THANN is a wellness brand that was founded in Thailand and has now become a globally recognized brand with outlets in 20 different countries. In addition to selling various types of beauty and wellness products, the outlet in Singapore also offers facial treatment services and runs a range of workshops that showcase their products.
I first learned about THANN through one of the mailers that the MasterCard Concierge sends from time to time. There was an offer for their 30-minute aroma balm workshop, entailing a discounted price of $29 per pax and a complimentary jojoba oil option to be added to the balm concoction (more on this later). As with all of their offers, I had to make the reservation via the MasterCard Concierge. Since I do like products with essential oils as ingredients, I was very interested in giving this a shot so I signed my husband and myself up for it.
At the point of our visit, THANN was located at Paragon shopping mall. As such, the images below are of this outlet. They have since moved to Ion Orchard shopping mall at the time of this publication.
- Inclusions:
- Aroma balm workshop for 2 ($58 waived)
- 1 trial facial session ($0)
- Spent: SGD$0
When we arrived at the store, the staff brought us each a cup of hot tea made from lemongrass and pandan leaves. She then began the workshop by running through the six different essential oils we could choose from for our balms and what these scents are usually used for.
I selected a mix of aromatic wood and earl grey while my husband went with eastern orchard, lavender rosemary and earl grey. However, I was slightly taken aback when she said they’d run out of the earl grey oil base that we wanted to use. Given that this was a paid workshop, I thought it reasonable to expect them to have all ingredients available.
Anyway, after that, she proceeded to give us suggestions on the appropriate ratio of our selected scents to achieve our desired mix. I then enquired about the complimentary jojoba oil that we’d like to add to our mix, to which she earnestly responded that there had been a mistake in the information and that there was no such provision (despite the email stating otherwise in black and white).
Not wanting to ruin the mood, we moved on to mixing our ingredients by swirling them in our tiny beakers. The next step was to microwave the mix for about 30 seconds to melt the beeswax before putting them in the 10-gram containers on ice to harden up. Finally, we wrote the expiry date of a good 6 months on the bottom of our containers.
The staff went on to do a bit of marketing by giving us a rundown of their products and services, as well as the privileges if we made purchases on that day. We were also entitled to two product samples per pax as part of the workshop. Unfortunately, there were only four types of samples available at that point. We requested for one of each to try out but when she checked again, she regrettably informed that there were only two types available instead (seemed like a tad too many out-of-stock instances for comfort).
Shortly after, I shared my feedback about the supposed misinformation with the MasterCard Concierge team as I felt it was important for the inclusions to be accurately conveyed to potential customers. The team then liaised with THANN, who responded apologetically by acknowledging that it was likely due to the staff being new and unfamiliar with the MasterCard Concierge offer. Unexpectedly, they offered us a complimentary facial on top of refunding the amount we paid for the workshop! This gesture certainly made it clear that they were sincere in making things right, which I was very appreciative of.
Before beginning our facial, we were offered a small cup of hot tea and given a survey to indicate our preferences and medical conditions (which didn’t prove to be all that useful during the treatment). As there was only one treatment room, my husband and I took turns. The room was clean, scented with essential oils and exuded relaxing vibes, plus it was awesome that the bed was heated. This session was a trial version (took about 45 minutes) and not the full facial, which would typically last between 70 to 90 minutes.
The entire session was an incredibly silent affair, where the staff didn’t utter a word at all except to tell me it was finished, but this is precisely their selling point so that customers can properly wind down and rest (: Alas, the face massage portion was done with way too much force. I selected the option for the lightest pressure possible and highlighted that my left temple had a recent injury, whereas my husband opted for the hardest pressure. She ended up pressing both my temples with vigour and not using enough strength on my husband.
My overall rating of the experience: 3 out of 5 stars. To be honest, I really like their hard products and would return to purchase those for sure despite their steeper price tags. The scents smell heavenly and well-balanced, plus the textures feel light and comfortable on the skin. The treatment room and general store environment was clean, well-kept and inviting as well. I also greatly appreciate their intentions to do right by their customers and provide service recovery where needed. The core issue seems to lie largely with the software in terms of service delivery and professionalism. Making sure you have all materials and ingredients stocked and available is pretty much a non-negotiable for a paid workshop. It is equally vital to have trained staff who honour what has been written and agreed upon, either from an official mailer or from the pre-facial survey customers are given to fill up (especially if there are injuries that shouldn’t be aggravated). Full prices for these “soft” services aren’t exactly pocket-friendly either so considering the overall quality and value, I’d probably just stick to buying the hard products and applying them myself.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 