Indulge, play, rejuvenate at your next favorite spots
BY ALTHEA ENGMAN Journal Staff
Businesses on the island with different products are welcomed for the diversity they add for the community to enjoy.
The University of Guam's newest cafe, Cafe Sirena, offers a new space for residents of Mangilao and of course students. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Dec. 7 to celebrate the grand opening of the café, which is located at the SBPA Building.
“This is the university's first self-operated food vendor café,” said Jonas Macapinlac, chief marketing and communications officer at UOG.
Cafe Sirena held its ribbon cutting ceremony at the University of Guam. (From left) Jonas Macapinlac, chief marketing and communications Officer at UOG; Keana Ardiente, senator for the UOG Student Government Association; Roseanne M. Jones, dean of the School of Business and Public Administration; Randall Wiegand, vice president of administration and finance; President Anita Borja Enriquez, Sharleen Santos-Bamba, interim senior vice president and provost; Aileen Cruz, food service manager; and Mynette Dizon, manager, the Triton Store. Photos by Althea Engman
Cafe Sirena serves Starbucks products, to include coffees and blends like Frappuccino’s among other drinks. They also have an assortment of bento boxes and other hot foods that vary day by day, as well as cold food items like salads and pastries.
The food options are provided by local businesses like B&G Pacific LLC which has developed a catering service taken up for community events. “We want to see how the students and employees react to it and we’re trying to make sure we have a good variety and different options available,” Macapinlac said.
The university had a coffee shop called Campus Café at the same spot. While the contract was renewed a couple times, that café closed after the pandemic.
Macapinlac said that one of the things UOG wanted to see is if “the University of Guam could run its own food vending facility. And a coffee shop was the best option as a test run.”
He added that the students employed at Cafe Sirena are getting paid above minimum wage. This opportunity not only provides a job on- campus. Macapinlac said, “We have a lot of jobs available for students and this is one of the ways we are trying to help the students succeed.”
He said, “One of factors for student success we’ve seen through research is that students who work (on) campus have a better chance of graduating.”
Although Cafe Sirena opened for business in early October, Typhoon Bolaven delayed the grand opening. Macapinlac said although the café could not host a grand opening ceremony right away, the time spent between the actual opening day and the ribbon cutting event was used to “receive feedback from students, employees, and members of the community.”
He said, “Overall, the response has been tremendous.”
Cafe Sirena is open from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information and updates visit its Instagram page @uogcafesirena.
Residents who are looking for an out-of-this-world gaming and food experience, may not have to wait much longer. Dream Galaxy is expected to open in the next few months. The two-story facility will serve up popular games as well as some favorite foods, including pizza, chicken wings, ice cream and more.
Dream Galaxy is located at the Guam Premier Outlets.
Jom Urbano, general manager for Dream Galaxy, told the Journal, “It is important to note that Dream Galaxy is not a franchise and is the first of its kind, meaning that we are free to decide how we want to operate.”
Urbano said the roughly $1 million investment offers gamers six virtual reality machines, a wall climbing area with levels from beginner to intermediate, and a competition section. There is also a kids play port, and a variety of arcade games designed to entertain children and adults.
Dream Galaxy will also boast a party room for private functions. There’s space for a dance floor space on the first floor with a spot for a DJ.
“Dream Galaxy will also operate on a token basis, as well as with refillable cards you can use on the machines,” Urbano said. He said the business was about a year in the making. For more information and updates on opening, visit the Dream Galaxy Instagram page
@dreamgalaxyguam.
Need to reset and recharge? Consider the newly opened Revive23, a recovery and wellness studio located in the heart of Tumon. It provides services aimed to help the recovery process for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, or anyone looking to de-stress from the everyday demands of life. The facility provides its customers infrared saunas, a cold plunge, and compression therapy. Doors to Revive23 opened on Dec. 21.
Revive23 is now open at the Blue Lagoon Plaza in Tumon.
According to its website, infrared saunas use “advanced therapy to promote heat generation in the body with only a small percentage of the heat heating the air.”
Cold plunging, a type of “cryotherapy, where you immerse your body in cold water at varying temperatures and durations” is also offered. Revive23 also has” NormaTec Recovery systems which use a science-based massage of compressed air to improve circulation and speed recovery.”
Revive23 provides options for first timers to include dropping-in for a visit occasionally, or a full-on membership which range froms $96 to $432 a month.
For those wanting to test the services, a drop-in menu includes compression therapy for $30 per session, the cold plunge for $30 per session, and open infrared sauna for $25 per person or $30 for a private infrared sauna.
Revive23 is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information visit its Instagram page @revive23guam or visit its website at revive23guam.com to learn more about the recovery center. mbj
