Let the reader assume a trip to Singapore is an excuse to give the body short shrift, the Lion City also boasts a thousand different paths to exhaustion, and nearly as many spas and massage parlours to work out the kinks after a hard day’s work out.
CYCLING & SKATING
BIKE BOUTIQUE
6298 9528; www.thebikeboutique.com; 98 Amoy St; Metro: Raffles Place
Though few casual visitors to Singapore will spend their time shopping for bicycles, those who lust after bicycles might want to drop into this shop just to salivate over its beautiful high-end machines. The shop is also noteworthy for offering bike storage and showers to office workers commuting in from the outskirts.
SKATELINE
6339 7707; www.skateline.com.sg; Peninsula Shopping Centre, 3 Coleman St 04-37A; Metro: City Hall
Inline skating is very popular in Singapore and with five shops throughout the city
Skateline is a great place to buy your blades. Skateline also run the rental kiosk at East Coast Park (near Burger King and car park C3).
BODY MODIFICATION
Art is no mere spectator sport, at least not to those who consider their body to be art’s mobile canvas. To these, Singapore offers many fine places in which to be inked, pierced, studded, or otherwise corporeally modified. Probably the best place to shop for artists is at Far East Plaza, which has about half a dozen shops to choose from. Visitors looking for a tattoo shop with a definite pedigree should know about Exotic Tattoo (6834 0558; 04-11 Far East Plaza 14 Scotts Rd; Metro: Orchard), for it’s here that you’ll be able to get exquisite work from Sumithra Debi. One of the few female tattoo artists in Singapore, Sumithra is also the granddaughter of Johnny Two-Thumbs, probably Singapore’s most legendary tattoo artist. Though there’s another shop in the plaza bearing the Two-Thumbs name, Exotic Tattoo is the actual heir to the Two-Thumbs lineage. In addition to ink work, the shop also does piercing.
BOWLING
Tenpin bowling is popular in Singapore, though it seems that several bowling alleys have closed down over the past few years – not surprising in a city where indoor space is at such a premium. The cost per game is between $4 and $4.50 per person per game, depending on the time of day you play (it’s also more on weekends and less on weekdays). Shoe hire is around $1 and operators will even sell you a pair of fetching white ankle socks for $0.50.
Orchid Bowl @ E!hub (6583 1622; basement, Downtown East Mall; closes 2am)
Victor Superbowl (6223 7998; 7 Marina Grove, Marina South; h9am-3am Sun-Thu, 24hr Fri &Sat; Metro: Marina Bay)
GOLF
Opening a golf course in a tiny city-state with extremely limited resources and open space seems an act of hubris against nature. Really, wouldn’t miniature golf be more appropriate? If you’re really intent on golfing, you’re better off heading across the Causeway to the wide-open spaces at Sebana Golf and Marina Resort. If you must golf in Singapore, most clubs are members-only so they charge visitors a premium and usually don’t allow you to play on weekends. Expect to pay around $100 per game on weekdays and up to twice that on weekends.
Laguna National Golf & Country Club (6541 0289; www.lagunagolf.com.sg; 11 Laguna Golf Green; Metro: Tanah Merah)
Raffles Country Club (6861 7655; www .rcc.org.sg; 450 Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim; Bus: SBS 182 from Metro Boon Lay)
Sentosa Golf Club (6275 0022; www.beaufort.com.sg/resort_golf.html; 27 Bukit Manis Rd, Sentosa Island; shuttle bus from HarbourFront MRT)
HORSE RACING
SINGAPORE TURF CLUB
6879 1000; www.turfclub.com.sg; 1 Turf Club Ave; Metro: Kranji
This is a hugely popular day out – not nearly as manic as Hong Kong, but a rousing experience nonetheless. There is a four-level grandstand with a seating capacity of up to 35,000. Admission to the no air-conditioned seating is $3, or $7 for the upper air- conditioned level (and foreigners must bring their passports to get in). For $15 tourists can access the air-conditioned Gold Card Room, or for $20 the exclusive@ Hibiscus lounge. Like Raffles, dress code is enforced: smart casual in one section and suits and ties in another. Races take place on Friday, Saturday or Sunday during racing months (check the New Paper for details and coverage), starting at 6.30pm, 2pm and 2.30pm respectively.
ROCK CLIMBING
DAIRY FARM QUARRY Bus: 65, 170, 75, 171
Near Bukit Timah, Dairy Farm Quarry, which boasts 20 routes, is the only legal place to rock climb in Singapore. Most routes are bolted and can be done with a 50m rope; you’ll need to bring your own gear. To find out about joining up with climbers who come here regularly on weekends, or to learn about indoor venues to climb in Singapore, check out www.indoorclimbing.com/singapore.html for a complete list of climbing walls in Singapore.
SKIING, SNOWBOARDING & TUBING
SNOW CITY
6560 1511; www.snowcity.com.sg; 21 Jurong Town Hall Rd; adult/child per hr $15/13; h9.45am -5.15pm Tue-Sun; Metro: Jurong East
A hangar- sized deep freeze chilled to a numbing -5°C, Snow City features a slope three -storeys high and 70m long, accessed via a silvery Star Trek–style airlock. Each session gives you an hour to throw yourself at high speed down the slope on a black inner tube and throw snowballs. Two-hour ski and snowboarding lessons are available in the evenings for $55 from Snow Line (6425 0801), located in the same building as Snow City. Snow Line also rents jackets and other equipment.
SWIMMING
Care for a dip in the world’s most crowded waterways? Many do, despite the fact that none of Singapore’s beaches are particularly great for swimming. Should you feel like joining them, the most popular beaches in Singapore are on Sentosa Island and East Coast Park.
A better option, if you’re not staying at a hotel with its own pool, is the excellent public swimming complexes at Farrer Park (6299 1002; 2 Rutland Ave; h8am-9.30pm; Metro: Little India) or River Valley Swimming Complex (6337 6275; 1 River Valley Rd; 8am-9.30pm; Metro: Clarke Quay) at the foot of Fort Canning Park. Admission to both is $1/0.50 per adult/child ($1.30/0.60 on weekends).
SPAS & MASSAGE
There are hundreds of others scattered around Singapore, with rates varying from around $25 for a foot massage to more than $200 for a full-day package.
AMRITA SPA
6336 4477; www.amritaspas.com; Level 6, Raffles, The Plaza, 2 Stamford Rd; Metro: City Hall
Amrita boasts of being Asia’s most extensive spa with 35 treatment rooms, a fitness centre, a variety of plunge and bubble pools and a long menu of spa treatments; the day-spa escape package with back massage and express facial is $150. There are branches at Swissôtel, Merchant Court Singapore and Raffles Hotel.
ARAMSA, BISHAN PARK
6456 6556; www.aramsaspas.com; Bishan Park, 1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, Metro: Bishan, Bus: 410
Aramsa has five different outlets in Bishan park, including an amazing spa, a vegetarian cafe, a huge dining room, and a Pilates studio. The serene park location makes Aramsa a scene unto itself, a place where locals and travellers alike can escape the busy mainstream and spend the day getting back to the garden of the soul.
NGEE ANN FOOT REFLEXOLOGY
6235 5538; 4th fl, Midpoint Orchard, 220 Orchard Rd; Metro: Somerset
Offers foot and body massage by visually impaired masseuses in friendly and refreshingly unpretentious surroundings.
ST GREGORY JAVANA SPA
6290 8028; www.stgregoryspa.com; Level 3, The Plaza, 7500A Beach Rd; Metro: Bugis
With spas all over Asia, St Gregory’s is a major player in relaxation. Its three facilities in Singapore are all inside upper-end hotels, we’ve listed the one at the Park Royal on Beach Rd; the other two are at the Marina Mandarin and the Conrad Centennial.
SANCTUM
6225 4381; www.sanctumsg.com; 11 Haji Lane; Metro: Bugis
‘Nourishment for mind, body and soul’ is how this place bills itself, and with tarot readings, meditation events, past-life regression, shiatsu and reiki, we see no reason to argue. Sanctum has three beautiful and uniquely set-up rooms for sessions and chilling out, and offers online booking.
SPA BOTANICA
6371 1318; www.spabotanica.com; Sentosa Resort & Spa; 10am-10pm; shuttle bus from Orchard Rd Paragon Shopping Centre
Singapore’s original indoor and outdoor spa. The signature treatment here is the galaxy steam bath, a 45-minute wallow in medicinal chakra mud in a specially designed steam room. It also has a mud pool outside as well as landscaped grounds and pools.
WATER PARKS
ESCAPE THEME PARK
6581 9112; www.escapethemepark.com.sg; adult/child/ family $17.70/8.90/42.80; 10am-10pm Sat, Sun & school holidays; Bus: 354 from Metro Pasir Ris
Who doesn’t love a tropical waterslide, roller coasters, go-karts, bumper-boats and wave pools? The wet and wild flume ride is said to be Asia’s highest.
JURONG EAST SWIMMING COMPLEX
6563 5052; 21 Jurong East St 31; adult/child $2/1; 9am-7pm; Metro: Chinese Gardens
The cheapest place in Singapore for swimming; has a lap pool, wading pool, wave pool, and three water slides.
WATER SPORTS
CHANGI SAILING CENTRE
6545 2876; www.csc.org.sg; 32 Netheravon Rd; Bus 2 from Metro Tanah Merah
This centre rents out j-24s (24ft keel boats) on one-day charters for $180 a day, including petrol. You will need to show a sailing proficiency certificate.
MACRITCHIE RESERVOIR’S PADDLE LODGE
6258 0057; kayak rental per 1/2hr $10/15; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun; Bus 162
Offers paddle-boating and other water sports. For details, on which other parks offer water sports, see the website of the National Parks Board (www.nparks.gov.sg).
SCUBA CORNER
6338 6563; www.scubacorner.com.sg; 04-162 Kitchener Complex, Block 809 French Rd; Metro: Lavender
Diving trips and courses can be arranged through the outfit Scuba Corner; it’s office is located conveniently close to Lavender MRT station.
SKI360°
6442 7318; www.ski360degree.com; 1206A East Coast Parkway; per hr weekdays/weekends $32/42;
10am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-midnight Sat & Sun; Metro: Bedok then bus 401 (weekends only) 196, 197
What better way to cool off than strap on some water skis, a kneeboard or a wakeboard and get dragged around a lagoon on the end of a cable? OK, you could just go swimming, but where’s the fun in that? Best visited on weekday mornings, when there’s usually hardly anyone there. The pose quotient goes through the roof at weekends, when it’s just as entertaining sitting around hoping someone will come a cropper on the ramps.
YOGA
Yoga has caught on in a big way in Singapore – perhaps this accounts for the newfound mental flexibility of the denizens of this city-state once known for dogmatic stiffness. Most schools offer drop-in courses, but these aren’t cheap; expect to pay between $20 and $30 for a 60- or 90- minute class. If you’re in town for a few weeks and plan to practice regularly, you’re better off purchasing a one-month or 10-class package. If you’re just in town for a few days, you can take advantage of the ‘first-timer’ rates offered by some studios to attract new students, hopping from school to school for the duration.
ABSOLUTE YOGA
6732 6007; www.absoluteyogasingapore.com
This large studio offers ‘Hot Yoga’, and has drop-in classes for $34 and 10-class cards for $270.
ANANDA MARGA
6344 6519;1 www.anandamarga.org.sg; Marine Parade Central, 07-01 Parkway Centre
In a world of corporate-run yoga studios, Ananda Marga is a breath of fresh air. Its Singapore studio offers small daily classes, dedicated instructors, and short-term class packages. Well worth coming east for.
TRUE YOGA
6336 3390; www.trueyoga.com.sg; 20 Raffles Place, 27-00 Ocean Towers; Metro Raffles Place
Probably the largest of Singapore’s corporate yoga centres, True Yoga offers classes in a variety of styles and levels. It also has a branch on Orchard Rd, and often list one-time promotions on its website.
Singapore: Leisure Activities
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