Powerslim
471 Joo Chiat Road
Tel 6348-9218
www.theslimmingcompany.com

Ten sessions for $688. Trial session for first time customers is $28 for 15 mins for a limited period

RUNNERS who strap on their heart rate monitors will know how much effort it takes to burn calories. A 30-minute run preceded by a 15-minute walk will burn just over 400 calories, for example. In food terms, that's only one roti canai, without the curry!

But the powerslim machine, with its combination of infrared technology and ionisation, seems to double the amount of calories for the same output. Exercisers register a calorie burn of about 1,000 per 30 minutes.

How does the machine work? It's a combination of existing technologies, actually. Exercisers get on the machine which is like an elliptical. There are infrared panels in front and behind the machine so that the exerciser is 'enveloped'. As soon as they start stepping on the pedals, the heat is on, literally. The hands are kept on handles which read the heart rate, while there's a calorie count.

You will perspire and you'll still feel the heat long after you've stepped off the machine, thanks to the Type A infrared which quickly warms up your muscles and also has a positive effect on skin. Because the infrared penetrates to the cellulite and muscles, it purportedly speeds up metabolism. This type of infrared is also used in Vela Smooth which is a gadget to reduce cellulite.

Frankly, the focus at Powerslim is on slimming, but here they've made it an exercise thing. You can opt, for example, to have a cream smeared over your body to enhance fat-burning.

Powerslim, set up by Polish entrepreneur in Singapore who went from a size 16 to size 10 in a few months, will soon open a bigger outlet at Tanglin Mall in a couple of months time, which will carry other technologies as well.