Holiday Plaza in JB
When we think of one-stop shopping centres in JB, malls like KSL and City Square usually come to mind. These megamalls are jam-packed with beauty shops and retailers that’ll keep us booked and busy for a full day of pampering, but there’s one tiny downside – the endless streams of crowds inside, especially during peak hours and weekends.
Well, if you’re looking for a quieter, more lowkey alternative – a real hidden gem, if we dare say, – check out Holiday Plaza in JB. This large mall gives us Lucky Plaza vibes – kinda obscure and rundown, but filled with popular pampering services that’re supposedly more affordable than at mainstream malls like KSL. We visit to see if it’s worth the hype:
The current exchange rate is RM1 = ~S$0.30 as of 2nd April 2025.
Table of Contents [hide]
- Holiday Plaza in JB
- How to get to Holiday Plaza in JB?
- – Things to do at Holiday Plaza JB –
- 1. Fairy Nail
- 2. Catz Nail Studio
- 3. Nobelle Nail House
- 4. Pretty Cure Beauty
- 5. TNT Nail & Eyelash
- 6. Kazoku Hair Salon
- 7. Tess Hair Studio
- 8. R.A.D. Hair Studio
- 9. Java Java Refleksi
- 10. Zen Village Reflexology
- 11. Tropico Kopi
- 12. Perniagaan Thye Lian
- Shop affordable beauty services at Holiday Plaza in JB
How to get to Holiday Plaza in JB?
Holiday Plaza is a convenient 10-minute car ride from JB CIQ, and a 23-minute bus ride from JB Sentral. Our Grab ride there cost us only RM8, but if you’d rather take public transport, getting to Holiday Plaza by bus is pretty easy too.
You’ll simply need to catch the myBAS F100 shuttle service from the bus terminal at JB Sentral, and alight at the stop after KSL. Each one-way trip costs RM1.40.
– Things to do at Holiday Plaza JB –
Nail Salons
1. Fairy Nail
If you’re looking for a place to get a fresh set of nails, Holiday Plaza has floors lined with rows of nail salons, with prices starting at around RM50 for a gel mani.
We did a quick social media search to hunt down the best reviewed nail salons prior to our visit, and a strong contender was Fairy Nail (G63), which has hype reviews all over Lemon8. We tried out a classic cat eye gel mani here, which cost us RM80, inclusive of the extra RM20 for the cat eye design (a regular gel mani here costs RM60).
Compared to standard SG prices, which typically start at S$30 for an express gel manicure without all the preening, this mani was a steal, considering that our nail tech was also quite meticulous with nail shaping and cuticle care.
The entire process took around an hour, and we left with pretty pink nails to show off for the rest of the day. Overall, we’d rate the experience a solid 8/10 for Fairy Nail’s clean interior, friendly nail tech, and efficient service.
Image credit: Fairy Nail via Facebook
P.S. – we didn’t have time to try out their more intricate designs, but Fairy Nail also offers trendy nail art with popular chrome polish and 3D embellishments. While starting prices for gel nails here are similar to salons at KSL, our nail tech tells us more complicated designs, which have differing prices based on complexity levels, tend to be slightly more affordable here.
2. Catz Nail Studio
Just one floor below Fairy Nail, you’ll find Catz Nail Studio (LG64), another popular salon here. Similar to Fairy Nail, this nail studio also has a solid portfolio of trendy nail art on their IG page.
Image credit: Catz Nail Studio via Facebook
While we didn’t get our nails done here, we spotted a couple of designs with gorgeous fine line nail art, plus cat eye and chrome polish. Classic gel manis here start from RM55, while an express mani costs RM30.
3. Nobelle Nail House
Image credit: Nobelle Nail House via Facebook
Nobelle Nail House (G12) is another popular option for mani-pedis at Holiday Plaza. Classic gel manis here are a little cheaper, starting at RM50 for basic single-coloured designs.
But if you’d like fancier nails, they offer the same lot of stylish designs, including watercolour nails and cutesy hand-drawn anime nail art.
Lash Studios
4. Pretty Cure Beauty
Image credit: Peanutypug via Lemon8
A sister stall of Fairy Nail, Pretty Cure Beauty (G19) offers equally affordable lash extension services, starting at just RM98. Compared to lash studios in SG that charge around S$60 for a basic lash set, Pretty Cure’s lash extensions are considered hella cheap, with natural lash sets costing half of Singapore’s prices.
Image credit: Peanutypug via Lemon8
Aside from basic 1D and 2D natural extensions, the studio also has popular designs like manga lashes and XiaoHongShu-viral spiky fairy lashes for just RM148, instead of the usual S$80 to S$100 they would cost in Singapore.
BTW, this is also slightly cheaper than some known lash salons at KSL, like I Be Own Nail & Beauty, which charges RM128 for natural 1D lashes.
5. TNT Nail & Eyelash
Image credit: T&T Nail Eyelash & Ear Spa via Google
Another affordable lash studio to visit is T&T Nail Eyelash & Ear Spa (LG41), which has lash extension services from RM108. Customers even have the option of getting fully glammed up here, as the salon offers mani-pedi services from RM78 too.
Hair Salons
6. Kazoku Hair Salon
If you’re already getting all dolled up with a mani-pedi and new lash set, why not complete your makeover with a fresh new ‘do? Holiday Plaza has a tonne of hair salons on its upper floors, including a few standout ones like Kazoku Hair Salon (G22).
Image credit: Kazoku Hair Salon via Facebook
Kazoku offers a range of popular hair services, from a basic cut and wash from RM60 for long hair, to vibrant dye jobs from RM288. You can refer to their Facebook page for examples of previous colours they’ve done, which include everything from bold pink and violet highlights, to trendy ash browns.
However, compared to popular JB salons like REDS Hairdressing, it’s notable that their prices aren’t exactly cheaper – while a hair cut here costs RM5 less, their dye services are actually a little pricier than at REDS.
7. Tess Hair Studio
Amongst all the salons we passed by at Holiday Plaza, Tess Hair Studio (F15) was probably the most budget-friendly one.
A wash and cut here starts at just RM40, and hair colouring services begin at RM78. Though skeptics may find prices here just a little too good to be true, we found a couple of good reviews for the salon’s hair wash and blow service online, so it might be worth giving a shot.
8. R.A.D. Hair Studio
Located a couple of doors down from Tess Hair Studio, R.A.D. Hair Studio (F18) is another wallet-friendly option, with cut and wash services starting at RM40, and colouring services from RM98.
It’s also one of the better reviewed salons at Holiday Plaza, with 135 Google Reviews and a 4.9 star rating.
Electronic Stores
Aside from hair and beauty services, there’s also a level dedicated to electronics for tech junkies to explore. The open-concept gadgets section gives us Sim Lim Square vibes, with so many accessories to shop for that we can probably spend a good 30 minutes just scanning the shelves for lucky finds.
Some notable items we picked up include these affordable RM7 wires and plugs, plus a large selection of phone cases for every phone model under the sun.
While a good number of phone cases here were on the plainer, more practical side, we did find a few cartoon ones like these Labubu cases that’re perfect for Pop Mart lovers.
Massage Services
9. Java Java Refleksi
No trip to JB is complete without a good massage, and Holiday Plaza has some of the most affordable massage parlours in JB. A super affordable option here is Java Java Refleksi (G48), which has some of the lowest prices even within Holiday Plaza itself.
While definitely not as fancy as massage joints elsewhere, Java Java Refleksi has foot massages starting at just RM35/hour, and full body massages for just RM50/hour. As a rough gauge, popular massage parlours like Thai Odyssey charge nearly triple the price, with full body massages there starting at RM140.
10. Zen Village Reflexology
Another popular budget option to consider is Zen Village Reflexology (G37 & G133), which has multiple outlets scattered around Holiday Plaza. Like Java Java, Zen Village doesn’t have the fanciest interior, but is cosy enough for a quick massage sesh.
Prices here are a tad pricier than Java Java, but still relatively cheap, starting at RM37/hour for a foot massage, and RM53/hour for a full body massage.
Spectacles & contact lenses
True bargain hunters would know that a precious commodity to cop in JB are affordable lenses and spectacles, which cost up to 40% less in JB than they do in Singapore. While lots of people flock to optical shops in big malls like KSL, we decided to see if we could get even better deals at Holiday Plaza.
We decided to visit Ban Eyecare (G66), one of the better rated optometrists here. For reference, they’re currently selling Acuvue Oasys Hydraluxe dailies for RM215/box, which is actually more expensive than at other optometrists we’ve visited before at KSL and Mid Valley SouthKey, which sold the same lenses for around RM160/box.
TLDR; if you’re looking for a cheap place to shop eyewear, we’d suggest sticking to your regular optical shops at other JB malls.
Food & Drinks
11. Tropico Kopi
If you need to recharge in between all the shopping, Holiday Plaza has a few F&B outlets to check out. We headed to one of the mall’s biggest food joints, Tropico Kopi (LG68), for a quick snack break.
Menu items here are economically priced, and you’ll be able to find everything from light bites to full on mains. We curbed our cravings with their Double Butter Kaya Toast (RM3.90), Tropico Egg Tarts (RM7.90/2 pcs), and Teh Ice (RM4).
Though the RM3.90 portion of toast was admittedly small, the toast was nicely crisp, with oozing butter and sweet kaya jam that was super shiok to devour after a long day of shopping. We also recommend the egg tarts, which had satisfyingly flaky crusts and a custardy middle.
12. Perniagaan Thye Lian
Image credit: Yee Peng Teng via Google
Those craving for more traditional snacks to dabao can also stop by Perniagaan Thye Lian (LG78), which is conveniently located near the mall’s entrance.
Image credit: Robert Chai via Google
Here, you’ll be able to pick up local faves like Curry Puffs (RM3.30), Siew Pau (RM3.20), and Hong Kong Egg Tarts (RM3.20).
Shop affordable beauty services at Holiday Plaza in JB
And finally, to answer this article’s most burning question: is Holiday Plaza really a more affordable KSL alternative?
For the most part, we’d say yes. A good number of services, like nails and massages, are cheaper here than elsewhere, though we wouldn’t say it’s that much cheaper either. But if you’re looking for an under-the-radar place to shop at without crazy mall crowds, then it’s defo worth checking out in our opinion.
Sign Up with TSL Connect
More Johor mall guides:
Photography by Andrea Wong.