Sometimes the most responsible thing you can do is stop for an hour.
Two jobs, one child, and the constant background noise of trying to keep everything running — there are days when the weight of it just accumulates and you hit a wall. Not a dramatic collapse, just a quiet, bone-deep exhaustion where everything feels like too much. I used to feel guilty about those moments. I’ve learned to treat them as a signal instead.
My usual reset: Grand Royal Spa, about fifty meters from my office in Dumaguete. Nothing fancy about the place — it’s small, unpretentious, and doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t. But the masseurs are good, it’s convenient enough to fit into a lunch break, and that’s exactly what I need it to be.
My standard order when I’m genuinely burnt out is the body massage with hard pressure, followed by the foot spa. The Swedish massage runs for an hour. The foot spa is quick for me — thin skin on my feet means it’s usually done in about ten minutes, at which point they typically throw in the foot massage as well. So I effectively get foot spa plus foot massage for the price of the foot spa alone. Good deal.
If I’m less depleted and just need to unwind, I’ll drop the pressure to medium. The eucalyptus oil they use is what really does it for me — something about the smell signals my body that it’s allowed to relax.
The whole thing costs around ₱520 and takes about an hour and a half. For a solo mom running on fumes, that’s not an indulgence — it’s maintenance.
If you’re a new solo parent and you’re hitting those moments where you just want to disappear from your own life for a while: that’s normal. It passes. But while you’re in it, give yourself permission to step away for an hour. Grab whatever budget you can spare, find the nearest decent spa, and let yourself actually rest. You’ll come back a better version of yourself for the people who need you.
Note: This post is from 2015. Prices and services at Grand Royal Spa may have changed — worth calling ahead to confirm before heading over.
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