As any mother would know, being a Mum is all-consuming. They put the baby in your arms and in that moment, your life as you know it changes. Your decisions are no longer taken on your own but instead are shaped by the little being in your charge. Whether you are a stay-at-home mum or a working mum, your child is always on your mind. With that and the demands of running a household, I often tell my husband that my favourite gift is being able to take a break!
So it is probably not surprising that when the good folks at Frasers Property Singapore invited me to spend some pampering me-time with them at Northpoint City as an early Mother’s Day treat, I jumped at the chance! Not only was it an opportunity to get out on my own with one of my good friends for a bit, I was also excited at the prospect of checking out an old haunt.
Yes, I’m talking about Northpoint City, or just Northpoint, as we used to call the shopping centre. My home church was (in fact, still is) located in Yishun and I often stopped by Northpoint after church with my parents or on-route home after youth group. It is located right across the road from Yishun MRT station after all! I still remember the excitement when Northpoint and Yishun 10 first opened in the 90s. Fast-forward to today, Northpoint Shopping Centre has more than doubled in size to become Northpoint City, the largest integrated development in the North, with over 400 retail and dining outlets across two wings. When completed it would include Nee Soon Central Community Club, Yishun Public Library, the Yishun bus interchange and the 920-unit North Park Residences so you can imagine how huge the whole development is!
As I expected, I couldn’t recognise a thing! Haha. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying my day. It was impossible not to with that many options available!
We started our day getting active at Anytime Fitness. This gym was a lovely light-lit space that lifts your mood when you enter. I personally like gyms with a view because it brings the outside in and makes me feel a little more motivated when I’m on the treadmill!
We started with a session of group class training. The group class is part of the Results Based Training (RBT) membership programme conceptualised by Anytime Fitness at Northpoint City. An RBT member’s trainings are tracked every step of the way with the use of a physical activity belt called the Myzone, which an RBT member straps on each time he/she works out at the club. Myzone is a leading heart rate-based system that uses wireless and cloud-based technology to accurately and conveniently monitor the wearer’s physical activity, and in turn, help the wearer achieve his fitness goals more easily with the data recorded. Yes, it’s very high-tech!
For our session at Anytime Fitness, we joined a group of their own members for 30 mins of circuit training, followed by another 30 mins of Yoga. I must admit that I thought we were only going to be going Yoga and was unprepared to be put through a workout!
But the trainers were encouraging, and the exercises were rather manageable, alternating between squats, crunches, working with weights, and other floor exercises. It also helped to be doing exercises with friends! Winding down with Yoga after getting our hearts pumping was perfect.
Did I also mention that Anytime Fitness gyms are open 24 hours? Now you know where to find a gym when you need one, no matter what time it is!
ANYTIME FITNESS
Northpoint City South Wing
#02-175/176/177/178
Tel: 6481 4737
Web: https://www.anytimefitness.sg/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/AnytimeFitnessSingapore/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anytimefitness/
After our workout, we took the time to unwind getting our nails done at Avone Beauty Secrets. I ordinarily avoid going for manicures because I have ugly short nails. They don’t look nice so I’d rather not draw attention to them. Moreover, I usually have to endure many comments from the nail therapist about why my nails are so short (born like that + used to bite them when young) and why I don’t grow them out (brittle so they break easily).
So I was really glad that the nail therapist attending to me at Avone Beauty Secrets didn’t make a big deal of about my nails. She worked with what I gave her and managed to incorporate nail art with my express gelish that looked amazing. I was so impressed, both with her work and her professionalism. My friend also decided to leave the nail art in the hands of the nail therapist and was really pleased with the result! The staff here know their stuff! We both certainly made a mental note to re-visit.
AVONE BEAUTY SECRETS
Northpoint City South Wing
#B1-174
Website: https://www.avone.sg/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/avonesg
IG: https://www.instagram.com/avonesg/
It was time thereafter for lunch, and if you are looking for food in Northpoint City, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Housing over 100 international dining concepts and a speciality food street, there’s bound to be something to tickle your fancy. Lunch for us was at Kanshouku Ramen Bar and you literally can’t miss it. Just look out for the food truck in B1 in the South Wing! This mobile kitchen is quite a showstopper.
As for the food, they had me at “Truffle Ramen”. They have it with tonkotsu broth, or more unconventionally dry without soup. I was in the mood for some soup so I ordered the broth version. The bowl arrived, warm and comforting, and smelling unmistakably of truffle. With the addition of a ramen egg as recommended by the service staff, it really hit the spot on a cool afternoon. I’m coming back next time for the dry version!
KANSHOKU RAMEN BAR
Northpoint City South Wing
#B1-151
Website: https://www.kanshokuramen.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/kanshokuramen
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kanshokuramen/
After lunch, we rounded off the afternoon of pampering at Kimage with a hair treatment and blow out. I am embarrassed to admit that I rarely have time to go get my hair done. In fact, I chose my current hair salon almost solely on the fact that they open at 9am, allowing me to sneak in the occasional hair cut on mornings when my older children are in school and I don’t have any errands to run. So getting this pampering with a hair treatment was something of a luxury for me. It was soooo good.
It’s also amazing what a salon blow-out can do for you! I felt like a million bucks with my nicely blown hair! Made a mental note to get one once in a while just to make me feel good about myself!
KIMAGE
Northpoint City North Wing
#03-25
Website: https://kimage.com.sg/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/KimageGroup/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kimagegroup/
I thought we were done, but we weren’t! At least, not before some shopping! We first popped by Novela to check out their skincare and fragrances. This multi-brand store carries quite a selection of different high street brand names and I was excited to see some items like my Shu Uemura cleansing oil selling at attractive prices. Novela also carries cult French brand By Terry products which I’ve heard a lot about but never tried. Went back with my own By Terry Rouge-Expert Click Stick and a tube of Baume de Rose Lip Care. Yay.
NOVELA
Northpoint City South Wing
#01-182-184
FB: https://www.facebook.com/novelasg/
And that wasn’t all! We ended up at H2 Hub where I was gifted a really lovely watch. My friend Daph commented that she hasn’t seen me wearing a watch and she’s right. It’s been years since I’ve worn one regularly. I had an Omega that I was very fond of but it got a little, erm, tight. Then it stopped, needing a battery replacement and I never really got round to it. It isn’t easy finding a watch that fits me as I have thin skinny wrists and I just fell into the habit of referring to my phone for the time. Especially since I have the bad habit of looking at it too much anyway! But this Aries Gold piece with its rose gold and mother-of-pearl face won my heart. It is the perfect size for me, and is an easy colour to wear, going with everything. I am really chuffed to have a new watch, and with that, new resolve to look at my phone a bit less often.
H2 HUB
Northpoint City South Wing
#01-106
Website: https://www.h2hub.com.sg/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/H2Hub/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/h2hubwatches/
I had such a good time. Maybe a bit too much of a good time since we took a little longer than I expected. I got the call from the husband asking where I was as the children, especially the littlest, were looking for me. A train ride later, I resumed my mummy duties, nice hair and all! But with a smile. It was good to take a break away from the little hands and faces that are always asking for a piece of me, to be me, so I can be a better mummy. Thank you Northpoint City for the awesome pampering treat! You made this mummy very happy.
* All pictures in this post (save those of Kanshoku Ramen Bar) are courtesy of Northpoint City. Thanks to Northpoint City for hosting this event. All opinions remain, as always, my own.
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