About The Blogger

My name is Tammy Lim and I am an award winning blogger from Top 10 Malaysia Magazine and Cleo Malaysia Magazine. I have been blogging since 2008 and I am also the founder of a local Malaysian beauty & lifestyle community called The Butterfly Project. People often tell me that I'm a wonder woman, but in reality - if it's something you love, you can do wonders.

When I'm not wondering, I'll be on my computer searching for the next fountain of youth or hunting down a fantastic deal. I'm also a shopaholic, wanderluster, spa enthusiast and proud hipster who loves planning special occasions and surprises for her loved ones.
  • Top 10 Female Bloggers in Malaysia Award
  • Cleo's Next Top Blogger Malaysia Award
  • Founder of The Butterfly Project Malaysia



  • Leekaja Cinderella Treatment Review

    11.19.2019

    Leekaja is one of Korea's top salons

    Leekaja's Signature Cinderella Treatment was on my frizz radar since I discovered them on Instagram last year. Not only does the name spark that fairy tale makeover I needed but I actually got to know about the popular Hair Botox as they called it when I was in Seoul, Korea two years back. I remember myself innocently trying to understand the posters at the salon but only could be amazed at the Cinderella word and the before and after photographs.

    Leekaja's Signature Cinderella Treatment

    If you have been following me, you know that I am plagued with frizzy, unruly hair since my teenage years and I have tried almost every Keratin treatment in Malaysia (except for Cinderella until now). I've done hair straightening, rebonding, relaxer, Brazillian Keratin Treatment (BKT), Keratin Treatments, Platinum Keratin Treatment, Steam Pods, etc I can't keep count anymore but in my heart, I was dead set on trying the Cinderella Treatment at Leekaja Beauty Salon which is a one-stop all-in-one beauty salon providing not just hair services, but facial, eyelash, nail, men's barber services as well as a cafe serving Korean flower tea in their menu.

    Have you heard of Botox treatment for hair? Using organic ingredients like aloe vera, vitamins, and collagen, Cinderella Treatment will moisturize and nourish your hair, achieving soft and smooth locks without resorting to chemical treatments such as rebonding. A sensational treatment that is already famous in Korea, there is no one who did not return for the treatment.

    If you take a peep at their Instagram, you're going to be amazed at their Instagrammable interior! It's like an urban jungle just pop up in the middle of the city. To be precise at the Four Season's Robinson, Jalan Ampang (just next to KLCC). To get there, look for Maxis building and you can cross over to Four Seasons Place.

    this is the new section of Leekaja

    fresh, green, luscious urban jungle in a modern setting


    Madam Leekaja at Leekaja Singapore
    "A hairdresser who is more famous than K-pop stars"
    image source: yahoo lifestyle

    Curious about the name? Leekaja is actually founded by Madame Leekaja back in 1972 in South Korea and was the first salon franchised brand that has set itself apart. If you ever pass by their salon in Robinsons, Four Seasons, you'll know they're dead stylish and "atas". With over 200 shops in Korea alone, they're also available in the USA, China, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia!

    "Atas" does come with a price and also it's the line of services to make you feel like a queen. 








    Been wanting to try @leekaja.my & then last week, I saw they were giving away their signature Korean Hair Cream Bath so I joined and boy did I get lucky! Won myself a RM290 hair treatment yipeee 🤩 I won & hopped over to Robinson’s Four Season to find them. It’s a jungle looking salon thats refreshing and bold. They have their own cafe too ☕️ Upon being seated, I was given a menu to select my choice of drink (coffee/tea) with pastry and a banana. Oh wow! 🍵🍌🥐 While having my hair washed, I looked up and saw a ceiling of more jungle lush plants (not sure if it’s real?) 🌿 I like how they’re so gentle to the hair, no tugging no obscene pulling and combing. That’s so different from all the salons I’ve been. I’ve been having my hair falling so I was worried about losing more hair to nonsensical hands going about my head. Yeap, that’s one lesson I learnt from keto & intermitten fasting. U better take your supplements & biotin! 😏 Thank you Leekaja for letting me experience what’s it like having a Korean Cream Bath in your lovely lush salon 🥺 #plusizekitten #koreancreambath #ketotammy #leekaja #leekajamy #koreanhairsalon #robinsonsmalaysia #fourseasonsmalaysia
    A post shared by Plusizekitten @ Tammy Lim (@hellotammylim) on 


    I participated in one of their Instagram contest a few months ago and won their Korean Cream Bath Hair Treatment and had the first Leekaja experience that impressed me as a consumer. Their welcome service was excellent and they offered me a welcome snack with a choice of drinks from their cafe. I could choose from their cold-pressed juices, tea or freshly brewed coffee. It came with a coffee bean-shaped waffle and a tasty banana (for energy?). 

    Their leather seats were comfortable, I could enjoy the free wifi, phone charge (you know that's always a big problem!) and look decently covered in a nice salon treatment gown (IDK about you but it does make you feel so much better especially when you need to take a step out of the salon to the bathroom or for fresh air).

    P.S: Apparently the treatment gown is one-time use only! For hygiene purposes (omg loving this salon's attention to details).

    The service that set them apart, or at least for my visit, was then I was in a strict Keto and had lost a lot of weight, including my hair (refer to my weight loss post). I was so worried about my hair being pulled, mangled, and comb because that's usually what I experience at other salons. There's like this conspiracy going on where they kind of make you beautiful but also destroy your hair in the end. High heat, rough handling, and combing of your hair like it's some kind of pony. Have you experienced that?

    Surprisingly, here, they were so gentle with my hair! They weren't pulling it, they were treating it with utmost care like they know my hair's so fragile at the moment.

    That made the deciding factor if I would come back again.

    Seriously


    behold the before & after of my damaged, frizzy hair

    Ok, let's get down to the very reason for my post today. It's the Cinderella treatment. The most coveted hair treatment in town that if you have the money to splurge, should at least once, try it.

    Quoting their shampoo area with the neon quotes "Believe me if I looked good, it's not an accident". I'm going to interpret it as nobody looks good without doing anything. The Cinderella Treatment isn't just any hair treatment. It's the perfect anti-frizz solution for frizzy, dull, uncontrollable, damaged hair from chemical services (coloring/perming). Turning back the clock on your unruliness, to rejuvenate, strengthen, and revive your hair.

    Cinderella Treatment Key Benefits:
    • Achieve Easy-to-Manage Hair
    • Attain Straight and Smooth Hair
    • Organic Products used to minimize damage
    • Possible to achieve straightening effects on bleached hair

    Especially when they have promotions because the must-try treatment costs anywhere from RM600 to RM1500 depending on your hair length. This makes it the most expensive keratin treatment I have ever gotten in my Malaysian life.

    This comes with a reason,  not only are they a premium beauty salon with value-added services, they use the latest haircare tech and gears like Dyson hairdryer (you know your locks are getting some good stuff). The treatment also uses organic ingredients such as aloe vera, vitamins, and collagen.

    It's the hair botox without all the harsh nasty stuff and I can attest to it in my review.


    Click to watch my IGTV vlog on my Cinderella experience above!


    The Cinderella Treatment Process

    bleached, frizzy, damaged, loss of shine, untamed

    After being seated, my hairstylist Shane inspected my hair and checked with me my hair history so he could advise me if the Cinderella Treatment was suitable. He notices that I have many baby hairs due to my hair regrowing back after my keto hair loss. He said it might not be advisable as the treatment would not last as long, but I was willing to take the plunge. I just couldn't wait anymore for my Cinderella makeover. I also couldn't stand my lion hair and needed to look good until my birthday in January.

    I did all my research before coming here so I knew what would go on with the steps. I anticipated the whole treatment for my hair length to be at least 2hours on average. To watch the entire process, check out my IGTV above! Below is a photo step-by-step of my experience.

    step 1 - hair wash & rinse
    so relaxing! I was enjoying the head massage

    step 2 - treatment cream application
    I read that one of the ingredients onion can make you cry so there's an eye protector for me
    my head was wrapped to marinate the treatment cream

    step 3 - warm for 15mins
    I was amazed at the "spaceship" looking warmer haha
    at this point, I did not feel any irritation/strong chemical smell
    very good, as I usually feel the "product" at this stage

    step 4 - blow drying
    it's quite a scene watching two cute guys blow drying my hair
    using Dyson of all hairdryers! first-class service IMHO

    step 5 - ironing to seal the Cinderella cream
    I can already see my hair transformed here, I was so happy
    Christmas came early for me, I'm going to be a princess soon!


    step 6 - rinse & blow-dry again
    I get to enjoy the hair wash again + the last Dyson session haha

    step 7 - hair cut & styling
    Shane trimmed my hair to suit my new Cinderella look
    I requested for my bangs to be corrected from him

    It's pretty much the standard straightening/BKT process where you'll need to first wash your hair to remove residues and oils before your treatment (a clean start / fresh slate). I truly enjoyed my time in the shampoo area with a relaxing head and scalp acupressure massage. When I open my eyes, the gaze of flowers welcomes me. I feel so peaceful and relaxed. If they put essential oils aromatherapy for my face to inhale I think that's going to be fabulous!

    I was usher back to my seat where my yummy treats were waiting for me. I pour my green tea and took a bite onto my coffee bean-shaped waffle (so cute). Shane my hairstylist came to lightly blow dry my hair. Then the most interesting thing happened, he started sticking this plastic screen over my eyes to protect my eyes from the cream. I read online that one of the ingredients is onion and it makes you cry so this was to protect me from crying haha!

    Usually, I could smell the strong application cream (from other treatments) and while the technology has advanced to removing formaldehyde from BKT, I could still smell the strong creams used on my hair. While I do not know in-depth the makeup of this Cinderella cream, I know that it is 90% organic and uses collagen, aloe vera, cedarwood oil, pomegranate, and green tea extracts from online reviews. This may explain that I did not pick up on any of the strong smell nor did I experience any irritation or burning sensation on my scalp.

    When the application of the cream was done, he clings wrap my head and started the UFO looking machine - a warming machine. It was set to 15mins so I was casually sipping my tea and surfing on my phone. When the time is up, they blow-dried my hair again before ironing it.

    The ironing is the last step to seal in the keratin into my hair. At this stage, I could see my hair becoming beautiful, silky, soft and healthy! I was amazed already. I couldn't wait till this is over to see the new Cinderella me.

    To my surprise, I needed to rinse my hair after the ironing. I thought it was already perfect and even asked Shane why haha. Anyway, I enjoyed the head massage during the rinsing so I closed my eyes wishing it would not be over so soon. I seriously would come back again just to have my hair wash!

    Shane was soo nice! He trimmed my hair (he knew I didn't have a cut for some time lol from looking at my overly grown hair during the hair inspection haha). He said this is normal, usually, for the finishing look, they would trim a bit.


    RECAP: BEFORE CINDERELLA TREATMENT

    my hair before the treatment: Can join Lion King show

    my hair after the treatment, I feel like a Kpop artist

    My verdict:
    I don't need to put it into words! Just watch my video to see the after results. My hair was light, airy, healthy, glowing (shining!), so smooth and silky. It has been restored to its baby glory days. So tamed, you won't believe the before and after pictures. Like seriously? Did I have such awful looking hair?! OMG!!! This is really a Cinderella hairy-tale story! Leekaja is my fairy godmother for sure now.

    Would I do this again? I would save up for this and await their next promo if I need to. Between many normal in-salon hair treatments and leave-in hair treatments/masks you would buy, a one-time off that lasts for up to 3 months could be time and $$, saver. Not to forget the first-class service + beautiful lush environment at Leekaja Robinsons, Four Seasons!

    Update: After a month and plenty of hair wash, my hair is still looking smooth and fine. I have Dyson hairdryer at home so the level of heat-blow drying is not as bad as a normal hairdryer. I am hoping this lasts till my birthday.


    Cinderella Hair Care
    Shane advised me to use the right hair care for post-Cinderella care and maintenance. It would help in prolonging the effects. I knew that a typical keratin treatment would last up to 3 months with good care and since this is a less offensive treatment, I really needed to invest in a good sulfate-free shampoo and stay away from swimming for a while (chlorine would destroy my Cinderella hair!). 


    Show King Pod RM150/250g
    Korea's No.1 On-The-Go Treatment

    At the cashier, I picked up the Show King Pod that Shane recommended to me as a moisture-locking treatment that I could use in place of a conditioner to care for my Cinderella hair. It helps strengthen hair follicles (to prevent hair loss) + natural shine + promote hair thickness. He said it's RM150 but currently, they're offering an RM150 cashback credit on any hair service with if I buy this. I totally love any good deals to come back again so this was a good buy!

    I get back RM150 credits for my next hair wash or cut and live like a queen again for a few hours. The promotion is extended until the end of November and the credits last 2 months (pls double-check with them).

    As part of your queen service, if you're unhappy with the service or it's not up to your expectation they have an 8-day customer satisfaction guarantee to come back for retouching within 8 days of your service (haircut, color, perming rebonding). 

    • 8 Days Promise - An eight-day Satisfaction Guarantee for the customer who not satisfied with their hair services!
    • Dyson Hairdryers - Best Hairdryers use by most of the professional salon!
    • Superior Customer Service from Head to Toes!
    • Umbrella Rental - Fret not, We provide umbrella rental when its rain suddenly
    • Mobile Charger - Phone battery almost dead? Don't worry we have a phone charger for you!
    • Treatment Gown - For hygiene purposes, our gown is one-time use only.
    • Serves with Beverage, Tasty Banana, and Coffee Bean-shape waffle

    Leekaja Beauty Salon

    G5-9 | Robinsons, Shoppes at Four Seasons Place,
    145, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

    WhatsApp: +6012-8330040 | Email: stylist@leekaja.my
    https://www.leekaja.my | Leekaja Facebook | Leekaja Instagram

    Their referral promotion = 15% OFF on services if customers refer friends (so you can quote my name haha since I am a customer for that 15% off)

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