Author: Fahim & Yasmine

sweatspa: Not your regular sauna!

| Fahim & Yasmine

Hey there!

A week ago, I decided to try out the Full Spectrum Infrared Sauna Therapy at Sweatspa located in Great Eastern Mall. I have never been to a sauna before, let alone a full spectrum infrared sauna, whatever that means! But… I decided to give it a go and experience this sophisticated looking therapy anyway.

Booking

There are a few ways for you to book your sauna session.

  1. Walk-in
    • First-time sessions are at RM72. This is really worth it!
    • Google them! They have four different branches all over KL.
  2. Call for an appointment
  3. Classpass
    • This was how I did mine — through classpass. My first session with them was somewhat affordable as it was only at 7 credits! My second was relatively more expensive at 13 credits though.

The first thing that caught my eye as I read through the description of the spa was that it claims to be able to burn as much as 700 worth of calories in just one session. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it when I read it, but it definitely charmed me to the point I knew I could not ignore it. I mean, come on, 700 calories burned just by sitting down in heat? Sure, I can do that!

I’m pretty sure you’re just as intrigued as I am, aren’t you? With all those benefits it can offer you in just a session, you’re definitely googling for the contact number now, am I right?

Well, I definitely had to try it out if it was legit. I came to the spa with zero knowledge in hand but full of expectations on what it can offer.

Here’s what happened.

The one hour session comprises of two things:

1. 20 mins of consultation (pre- and post-sauna)

2. 40 mins of sauna therapy

In the first 10 mins of your session, the consultant will take your body measurements to analyze your fat and muscle percentages, as well as your overall body composition percentage. Higher percentage of body composition simply means that you are going towards the right direction, towards an ideal body shape — with lesser fat and higher muscle mass.

The idea of this consultation is to actually prove that even a session of sauna do shows immediate results. You will expect to see some percentage decrease of fat and higher percentage of muscle by the end of your sauna session.

Then, you will be escorted to the room in which the consultant will brief you on the sauna machine and what goes on while you’re in there. It’s recommended to go in there bare naked (don’t worry you are alone in this room, no cameras, and you can lock the door too) because trust me, you will be completely drenched anyway.

The sauna is placed in a room where you will be all alone and safe for you to remove your clothes.

You may control the temperature in the sauna to your liking, but my session was averaged out between 57-58 degrees Celsius. I swear, the last 5 minutes was probably the longest for me as I couldn’t keep still cos it was really hot! But, as I said, you could actually control the temperature so that it is manageable for you. I just realized I could do that at the end of my session… so, you know… silly me for not asking about it earlier.

After the 40 minutes, you may call the consultant to hand you a cold towel so you can wipe off the sweat and to balance out the temperature of your body. Once you’re all set, the consultant will take your measurements again to compare the readings from before, and to observe an overall improvement from the session.

Outcome

This may seem a little embarrassing as I have now realized I have a lot of tummy fat (shame on me!), but I guess I can show you what my readings are so you know what to expect out of this sauna session.

Before
After

Notice that my body percentage dropped 0.3% after the session! Not to mention, my overall body composition increased from 69% to 70%. Of course, it is not a drastic change, but it is a change nonetheless! Ultimately, it proves that there is immediate change just after one session. Although I have to admit that you may also see similar results if you were to do other intense workouts such as running, or HIIT. The consultant told me that the intensity of this workout is equivalent to jogging 3-4 km. I can’t 100% vouch for that, but I did feel exhausted, dehydrated and completely drenched in my own sweat after the session. I had to sit down right after getting out of the sauna for a few minutes as I was feeling lightheaded. It was a little intense, maybe because I wasn’t used to the heat, but it was definitely tiring too. All in all, it did feel like a workout, but much better, due to the benefits of what an infrared sauna can give you. The two most apparent to me were:

  1. Detoxifying body from toxins
    • The first 10 mins of sauna will have you sweating as if you’re going for a workout, you know, like those sticky sweat we all hate so much, right? But the other 30 minutes will have you drip out water as if you’re showering. These liquids are actually toxins being removed from your skin. I also noticed things coming off from my skin, and I thought they were ‘daki’, but they’re actually toxins that are being removed!
  2. Weight management
    • It burns calories, and a good amount at that too! Although it is not recommended to have it as a replacement to exercising, it can be a good add-on to your workout routine. It can also act as a replacement on days that you’re too busy to hit the gym. But, it does do a good job in maintaining an ideal weight as it proves to reduce a small percentage of fat even in just one session.
I was told that the tiny dot is actually toxin removed from my skin!

There are a lot more benefits other than those two, trust me. You just have to try it out for yourself!

Honest opinion

Truthfully, I was absolutely amazed by the whole experience especially because it showed immediate results. I was amazed at the fact that it was not your traditional sauna (I did go to a traditional sauna a couple of days after to experiment) because it was not as scorching hot. You can definitely feel the heat, but not as intense as a traditional sauna. This goes back to the foundation of the infra red sauna, in which it applies a full spectrum of wavelength so it can penetrate not just on your skin, but deeper into your body for that full-on application.

I also liked how my body felt after the session, in which I felt more energized and more relaxed as if I had a really good workout.

I was definitely in love with it that I came back for another session on Sunday, and brought my mom to try it out too. I also had the privilege of meeting the owner of the sauna, Sabrina, who I respect so much for her passion and dedication of introducing this cutting edge technology to Malaysia.

Overall, I really enjoyed my session and would definitely recommend many others to give it a go! Even my mom loved it!

My mom with Sabrina, who is super nice and gorgeous!

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Yasmine

Experience in Nuang

| Fahim & Yasmine

Hey folks! Today we would like to share our hike to Gunung Nuang a couple of weeks ago. This was done as our preparation for Mt. Kinabalu. We picked Nuang as our training ground as most hikers within the Klang Valley are aware of the difficulty that Nuang poses — the distance, the wilderness, the steepness, although not so of the prominence as it is nothing compared to the mountains in the Crocker Range.

Overlooking Banjaran Titiwangsa

Before we start off with the lengthy paragraphs, we would like to accentuate some useful statistics on Gunung Nuang:

  1. Location: Pahang-Selangor border
  2. Available routes:
    • via Kuala Pangsoon, Hulu Kelang
    • via Janda Baik
    • via Kampung Kemensah
  3. Elevation: 1, 493 meters (4, 898 ft) — courtesy of Wikipedia
  4. Elevation gain: 1, 155 meters (3, 789 ft)

We managed the Janda Baik route as it is relatively easier as stated by bloggers. Even so, we had to start the morning earlier than usual as it is an hour journey from Kuala Lumpur.

Trail via Janda Baik:

  1. Transportation: 1-hr drive from KL, exit via Genting Sempah.
  2. Trailhead coordinates: 3.303979,101.887121 (You can easily copy paste this on GoogleMaps).
  3. Facilities: There is a RM10 parking fee per car just before the trailhead starts. The parking has a toilet provided.
  4. Distance from trailhead to peak: ~8 km

So, here comes the lengthy yet useful paragraphs if you are to summit Nuang via Janda Baik. First off, we would like to say that it is most recommended to start the hike early so you can finish by noon. Usually, it would start raining in the afternoon, so the earlier you get up, the better. We drove off from KL at around 5:30am and reach the trailhead at about 7am. Remember to eat your breakfast! This is a relatively long hike so be sure to fuel your body prior to the hike. Also, bring lots of water. We brought 6 liters of water, and it was just enough for the two of us until the end of the hike. Pack along some energy bars or light munchies in case you get hungry in the middle of the hike.

The thing with hiking early in the morning is that the cool weather in the jungle will make you more likely to forget to drink. However, you need to remind yourself to sip at least a little amount to avoid being dehydrated or getting headaches since you are constantly moving. Thus, drinking plenty of water is a must!

Okay, enough with the safety precautions. Let’s roll in the best part of the hike.

We started off at 7:27 am, walking from the car park to the starting point. Here, you must cross a short stream to get to the other side. Then, we passed through some agriculture farms that stretched out probably for 15 minutes. *Please note that the hike hasn’t started yet at this point. This is merely a brisk walk. Then, walked through a sandy route fit for a 4WD and this went on for another 15 minutes before coming to a 3-way route. We proceeded on by taking the middle route, which led up to a hill, and here is where the aching starts. We also found out from fellow hikers that this trail normally used by ultra-runners as part of their training. Anyway, this trail leads to the deep rainforest where you’ll find yourself overwhelmed by the millions of various trees and plants that make up the profile of the mountain. This went on for awhile until you reached Chemperoh waterfall. *Also! Tip on not getting yourself lost: Follow the colored signs on trees or tapes belted around the trees.

The trail at the agriculture farm

At the end of the 4WD road is a 3-way route, follow the trail with red arrow which leads up to the hill.

Some forest loving appreciation pic


Once we have reached the Chemperoh waterfall, we crossed a second stream to get to the other side. Then, we took a left and continued our hike. Some might get confused here and take a right, but it’s a dead end anyway, so you’re bound to take the left from where you crossed the stream, and soon you’ll find the tapes on trees like what we mentioned earlier. The trail gets steeper at this point so if you have a hiking pole, this would be handy. But, if you don’t, work those asses off! You’re getting yourself a booty… and leg day. The trail from here is pretty straightforward, there is only one path at this point on, so it’s impossible to get yourself lost. Again, mind the tapes belted around the trees! Be wary of your surrounding. The steep route after Chemperoh waterfall gets most of the elevation gain, as it is steppy steep steps all the way up. You may start getting tired or headaches, but remember to drink water once you feel tired. Water is your best friend at this point. Many hikers had their chances of meeting pacat (english: leeches) during this hike, so please wear appropriately.

About an hour or so of hiking, you will encounter the mossy forest. When you get here, you will realize that the elevation gain is legit and that you’re almost there. There are ropes at this point of the trail to assist you in those sloping, difficult reaches. 10 minutes or so, you will finally reach the peak! Like us! Congratulations, you’ve made it to the top!

At the ropey place just below the peak.
We made it to the top!


Now, it’s just a matter of going back down. The same way. Only, this time, your ankles will ache.

As for us, we made to the peak in 2:59 hrs, and back down in 5:58hrs. We reached car park at 1:51 pm, covering a total distance of 16-ish km. Our tip is slow and steady wins the race, and we avoid stopping for more than 15 seconds, until we reached the peak or carpark. We believe that when you have the momentum to push yourself further, go for it and don’t stop. Otherwise, you’ll tire yourself. You may have a different approach that speaks to you, and that’s completely fine. It isn’t a race. The idea is to get up and down the mountain all in one piece. So, safety is key.

Tip: If you’re a beginner, we don’t really recommend Nuang as your first hike. You should try Broga or other hills equivalent to that prior to this hike.

Also, if you’re unfamiliar with the trails, hike within a group, and most probably during the weekends as more people tend to hike during this time. You will feel safer this way, and you get to meet new friends too.

If you think you’re slow or heavy, don’t get the mountains discourage you. Just start earlier, and at a steady pace, whatever pace that may be. The key is to get up and down in a safely manner.

More hiking posts coming up!

Til then,

Fahim & Yasmine

P.S.: Please carry your trash with you. Treat the rainforest as an exotic destination, and not your home! Your trash doesn’t belong in the forest, it will not decompose so don’t litter!

sushi love

| Fahim & Yasmine

Who here loves sushi as much as we do? 🙋🏻‍♀️

This evening, I brought Fahim to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in KL called Rakuzen. We had some good ol’ salmon sashimi, some yakinikujyu (grilled beef 🥩 on rice 🍚), some spicy zosui-beef (spicy beef broth on rice), and also some tempura mori (combined deep-fried veggies and shrimp). The meals were absolutely delicious and we felt that it was worth the experience and the price tag.

Truth be told, Fahim was never a big fan of sushi 🍣 or anything raw prior to today, but now, it is safe to say that he has a completely different opinion on Japanese cuisine. He loved every single dish and I’m glad that I brought him to Rakuzen. As for myself, I’m a big sashimi fan! Although I haven’t had the luxury of trying out sashimi in Japan yet, but I can always tell the difference between sashimi from an upscale sushi restaurant such as Rakuzen versus the ones you get from Sushi King or those ready made ones at the grocers. I hope I’m not being offensive, it is only my personal opinion that there is an obvious difference in the taste. No doubt that fresh, delectable sashimi can burn a hole in your pocket, but that is why I have them on special occasions only. To me, sashimi is an indulgence one should crave for.

If you’re a sashimi lover, you can always tell the difference between a fresh sashimi, and mediocre ones.

There are no pictures for the yakinikjyu or the spicy beef broth since we were too busy devouring our food, but trust me, they were just as delicious! Fahim and I enjoyed their thinly sliced beef that were topped off with rice and half boiled egg, and yum! They were so good. Some restaurants give you small portions of beef and a whole lotta rice, but in Rakuzen, you get equal portions of beef and equal portion of rice, which is so reasonable yet so sinful!

This isn’t really a sponsored post, hence the lack of pictures. But we just wanted to share our thoughts on it, and that if you’re craving or been wanting to try really good sushi, you should give Rakuzen a try. It is definitely a little pricier than Sushi King or other franchises equivalent to that, but with Rakuzen, you definitely get more options in terms of menu, with a much cleaner and cozy atmosphere, as well as having meals that comes in big portions which are always worth the price tag.

All in all, we had a great dining experience! Tell us where your favorite restaurants are, and we would love to give them a try.

welcome to weekendlogue

| Fahim & Yasmine

Hi there! Before we start off with the rest of our postings, we think it would be appropriate to first introduce ourselves.

Who are we?

We’re Fahim and Yasmine, co-authors of this blog. We’re pretty much like any other Malaysians in their 20s, in which we are both trying to make ends meet, while maintaing a stable, healthy lifestyle and doing what we love most together — spending our weekend trying out new things. Hence, the name ‘weekendlogue.’

What’s weekendlogue?

Basically, weekendlogue is our journal, per se, or a domain for us to jot down memories or anything that is worth publishing to the public. Postings will be based on trips, or activities that we do together, or individually. We decided on the name ‘weekendlogue’ because let’s be real, most of our trips/outings are during the weekend anyway, and a log or ‘logue’ to record these memories in a blog.

Why blogging all of a sudden?

We thought it would be great to write it down in a domain so we could come back to reminisce memories of the past. While doing so, who knows if we might attract audiences that are interested in knowing more about certain trips or activities that we do, so that’s like killing two birds with one stone, ain’t it?

How often will we blog?

The idea is to be as consistent as possible, which means, most probably once a week or so. But, this depends on our availability to write and to venture… off into doing new things.

We think this is enough for an intro for now. Anyhoo, welcome to weekendlogue and stay tune for our very first post!

With love,

Fahim and Yasmine