This is a guest post by PinkElle of PinkElle Reviews who puts her self-esteem on the line and takes us on a first hand view into the shady world of slimming salons.
If you ever intend to go for a slimming trial at a slimming salon, be prepared to go with very high self-esteem as the slimming consultants will absolutely rip your esteem apart and leave you feeling obese with cellulite and saggy butts… even if you have the body of a runway model.
That was my experience when I took advantage of a free trial I won at Bizzy Body.
Be prepared for insults at a slimming salon
I was registered at the entrance by a slim beauty consultant (all slimming consultants are thin – I think it is a pre requisite!) who then proceeded to take my height and weight with a high-tech weighing machine that calculates your body fat percentage. I was then led to a small room to be briefed prior to starting the treatment. It was a small dimly lit room that felt like an interrogation cell. Be prepared for this is where the insults start and where your self-esteem and pride are shot down into many pieces by the beauty salon firing squad.
Another consultant came in after a short while and asked a few standard questions about allergies and age. She then took a look at my results and proceeded to exclaim how high my body fat percentage was and how I could stand to lose at least another 3 kgs for my height. I found this quite an interesting observation as doctors have told me I’m underweight before! She also said that normal people have a body fat of 18% to 20% which I later found out is only what athletes have, not normal people. In general, women require a higher body fat percentage compared to men due to their childbearing requirements.
PB Notes: Do be warned that consultants at slimming salons are not medically trained.
Be prepared for criticism of your physique
I was then asked to follow her to a fitting room with harsh lighting where she requested for me to remove my clothes so she could show me my problem areas in the mirror. She proceeded to happily point out cellulite and that my “butt was starting to sag”. For the record my butt is perfectly pert and fine thankyewverymuch! 😛 Under that harsh flourescent lighting, anyone will have cellulite!
She then hinted again that there wasn’t any point in me doing the free trial if I did not sign up for their package as I will not see any effect after the first time and she did not want me to blame Bizzy Body for not having any results to show. The constant reminders of how much I had to lose and how I could benefit from their “Guaranteed Inches Lost” programme continued! Argh!
According to her, Bizzy Body is the only slimming centre in Malaysia to offer guaranteed inch loss and would actually continue to provide treatments for free if your treatment package does not give you the promised results! I feigned ignorance and asked her if there was any strict diet to follow to which she smiled and said of course. I thought “The Guaranteed Inches Loss” programme is was a bit of a ridiculous claim as any loss in weight or inches can only be achieved by following a proper diet as well and it provides them an avenue to shoot you down further for not following their diet if you do not reach your desired measurements.
Slimming salons are all about hard-sell of packages
She asked about my problem areas and it provided a great opening for her to start sharing their wonderful package “available only today and only for first-time customers” which will give me 10 free spot treatments on top of the existing ones for a rock-bottom price.
I was not keen to sign up and I absolutely did not like how her attitude changed after that. She kept harping on the fact that my body fat percentage was high and even went on to suggest that I do not try the free trial as it will have no benefits whatsoever. When I asked her point-blank as to whether I should even do the trial, she quickly smiled and said it was entirely up to me and she did not want to imply that I could not have the trial even though I did not sign up for the package.
I thought this was a rather silly sales tactic as a good trial and treating your potential customers well might actually persuade them to join whatever programme you are suggesting!
There Was No Separate Female-only Changing Area
I insisted on the trial (I deserved something after all that image bashing!) and was led to a fitting room to change into a loose robe. Their fitting room area resembles a gym locker area with lockers provided for your items and a tiny fitting room in which my cellulite was harshly pointed out. To my shock, a male customer walked into the locker area to calmly wash his face at the sink while I was placing my stuff in the locker. The fitting room is only secured with a thin curtain and with all the recent hype around women safety, I couldn’t believe that a slimming centre where women have to be in a state of undress at some point of time does not have a women only changing area! In any event, what was a MAN doing in a slimming salon targeted at WOMEN?!
The “treatment” was by way of machine
I was then led to a small dim room to start the treatment. Small round pads with cold gel which was hooked up to a machine was placed on my “problem areas” for a 30 min treatment. Imagine tiny bursts of vibrations and what felt like small currents of electricity on your body and that was exactly what the treatment was like! That was it! The hardsell and critique took way longer than the actual “treatment”!
My “treatment” ended with a tiny cup of water. Will I sign up with Bizzy Body or any slimming centre?
Definitely no…not if every visit is going to be marked by insults or hard selling by their consultants who are not even medically trained!
Slimming centres should definitely look into better ways to market their services instead of telling a woman outright that she’s fat! It’s the most taboo word in a woman’s dictionary and can really destroy a woman’s self-esteem and perception of her own body. It might however be what they want to do so you’d sign up for their “miracle packages” that cost a small fortune!
PinkElle views restaurants, hotels, products and services with a critical eye and blogs at PinkElle Reviews a blog that is chockfull of reviews about mostly anything at all!
So tell me. Have you ever been to a slimming salon? Would you like to share your experiences or have you thought about going to one?
Stay beautiful,
Paris B
I went to the slimming center that you mentioned, for me their service is good. The comment that you give is a bit over, actually not that bad. They really checked my body in the consultation session, they bring me to the fitting room with a small yellow light but not hash light like dentist using, haha… They did tell me my problem, I think when I feel I need to improve my body figure only I will enter the slimming center, and the consultant tell the truth is their job, don;t think that as a criticism. Be more confidence, don’t feel offense. About the doctor, they always mention about BMI, but slimming consultant wii say about BIR (on fat %), you can find more information, don’t make it misunderstanding. For my opinion, we get in to the place because we are curious on how they can help us, it is proven that we know that we can get better body figure, if not you will not drive a car, find a parking, and enter the center right. I slim down 10kgs with slimming treatments also. More confident now, I tried gym before this, loss 2 kgs in 4 month, but train up muscular body, look so funny when I wear dress. My boyfriend comment that I can protect him already and he wants me to look more lady, so I took slimming course. They really help me.. I can share more if you need it… 🙂
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
BizzyBody is stooping as low as to use PR damage control on this blog. I couldnt help but to laugh my arse off when i read Lye-Lin’s post. Probably helped to lose a few pounds, what with the cardio from extreme laughing. is it just a coincidence that the Lye-Lin sounds suspiciously close to the word Lying?
Lye Lin, please tell me more because I want to slim down my tummy. It’s too bulging especially after my childbirth. I just had a childbirth 2 months ago.
Hi Pinkelle, I found your experience amazingly similar to mine. This is at the VLCC in Mumbai India (which is also a slimming centre). The only difference was the segregation of the sexes. I think they are all the same.
I wen there because i have a gift voucher from JUSCO. Very true they insulted me saying that m yellowish, having serious cellulite and water retention problem which cannot be tolerate. They insist me to go for the detox treatment coz m not fat but having SO MUCH TOXIC in my body, Not allow me to use the voucher as the voucher is for slimming.
Damn hardsell and pushy!!End up that i have to pay RM250 for a one hour treatment. Damn pissed off!!Definitely will not head to any slimming centre again!Treat it as a RM250 for a lesson.
OMG!!! I just signed up with them……Have gone for 4 treatments & must say they try to sell me something each time…
Right from the moment you go in till you leave. Paid almost 4k….sigh.
Guess I’m one of the suckers who keep these ppl going.
Btw, not lost a single pound yet….
i already spent almost rm 20k since 2006 with bzbody slimming centre..b4 dat, rm10k with mayfair…recently i signed another slimming package with bzbody and it cost me rm rm 2, 400 including the slimming gel..n i lost 3kg (only 3kg actually) should i smile or cry? at first i did follow the diet (eat egg, egg n egg 3 days in a row…n nothing else)n my waist reduce from 31 inch to 29 inch juz in 3 days..bt thar was enuf…now, even i try to do the same diet, nothing happen..i juz gave birth my lil girl last mar and at dat time my weight was 65 kg..went to bzbody n at dat time my weight was 59kg..now my weight is 56kg…
i dont think i want to pay another slimming package..better follow my own diet and do some exercise…
When i was 22 and started to work, i tried 2 beauty saloons. 1 were quite near my area, it’s a small saloon but the consultant there was quite nice and will not force to you take any package even after they introduce you to it. i went there mainly for face cleansing. where else, another 1 which i am quite furious about is located in pandan indah near a shopping complex. i got to know this saloon thru a newsletter. it has some interesting free-trial packages which i thought “wow~i definitely want to try it”. that was naive of me that time. while i was doing on package that time, she wil recommend another package to u and when u say “no thanks” she kept buzzing u with the same thing again and again until u give up and sign it up.(again, i was too naive that time) and until the very last, i have signed for around 5 packages of useless thing. i just black list that saloon ever since and gave up on going to any saloon after that. ripped off the beauty from the consultant, they should be called sales consultant instead.
Hi KC
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Don’t let it put you off facials though, if you keep looking you may find one that’s good and doesn’t do the hard sell too much 🙂
I went to bizzybody for treatment…..spent a lot. It only works if u r on strict diet or better known as “starve urself”. So hard to lose any weight. At last, i take Herbalife, lost 10 kg in 2 mnths.
Wanna add….i still have more than 20 sessions….a few firming n toning treatment….oh, n 10 breast treatment…OMG…now i just wanna finish them all asap. Every visit, they will ask me to buy this n that, n to tambah more treatments. When i told them i took Herbalife, they said things about how its not good for the body, must diet naturally, but they have the nerve to promote their Omega shake hehehe.
err… actually 18% for female is actually the border of being hormonally deficient since our body will stop producing estrogen below that line. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to be that way for long since in long term, you could get osteoporosis and amenorrhea and even get premature menopause because of chronic hormone deficiency. i did get 18% once but then I feel totally unhealthy and sick all the time that I start forcing myself to remember eating at the right time. Plus, You may think you look nice thin but you won’t when you look 60 when you are 40.
FYI The right body fat percentage was below 30% and above 25%. Estrogen was the main contributing of our fat percentage but don’t worry, they will keep you alive longer than man. Plus, we need at least 12% fat to be functionally alive anyway. Chronic anorexics die because of preventable diseases, beauty saloons and fashion industry tend to forget that.
Caution : Don’t listen to quack nutrionist wannabe. Degreed nutritionist should know better than to talk like that. She/he could get his/her license withdrawn.
If u want to go for a slimming centre i recommend SLIM world….abd for a facial..herbal line. …way way way much better than BIZZ BODY. I’ve a bad xperience also. They are very good in manupulate and trick u into signing up their service and buying their product. They showed me a 100mlm bottle of product and when i already paid up an amount of RM300 for the product they are actually giving me just a small tube consist of 50 ml serum.When i demand for xplanation they said it is just a misscommunication and the manager is so iggnorant not even saying sorry for her staff attitude.
so if u want to go there not just u need to have a high self-esteem but also firm and bold of your decision.
to all ladiess……..this BIZZ BODY is a NO NO to everybody. They are very very gud in manupulate and trick you into signing up their services- slimming & facial and buying their product. To be specific BIZZ BODY – Bandar Puteri PUCHONG.
I have been to BizzyBody and they can never deliver on their promise. They virtually put you on a starvation diet and at the end of it take the weight drop as a consequence of their treatment! Which is total BS. They never delivered on their weight loss or loss on inches for my treatment and since they signed an agreement am thinking of making them hold up to their end of the promise.
Whoa…. u gals have opened up my eyes… keep bugging my hubby 4 the past 3 weeks to sent me to any slimming centre ( mayfair, bz body or london wt mgmt) coz im obese II already. Dammed the doctor when I was 23 yrs old, I fell sick and due to a treatment (hell know what he injected into my body get worst and only regained myself after a month with a 17kg abrupt increased) went on gaining and gaining after 3rd birth I’m 106kg at 38 yrs old from a 48kg slim figure. I did undergo a slimming programme 9 yrs back from an unestablished place got me down by 10kg but the processes ,,, urgh painfulllllll…..and must watch what u eat spent about 6K there. But I am desperate.. hates the remarks from uncaring people.. But most of all i pity my kids as mum couldn’t catch up to their sactive life. Thanks a lot it to u gals… have to remind myself to watch my diet and stop the idea of getting any slimming centres, and stop bugging my hubby,… should spend the money in more beneficial way …maybe family outing .. yeah a good idea!
I have been to Bizzy Body recently thought of trying out the free trial but end up interrogated for almost 2 hours by a consultant, Adeline who call herself operational manager, who is so rude and arrogant, who told me that the customers she see is usually datin-datin and those clients who give her thousands of business and that she decided to consult me as she saw the shape of me and my friend who need urgent rescue. So humiliating and insulting. The way she spoke is so unprofessional as she kept on highlighting how pretty and fit she is, that she is the same age as me but she looks much radiant and younger, so her husband is very proud to bring her around to show off to her friends. She kept on pursuading me signing the package worth RM3000+ and after discount is RM2000+. I told her i won’t sign up for the course and the next tactic she use was asking me trying first treatment for detoxification cost RM199. I don’t think the effect is so visible if just tried out for first treatment and I foresee after first treatment, sure they will keep on asking you to sign up courses. I rejected her firmly and i noticed her expression changed though she was still smiling to me..and you know what she kept on asking me why I don’t try and insisting me giving an answer..I told her I’m more interested on facial than slimming and my intention that day is to try out the free treatment as per the voucher given by Jusco. She told me I was not suitable for the free treatment (after all the torture, I also have no interest in trying the free treatment anymore as I just want to leave). She kept on pestering me giving contact numbers of my friends as I will get free treatment if I recommend friends to the centre. Finally I just gave my friends’ numbers away but I’ve warned my friend do not entertain any calls from Bizzy Body.
Before visiting Bizzy Body, I intend to try out the facial at their sister company Facial First. After this experience, I don’t think I will visit any of their centre anymore.
My friend next door, who can’t stand their mentally torture, been forced to signed up few courses at RM400+….
Hi Paris
Wow, it was dreadly awful of these SA. But i think the top management plays a bigger role in the scenario. I encountered same awful experience in the brand of Glo** & Glam** too. That time i was keen on the RM380 first trial but slowly, the SA psycho me into the thousands package. Then, i was dumped into the room, and the SA started to promote their items like ampules, yada ..yada.. (**where they earned their commission).. On top of it, they made unkind remark about your body shape , cellulite, pear shape, back pimples and etc…arrrrgghhhh.. MUST go with a thick face, high self esteemed too – if not they made you feel inferior and worth 5 cents. Infact, i could understand that their intention was js to get the prospect to sign up BUT couldn’t they just care and be more tactful with their comments/remarks. It’s really disappointing, and i doubt i would visit any of the slimming outlets too eversince.
At least not till these SA learn that customers are to be respected/ not insult or psychological attack.. it prolly works for some of my rich aunties but definitely not ME!
If you are considering Bizzy Body because of their so-called “assurance of weight loss” guarantee, PLEASE do not waste your money going there. They are not honest, and just want to sell their treatments and products. Every session they will try to sell you something. And they will put you on strict diets to make you lose weight, their treatments actually do not make any difference. If you put on like even 0.1 kg, they will ask you a million questions why, implying you didn’t follow their diet even though you follow strictly. And their guarantee is bullshit, they will twist and turn some kind of excuse so they don’t need to give you the free treatment.
I just finished my final treatment of 17 sessions today, which I paid RM4000!! When I first went there I wasn’t even fat, but my upper thighs and upper arms were fat, so I wanted to reduce those parts. As I’m not fat, they only guaranteed 15 inches (I heard that most people get 20-25 inches guarantee). After 2 months, they told me I had lost 11 inches overall, (mind you they measure every part of your body like 3 parts of your calf, 3 parts of your thighs, etc… so 11 inches is not much when you divide by 25 different parts) that sounded reasonable as I noticed my body had gone down a bit (clothes a bit loser) BUT my arms and thighs were the same. Now after 3 months they told me I had lost 34 inches!! Come on, that is just bullshit. This last final month I haven’t seen any extra difference to my body, weight is the same, and clothes all fit the same. I definitely cannot believe that I’ve lost an additional 23 inches since the first 11 inches!
When I checked the measurements, it looked right. But then I noticed the first day measurements way back before we started the treatments, and guess what, those measurements were totally false, at least 1-1.5 inches more than my actual starting size for every part of the body. The measurement for my thighs were even bigger than the measurement of my pants! How ridiculous!! What is that all about?! Just plain open lies and deception so that they don’t have to give you the free treatment to reach the guaranteed size. And of course you can’t argue with them coz their measurement is final. And they also blamed me, saying if the first measurement is wrong I should have said something in the beginning… well, they didn’t even show me the first measurements for me to check on the 1st day.
You can argue with them till the cows come home but at the end of the day you will not get your free treatments. I paid so much money for their so called RF treatments which they said can reshape body parts and see instant results but instead they made me follow some diets and my arms and thighs are still big! I’m so mad at them for lying! and also mad at myself for believing that their treatment could actually work. If you want to lose weight, diet is the way, whatever little weight I lost with them I believe is due to their strict diets, NOT their treatments. Just Google blood type diet, sugar blockage diet, fruit enzyme diet and low-carb diet and you will achieve the same results for free! Don’t be cheated like I was, I want to warn as many people as I can to stop them from making the same mistake I made.
I signed up for a course at Mayfair. Cost about RM2,500. Guaranteed to slim you down. After a couple of sessions, the consultant told me that I should follow a diet program of 1,000 calories a day for better results! I was a bit disgusted, I mean if need to diet then might as well diet at home and not pay so much for slimming. Anyway, I continued and after 2 more sessions, got conned into buying another package (super promotion) for shaping. Cost RM1,500. After a few more sessions, the consultants started hard selling their products when they carry out each treatment/massage. The go on and on about me needing to buy a course of serum for better results and another product to counter my cellulite for use at the saloon together with my existing course. Each time before the start of each treatment, the consultant would exclaim how bad my cellulite was, etc. Mind you I was not even fat at 55kg and only wanted to slim down my thighs and arms. After some harrassment, I got conned into buying 2 sets of serum and cream. Cost me another RM1,200! With all these extras, I continued my treatment and by then, was fed up with all the hard sell and just wanted to finish my sessions. But the consultants kept harrassing me each time, this time to buy this fantastic cream to use at home to “maintain”! And before each treatment, they would weigh me and then quiz and criticize me on my food and diet if did not lose any weight! Anyway, although I did lose 3 kg (mainly due to their constant criticism and belittling of my body and due to my own diet efforts), I got fed up and completely stopped going, even though I got several sessions left. Have not gone back since and once a while, the Mayfair consultants will call me to try to get me to go back to complete my sessions (so that they can sell me some more products and sessions I am sure!). By the way, during that time, I also joined the gym and attended regularly. The consultant who massaged my thighs said that my muscles were quite hard and I explained that I was also going to the gym. And can you believe it, the consultant told me that I should not carry weights and exercise so much because it made my thighs hard and while idea behind Mayfair slimming was to massage and push the fats around, and worked better if my thighs were “soft”. What a load of nonsense.
hey gal, you went to bizzy body? well what you have written really resembles who they are, my wife is a customer but not a happy one, i wonder why, so she asked to look at your blog and know i know why she was blabbling at me when she came back today, Well the thing about unmedically trained people is that they have no idea what they are talking about. i was once there, asking them about the diet as i go to the gym and you know exercise talks about calories in take and how to control them so that you loose weight in a gradual manner, As you know and have experienced, Bizzy body people, only knows about what they are being told in the book, it is a pitty for those who worked there as they have the slightest idea of what they are selling, which is human PR , not about the slimming program. i think the people working there should attend or go for sales training at least not to make me pissed you off her, as well as other readers. So what can i say, and how can i change. Is there anyway to shut them down? i wonder. probably we can all throw rotten eggs at their shop, haha, what a great idea.
the one my wife went was in Bukit Raja Klang. shitty place, very arrogant sales so called consultants, and the shallow most knowledgeable people working there. So unfortunate for them to be working in a place that they provide no training and the customers come in and bash them upside down. Even my wife can bash these people. imagine if i were to go there probably the person attending would cry and call her mother… i wonder… anyway good write up i hope more people read it. and i love people like you. Also slimming is not only Bizzy body but there are many others. the techniques are the same. the formula of the diet., But those treatment. i think they are crap.. because what can those things do? if it were so simple to burn those calories, i think i can try quitting my gym and spend my hard earn money in slimming, plus i can peep at girls.. hahaha just kidding never had that intention… so i just wanna tell everyone. bizzy body sucks!!! big time let us all ban bizzy body and do your own sports to get thin and watch those calories you put in ya…..
Hi!
Thanks for the review. This is by far, the most detailed review of Bizzy Body slimming center that I was about to ask for free trial. Thank goodness that I found your site. I only find one review that said the consultant is nice and friendly, but the rest are nonsense! I got 40% body fat at the moment and want to reduce it to the normal level but since you said 18 – 20% body fat is for athlete, do this mean it is ok to have extra 20%? i have two kids now and my weight escalating may be due to stress and lack of exercise. Need to loose weight fast. Any suggestions are most welcome.
Thanks!
Hi all,
Actually after i read the comments given by you all, i feel like to write something. i was one of the Buzybody customer and still in treatment. After 7sesion i lost 5 kg. Honestly, i felt same like you all but after i think back, at least i successful lost weight because of their advice and weight monitoring. Yes i 100% agreed that their treatment was not really help me directly but at least we have the caurage to diet when they point up at our problem part.
i ageed with lye-lin, if we really follow their advice and practice the adviceable diet, its really help. I not agree when people said you can diet yourself at home without need professional advice because if you just NOT EAT it will lower down your metabolisme and cause the calories burn slowly. Their machine actually not to burn the fat but to increase the body metabolisme in order to help you burn
the calories faster and quickly when you diet. The combination of this will give the good result. DO NOT think that fat easy to burn, its need effort and hardwork.
i am looking forward to loose another 5 kg in another 11 session left. i’m happy for it and thanks buzzy body.