculpting Massage.
Displaying an extensive knowledge of body anatomy and physiology, she combined firm and deliberate massage strokes with the “gua sa” technique using a buffalo horn. This tool originated from mainland China and effectively targets specific areas to break down cellulite and stubborn fat cells, accelerating the drainage of toxins and water retention.
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| CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan |
The second portion of the treatment consisted of a coffee scrub and ginger body mask which aims to enhance blood circulation and promote drainage of fats and toxins. Once the body mask is applied, the entire body is then wrapped in a thermal blanket heated to temperatures of 40 to 60 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, encouraging detoxification through sweating. Even after the treatment is completed, the ginger mask left a warm, post-massage sensation, easing soreness and fatigue.
Besides the TCM massage, Inizio also offers the Cavalier Black Caviar Facial, an anti-aging treatment using pure Caviar Extract. Caviar is rich in proteins, peptides and essential amino acids which improve skin elasticity, texture, oxygenation and suppleness, reducing the effects of aging. “Research shows that caviar is an effective tool in fighting aging because it has a nearly identical structure as that of human skin. When we age, our collagen production slows down. Caviar extract helps to repair the skin by speeding up the metabolism of skin cells, resulting in the natural production of collagen, thereby rejuvenating our skins by giving it a firmer support and a natural supple glow,” says Tay.
While Tay has plans to increase the spa’s range of services, she is taking up a diploma in counseling to help clients not just in the area of physical beauty and youthfulness but also in the emotional aspect—now that’s what we call holistic treatment.
INIZIO Face, Body & Spa
13, Teo Hong Road
Singapore 088327
Tel: +65 6339 8151/ +65 6339 5878
