BEAUTY, SPAS, MASSAGE AND HYGIENE IN MALAYSIA

BEAUTY AND HYGIENE IN MALAYSIA

Fabiënne Nicole Groeneveld, Miss Universe Indonesia 2023

In the early 2000s, less than 20 percent of women dye their hair, compared to more than 60 percent in Japan and South Korea. Many women carry umbrellas for protection from the sun.

In the early 2000,s police raided beauty salons and seized a dangerous skin whitening cosmetics after many complaints from users. The cosmetics contained Hydroquinone, a substance that is banned in Europe . Users said their skins became reddish and dry as if they had been burned.

Many Asian women eschew the tanned sporty look and favor the white, frail look. Pale skin is considered beautiful and has traditionally been associated with sophistication and wealth while brown skin traditionally has been a sign of being poor and working outside in the sun. Women often refuse to go out in the summer unless they have an umbrella, a makeshift cape or some other kind of skin protection. Among the skin whiteners available in Asia are White Detox by Biotherm, Pure by Dior, Blanc Expert by Lancom and Derma White by Clinique.

The skin of Chinese women is denser and better quality than the skin of Western women. Chinese women tend to have skin that is free of blemishes and lines for ten years longer than Western women. When the ageing process begins it happens suddenly — with pre-auricular wrinkles developing vertically from the ears and an interocular line crossing horizontally between the eyes and wrinkles appearung on the chin.

Malaysia Tries to Improve Its Toilets

Richard Lloyd Parry wrote in The Times: “Among the countries of South-East Asia, Malaysia has much to be proud of, from its immaculate tropical beaches and ancient rain forests to the skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur, the capital. And yet a perpetual anxiety lurks at the back of the Malaysian mind: the execrable state of the nation’s toilets. Now the Government is to introduce college courses in lavatory management as part of a continuing “toilet revolution” intended to protect locals and tourists from smelly and unclean conveniences. The country will also mount a toilet exhibition and institute a text message hotline on which sub-standard lavatories can be reported to the authorities. The course will cover loo design, maintenance and hygiene and will enrol its first students within the next three years, Robert Lau, the deputy Housing and Local Government Minister, said. [Source: Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times, February 9, 2007]

Malaysians are intensely conscious of public toilets that would have Thomas Crapper, pioneer of the flush toilet, turning in his grave. This year the country is mounting an ambitious drive for overseas tourists, and the Government has set out to shame its citizens into improving their habits. “Try to imagine dirty, disgusting toilets that make you nauseous — these will surely give us a negative image,” Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister, said at a speech last year at the National Toilet Expo and Forum. “Good, clean toilets are associated with good health, good manners, good upbringing, good housekeeping and civilisation. That is why the Government feels this must be a national effort.”

Apart from unpleasant smells and dirt, and the absence of toilet paper and soap, the problem stems from the transition from the traditional Asian squat toilet to Western-style seats. Tourists sometimes complain of finding footprints on the seats, where previous users have stood. The same problem occurs in other parts of Asia. Until a few years ago, Western-style toilets in Japan bore diagrams illustrating their correct use.

Associated Press reported: Malaysia's government recently said it wanted to start a "toilet revolution" in a country where public restrooms have long nauseated citizens and tourists with their lack of basic items such as toilet paper, soap and sometimes even toilet seats. The effort is meant to help Malaysia's public lavatories become as hygienic as those in countries such as Britain and Singapore, was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency. "Clean toilets cannot merely be judged by the eyes," Lau said. "This matter also involves the use of cleaning equipment, soap, fragrances and proper tissues." Lau said his ministry plans to soon introduce a system for the public to lodge complaints about filthy toilets via cellphone text messages.

Malaysian Muslims Told Not to Use Botox

In July 2006, Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council ruled that Botox contains substances prohibited under Islam, including those from pigs, and the country’s Muslim were forbidden to use the anti-wrinkle agent. John Aglionby wrote in The Guardian, “The council ruled during a three-day meeting after six months of research that Muslims should reject the increasingly popular anti-ageing treatment on religious grounds. The council arrived at the decision after studying reports from abroad, local specialists and fatwas made in Middle Eastern countries, council chairman Professor Datuk Shukor Husin was quoted as saying in today's New Straits Times. [Source: John Aglionby, The Guardian, July 28, 2006]

“While council fatwas are decrees that do not legally bind Muslims, people who disobey them are considered to be committing a sin. In addition to easing wrinkles, the use of Botox - the brand name of a substance derived from the toxin botulin which temporary paralyses facial muscles to eliminate wrinkles - for other cosmetic purposes is also prohibited. It will be allowed, however, to treat medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, muscle spasm and migraines, but only in extreme cases. This decision refers to situations when there are no alternatives for medical treatment, Dr Sukor said. The council said another reason Botox should be banned is because of the proliferation of fake products, which could cause more harm than good.

Doctors quoted by the newspaper said only between 10 percent and a third of their customers are Muslim. Each Botox treatment in Malaysia costs up to 700 ringgit (£105). The paper quoted a variety of reactions to the decision. One television personality, Azwan Ali, welcomed the ruling. People should learn to accept their looks and come to terms with ageing instead of altering what God had given them, he reportedly said. One woman said she would continue to be injected because she did it to look good rather than young.

Baba-Nyonya Therapy at Spa Village Malacca

The Spa Village Malacca is the world's only spa to base its therapies on the healing heritage of the Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan culture - a unique combination of Chinese and Malay influences. Treatments are designed to recapture the energy that life's challenges remove - soothing skin, easing tired muscles, and allowing a physical and psychological escape from the pressures of modern living. Based on Peranakan healing philosophy and inspired by traditional Chinese medicine, the spa therapies are moulded around a person's cool or warm energy. A visit to the spa is a voyage into the heart of Malacca’s rich culture. [Source: The Majestic Malacca]

Erin Reese wrote in Global Traveler, “Every signature treatment at Spa Village Malacca commences with a simple yet strikingly moving ritual taken from the 12-day Peranakan wedding ceremony: the Hair Combing Experience. The ritual is intended to eliminate impurities and bestow good luck upon the betrothed. Although I’m nowhere near an altar, the ceremony began with my attendant pouring fresh water with tropical flower blossoms through my tresses to remove negativity. Following a fruit shampoo, her magic fingers applied acupressure in a stimulating scalp massage that swiftly found me drifting off to another time and place. [Source: Erin Reese, Global Traveler, March 1, 2009]

“I reveled in my daydream of a Peranakan bride-to-be in Malacca’s golden era. My therapist poured rich olive oil through my long locks as she worked with a wooden comb and careful caress, tending to each and every strand. A refreshing rinse of fresh lime juice and banana conditioner topped off the treatment. Expertly, my mane was swept up into a 1940s twist. “For luck,” the therapist declared, as she pinned a fragrant sprig of white jasmine into my hair comb. And this was only the prelude to the Peranakan Experience.”

“The Peranakan pull their remedies and treatments from a mix of Traditional Chinese Medicine, tribal Malay wisdom and Indonesian influences. TCM considers a healthy person to have balanced yin (dark, or cold) and yang (light, or warm) energies. Upon check-in, I’d completed a survey with a series of questions concerning digestion and dreaming, skin type and sleep, to determine my body type. It turned out that I was a bit too yin and needed a warm-up. For me, it would be the Suam-Suam Panas Experience, or warming heat treatment.

“All Peranakan treatments can be found in a typical Chinese-Malay mother’s cupboard. My practitioner presented a tray of totally fresh ingredients including gula sugar and honey, ground pandan leaves and coconut milk, toasted rice and nutmeg, tapioca and — surely a rarity in any kitchen and the crème-de-la-crème of skincare indulgences — bird’s nest saliva. My body’s culinary indulgence began with an invigorating, all-over gula scrub, a sweet solution of grainy palm sugar and honey — chock-full of essential vitamins and minerals. The curious concoction, with a scent of crème brulée, was worked into every limb. Since I was supposed to be “getting warmed up,” I wondered if I might also be set to flambé. As the syrup was left to soak into my skin, the therapist treated me with the Pandan-Coconut Hair Mask, to moisturize and remove headaches in us “cold” types.

“Nudged awake after another hypnotizing scalp massage — my body cast with a sugar-candy glaze, my hair frosted with coconut-flavored icing — my therapist coaxed me into the treatment room’s private shower to rinse all those calories away. Next came the Nutmeg and Rice Rolling Massage, focused on removing my excess wind. In TCM, it is believed that joint stiffness and poor digestion result from “wind” stored in the body. This blocked energy, or chi, is eliminated by vigorously rolling hot sachets of toasted nutmeg and rice mixture along the muscles.

“Afterward, I felt warmed up and wind-balanced, ready for the peak of Peranakan pampering: the Bird’s Nest Facial. Dried bird’s nest saliva, found in the spittle of cave-dwelling swifts of Southeast Asia, is considered the “caviar of the East.” Chinese culture holds that bird’s nest soup, a delicacy, is an excellent restorative tonic; hence, the same ingredient is used in Spa Village Malacca’s signature facial. Blended with tapioca, the saliva’s

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings; 1993; New York Times; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Smithsonian magazine; Encyclopedia.com; National Geographic; Live Science; Malaysia Tourism websites; Malaysia government websites; UNESCO; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Natural History magazine; Times of London; Library of Congress; The Conversation; The New Yorker; Time; BBC; CNN; Reuters; Associated Press; AFP; Lonely Planet Guides; Google AI; Wikipedia; The Guardian and various websites; books and other publications.

Last updated May 2026