I tried Zen Massage after reading a positive review on WOMOW - and was not disappointed. Michelle was quite clear in asking what I wanted to get out of the session & adapted the massage to suit my needs. She is not particularly cheap, but neither does she have the artificially inflated prices of some day spas... She also has a HiCaps machine if you happen to have Private Health insurance cover for remedial massage.
However it is important to note that she has just moved premises in the past couple of weeks - she is now at the back of a Hairdresser's in Station Street Nunawading, and not in the Health Food shop in Springvale Rd that appears to have closed down...

Approximate cost: $80

My elderly dog ended up here when she fell ill one Sunday evening. She was later diagnosed with Acute Pancreatitis. The things I don't like about this hospital, are kind of inherent in its very function - they only deal with emergencies and very sick dogs/intensive care, so they don't have the time or relationships that you get at your usual Vet clinic. My dog was there for about 4 days and this cost many thousands of dollars. They are VERY insistent that you pay upfront, VERY pragmatic about offering euthanasia and not so keen on you visiting your pet for more than a short time each day. But that's because of the type of work that they do! If your Pet is seriously sick or injured after hours, this is the ONLY place for them! They are open 24/7 and are all set up ready to go (unlike an on-call Vet). But my advice is to strongly consider Pet Insurance BEFORE you find you need it (or put a few thousand dollars into a high-interest bank account) so that you can focus on your pet and not the cost, and to try and get your Pet transferred back to your usual Vet hospital as soon as he or she is stable. The bill for the subsequent 4 days at our regular Vet was under $1000 and we were encouraged to visit as much as possible... But I guess it depends how good your usual Vet is....

Approximate cost: $LOTS$

My elderly dog got referred here when she had (undiagnosed) Cushings Disease. The Dermatologist that we saw (the dog had pressure sores that would not heal) - Rebecca - was very thorough & quickly diagnosed the underlying problem. However my poor dog had lots of complex things going on & deteriorated to the point that she ended up at the Emergency Vet across the road. The "Internal Medicine" Specialist did agree to visit her there which saved us having to transfer our sick dog back across Blackburn Rd, which was most appreciated. Although once my dog was transferred back to my usual Vet Clinic, my Vet had a few issues with not being allowed to request the Specialist she wanted as we were already under the care of a different specialist at that Clinic. I'm not quite sure what that was about, but I gather the Vet's there can be rather protective of "their" patients... Anything to do with specialist Vets is going to be expensive.. as is the case at this clinic... although I don't believe they are unreasonable, it's just a fact that good medical care can cost a lot! They were quite upfront about their fees and allowed plenty of time for thorough consultations.

A friendly clinic which has a female Chiropractor working on Saturday mornings (Dr Sarah Harper). They are Medibank Private "Members Choice" so you can get a higher rebate if you're with Medibank, & they have HiCaps so you can claim on the spot. They also have some other therapists (myotherapy, aromatherapy, natural therapies etc...) although I have never tried any of these.

Approximate cost: $45

I first went to this Physio Clinic a few years back & have started going regularly again this year. The Physio I used to see had left so I have been seeing Carli who is really friendly and very supportive. My two main issues are that they no longer have the Hydrotherapy Pool they used to have, and that they are no longer a preferred provider with Medibank Private (or any other health fund). This means the rebate I am entitled to dropped from $42 to $28 simply because they are no longer "Members Choice"... Apart from that I'd certainly recommend them and they do at least have HiCpas so you can claim rebates on the spot.

Sandy installed a new cook-top and range hood in my kitchen - the range hood was particularly difficult as there wasn't one there previously and he had to fit it into a rather tight space. He wasn't particularly cheap, but I was happy with the work he did and I guess that's the main thing!

We used Philip Webb to sell our old family home in Box Hill North last year and the agent - Sophie Houston - was BRILLIANT! She took care of the whole process from the initial stages right through to conducting the actual Auction. And she got significantly over the reserve price! Can't recommend her highly enough! Didn't have that much to do with the other Philip Webb staff although they were always polite enough, and seemed to have their own individual clients that they brought through. We perhaps could have negotiated a lower commission, although Sophie was worth every cent!

Len Hain let out my flat before I moved in & he was REALLY great as a Property Manager - he dealt personalty with everything from organising someone to paint the gutters to difficulties with the neighbours & Body Corporate. He was well worth his 7.7% commission, especially when one lot of tenants posed a few issues. My only concern about SELLING a property through him would be that he is not very tech-savy, and I believe that advertising on the Internet is essential these days. (Our text only "to let" ad was adequate for a rental - particularly in such a tight rental market - but probably wouldn't be for a sale).

Peter is a great mechanic - and very honest too! He's happy to admit when he doesn't know something and is upfront about what needs doing & what is likely to need doing at the next service, without being too pushy. He is a one man show though, so he can get busy around the school holidays and he often goes away in January.

A friendly dentist who is recognised by most private health funds. If you happen to be with Medibank (like I am) she is one of their Preferred Providers ("Members Choice"). It can sometimes feel a bit like a "bulk-billing" GP clinic where you're in & out pretty quickly - but as my dental needs are pretty straight-forward I actually quite like their efficiency! Besides, it's hard to have much a conversation with all that stuff in your mouth anyway!

Approximate cost: $130