Luljetta’s Hanging Garden and Spa Experience: What to Expect from this Manila Daytrip
March 9, 2023
For awhile, I kept seeing Luljetta’s Hanging Garden and Spa on my FB feed and ads. I love spa experiences so I was pretty intrigued, and the photos were all so pretty. So when my family decided to do a short daytrip from Manila, I suggested Luljetta’s!
Where to buy
So, you can actually buy book with Luljetta’s directly. Simply do the following:
- Check out the packages they have available (as of March 2023): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iiWBzuIqL8poETQT4I3nEAaJlco47y4r/view?fbclid=IwAR3FFV3a0GDSL2QWPmsxS8QaMfNLL-6beqd0oe6FT3rRHZE7O7vjoOSqF5M
- Email luljettas@bienvenidotours.com to check if the date and time slot you’re interested in is still available. Inform them how many people you’re booking for and the package you’re interested in
- Luljetta’s will send you a payment link, which will allow you to pay for your reservation. They require 100% upfront payment
- Save the confirmation of your booking / receipt, and that’s it!
Alternatively, you can book via Klook, which has a straight 10% discount for the standard day trip package. This is way more sulit, so I ended up booking with Klook actually. Having said that, after booking via Klook, you have to then send proof of your booking to Luljetta’s email (see above) so they can note down your reservation.
Klook Link: https://www.klook.com/en-PH/activity/20638-luljettas-hanging-gardens-spa-manila/
Now in my case, we wanted to try Luljetta’s Signature Massage and A Cup of Coffee Scrub. Unfortunately, Luljetta has really limited masseuse so only my cousin got to try. Note that you have to book this in advance. So after booking via Klook and confirming the reservation with Luljetta, I then informed them of the additional services we wanted to avail of. They then sent me another payment link and voila!
What to Expect
We availed of the Retreat Package, which gave us access to the Hanging Gardens Facilities (locker, sauna, heated jacuzzi, hydro-massage pool, infinity pools, meditation lounge, Dr. Fish), traditional bathrobe and towel, as well as a fried suman snack w/ lemongrass drink at the end.
When we arrived, parking was spacious and not an issue. The issue was they couldn’t find my booking! Thankfully, I had saved the booking confirmation they’d emailed me. They checked in their system, determined my booking was legit and let us in.
The Luljetta Compound is actually pretty big, so from the parking lot, the Hanging Gardens facilities is around a ~5-10 mins walk. There is actually a golf cart that can ferry you to and fro, but it seems to be missing half the time LOL.
Anyway, upon getting to the Hanging Gardens main lobby, they gave us the wristbands that would allow us entry to the facilities, along with our locker key, bathrobe and towels.
Off we went. First stop, the Philippine Pavilion, so we could leave our stuff in the locker and change into swimming clothes. Luljetta requires proper swimming attire (one or two piece swimsuits, trunks or swim/board shorts), and undergarments are not allowed under swimsuits. Colored shirts and maong shorts are strictly prohibited.
There’s a bathroom with shower facilities connected to the pavilion, as well as free drinking water at every station, so feel free to leave your water bottle behind.
Infinity Pool
From here, our first stop was the infinity pool. What a RUDE shock it was. Mygosh, the pool’s freezing cold. Despite the really hot weather, the water was brrrrrr-y cold. Gaaaah. Took us a good couple of minutes to gingerly inch our way in. The pool’s pretty small too. Good thing we were sharing it with just 2 other groups of people, and they quickly left once we arrived. LOL I guess they don’t like sharing too?
There are hydro-massages at the side, but the pressure was pretty weak so its really just for chilling.
Doctor Fish in Tree House
My favorite activity!! The fishes are red garra (scientific name Garra rufa) which are well-known to graze on useless pores and skin cells. Well nibble away dear fishes, I put my foot in and was immediately tickled pink! At first, I kept shifting my feet because it’s really weird to feel this constant nibble. I guess it would be even tougher if you were a ticklish person. For me, the feel of the small fishes are more disconcerting, while the bigger ones less so, because their nibble feels more like a good chunk bite – firm enough to feel significant pressure but without the pain.
This was so relaxing, we ended up staying here for a good 20 minutes. After awhile, I felt my leg start to go numb because I was taking care to not move at all. Ah well, I checked my feet after and they were indeed much smoother. How lovely!
Hydro Massage Pools
After Doctor Fish, we made our way to the Hydro Massage Pools. Then we promptly left. Because damn it, the pools were SUPER cold too. So we were like meh, not worth it.
Doctor Fish
Next up, another doctor fish station. Yay! The fishes here were a lot bigger though, and there was no shade here. Quite hot. This station was also pretty narrow, and not as comfortable. So we ended up just staying for a short while before moving on
Jacuzzi
Wooo jacuzzi time. Finally, warm water! The jacuzzi is pretty small. Seven of us could barely fit LOL. But it was nice to be in warm water at last
Sauna
Afterwards, we popped into the sauna. I think the sauna’s really meant for just 3 people at a time. Unfortunately there were only two saunas and 7 of us, so we decided to just squish. 3 people in one, 4 people in the other one. We stayed in the sauna for 15 minutes, continually heating up the enclosure by pouring water over the hot hot hot coals.
Infinity Pool
Final stop? Yet another infinity pool. Nothing special here, aside from the fact that it is CRAZY COLD still, especially after the jacuzzi and sauna. We needed to do this though, since we had to close all the opened pores, so in we went. #Punishment
Fried Suman
Finally, it was time for nourishment. We claimed our free Antipolo suman and lemongrass drinks and were… disappointed. The suman was fried! I don’t like fried suman huhu. The lemongrass drinks were a bit weird. Very healthy tasting haha.
So we ended up ordering from their restaurant as well – Verde. I recommend their pork sisig and chicken wings. Yum yum!
Burrow Cafe
Afterwards, it was time for a legit lunch-dinner. We hopped over to Burrow Café, which is just so beautiful aesthetically.
Do make sure to book a reservation beforehand because they are always SUPER full. I can see why though – super beautiful and whimsical feels. Food-wise, it was alright. Their sourdough pizza was delicious and by far my favorite.
The beef tapa was pretty good too. Everything else was ayt, but dayum, the price – super expensive. Think BGC levels.