Little lifestyle finds I’m currently loving
We’re already halfway through May, and it has already given me a lot to work with. A pair of ivory flats I’ve been wearing on repeat. A brand new spa in my own neighborhood. A lemony pre-meal drink I tried at a rooftop pool party recently.
The shoes: A newfound closet staple
I have a left foot that is a size 36 and a right that is a 35, and I have been managing this my entire life. Insoles are my best friend. I wear flats almost exclusively because I love them genuinely, not as a consolation prize for avoiding heels, but because a beautiful flat is one of the most satisfying things a person can own.
When I do wear heels, I need an ankle strap, or the whole situation unravels. With flats, a slim insole tucked into the 36 closes the gap, and everyone is happy.
Sunday Staples, a Singapore footwear brand brought here by Anthem Group, opened at Power Plant Mall, and the range surprised me. There are lovely heels, but the flats selection is where I kept returning. Every pair is built with Cloud Technology cushioning that distributes pressure evenly across the foot so the end-of-day ache in the arch and heel doesn’t build up the way it usually does.
The collection is designed specifically for Asian feet, and the materials, microfiber leather and waterproof satin, among others, are chosen with our climate in mind. Rain at 3 p.m. on a day you wore satin is not hypothetical here. The brand thought about that.
The pair I chose are ivory espadrille flats with a jute rope sole and an embroidered floral cutout upper, scalloped along the edge. They photograph well, and they wear even better. I tried the 36, added my insole, and the fit was immediate and uncomplicated. Both feet cooperated, which for me is a minor miracle. I’ve worn them often since.
Two more Sunday Staples locations are coming to Manila, which feels like good news for everyone with a soft spot for a well-made flat.
The spa: Five minutes from home
Tsuki Spa is new. It is in Quezon City, and it is five minutes from my house.
It is owned by three women—Kyra Sotto, Niña Sotto, and Audrey Dy—all with backgrounds in beauty, who opened it as a passion project. The interiors were designed by women-founded Tanaw Studio, and the space is exactly the kind you want to sit in after a long week.
Warm wood, soft light, reclining chairs that are so relaxing, the woman seated next to me started to snore. My partner got the two-hour Tsuki Signature Body Massage and emerged from it so relaxed that he had no opinions for the rest of the evening. He always has opinions.
I got four things done in one sitting, which is the dream.
The Tsuki Signature Foot Spa first, because feet deserve more credit than they get. The treatment works through the arch, heel, and ball of the foot with soaking, exfoliation, and massage addressing all the places that carry the most and complain the quietest. I even got foot reflexology as an add-on, which targeted pressure on specific points of the sole that produces a whole-body looseness. By the time it was done, I felt like a person who had been making excellent decisions all week.
My classic manicure was clean and precise. And then the Japanese keratin lash lift, my first, turned out to be the sleeper hit of the afternoon. A keratin solution sets and curls the natural lashes from the root upward. No extensions, no daily curler, just lifted lashes that hold for weeks. I have been looking inexplicably well-rested ever since.
Tsuki covers massage, foot spa, reflexology, nails, lashes, body scrubs, and waxing, at prices that reflect a business built for real women rather than a concept. They don’t do hair yet, but when they do, they’ll get sick of me coming in.
For anyone in QC who has been driving south for this kind of service, the commute is officially over.
The wellness habit: What’s in the glass
I recently attended the Trizie Summer Pool Party at Corinthian Hills. It had a Mediterranean aesthetic, bright tones, silky slip skirts, a ball pit, a bikini charm-making station, and adorable photo spots.
Trizie is a clean wellness brand focused on gut health, skin, and immunity through natural, science-blended supplements. Their newest product is the Appetite Yerba Mate, a pre-meal fiber drink I tried there for the first time. The flavor is lemony and bright, far more pleasant than the ingredient list might suggest.
Yerba mate is a South American botanical with well-documented appetite-regulating and energy-lifting properties, working through its natural combination of caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline to stimulate the central nervous system gently without the crash that coffee sometimes brings.
L-carnitine, on the other hand, supports the body in converting stored fat into usable fuel, a process that happens more efficiently when the body isn’t in a constant state of reactive hunger. Fiber slows digestion and extends satiety, and apple cider vinegar supports the gut microbiome by encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Together, they work on appetite, energy, and gut health simultaneously, which is a tidy amount of function for one small sachet.
