KSL City Mall Guide: Errands, Massage & Monday Market

KSL City Mall is where many Singaporeans go to get things done in JB: new spectacles, a phone accessory, a haircut, a foot massage and a supermarket run, all under one roof in Taman Abad. On Mondays, the street beside it turns into one of the city’s best-known night markets, so the smartest way to visit is a Monday afternoon in the mall followed by dinner at the stalls. This guide covers what is inside, how to plan the afternoon and evening, and where to meet your car afterwards.

KSL City at a glance

What you need to know	Details
Address	33 Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad, Johor Bahru
Mall hours	Daily, 10am–10pm (mall website, at time of writing)
Opened	2010, as part of a development with the KSL hotel towers and residences
Big names	Lotus’s hypermarket, Golden Screen Cinemas, Mr D.I.Y., Watsons, Guardian
Next door	KSL Hotel & Resort, with a dinosaur-themed water park on level 7
Monday extra	Weekly night market on Jalan Seladang, beside the mall

Tenant names in this guide come from the mall’s official directory at time of writing. Shops come and go, so check the directory on the KSL City website if you are making the trip for one particular store.

Why Singaporeans like KSL

KSL is not the newest or the most polished mall in JB. Its appeal is density: an unusually large number of small service shops packed onto a few floors. If your list is practical rather than luxury, few malls cover as much ground.

Spectacles and optical shops

The directory lists more than a dozen optical shops, from local optometry chains to small independent stores. Bring your current glasses or your prescription, compare two or three shops, and ask how long the lenses will take. Simple single-vision lenses can sometimes be ready the same day, but specialist lenses may need ordering, so plan for a second trip or ask about collection options before you pay.

Phones and gadgets

Brand concept stores for Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Honor sit alongside repair counters and accessory shops. It is a good place for cases, cables, screen protectors and power banks. For a repair, ask whether it can be done while you wait, and back up your phone before you hand it over.

Hair, nails and beauty

Salons and nail-and-lash studios take up much of the upper floors. Prices are usually displayed at the counter, but confirm the total before treatment starts, especially for colour or extensions. Weekend afternoons are the busiest, so weekdays are better for walk-ins.

Massage and reflexology

KSL has one of the highest concentrations of massage, spa and foot reflexology outlets of any JB mall, including Thai-style spas and reflexology centres spread across several floors. An hour of foot reflexology between shopping and the night market is a very JB way to spend a Monday. As with any treatment, tell the therapist about any health conditions or injuries before they begin.

Groceries and household basics

Lotus’s is the anchor hypermarket, good for Malaysian snacks, instant noodles, sauces and household items. Mr D.I.Y. covers cheap tools and home bits, and Watsons, Guardian and several pharmacies cover toiletries.

Eating inside the mall

The lower ground floor is the food floor. The directory lists a food court called Glutton Food Street there, plus chains such as Seoul Garden, Sushi King and Old Chang Kee, and kopitiam-style outlets including Empurau Kopitiam and Oriental Kopi. On the upper floors you will find Meng Meng Roasted Duck and Wang Ji Bak Kut Teh. On a Monday, keep lunch light: the night market is the main event.

For families

• Indoor play: the directory lists the Go N Play playground and Funtopia.
• Go-karting: the mall has a go-kart track listed under entertainment, which suits older children and teenagers.
• Cinema: Golden Screen Cinemas is a good fallback on a rainy afternoon.
• Water park: a dinosaur-themed water park sits on level 7 of the KSL Hotel & Resort next door, with slides, splash areas and life-size animatronic dinosaurs. Hotel guests get discounted entry; check current hours and tickets with the hotel before you go.

The Monday night market

Every Monday, stalls set up along Jalan Seladang, a few minutes’ walk from the mall. Long known to Singaporeans as the Century Garden market, it is one of the busiest pasar malam in JB. Local guides put the start at around 5pm, with stalls trading until roughly 10pm, though the most popular food can sell out in the first hour or two.

How to do it well

• Arrive from about 5pm. The crowd thickens quickly after dark.
• Do a lap first. Walk the whole street before buying, then go back for the stalls that caught your eye.
• Carry small ringgit notes. Many stalls take QR payments now, but cash is still the quickest.
• Share as a group. Seating is scarce, so buy several dishes and graze.
• Bring a small umbrella in the rainy season; the market is outdoors.

Stall line-ups change constantly, so we do not list individual vendors here. If you want a market on another night of the week, our JB night market guide lists them day by day.

Food you can and cannot take home

Eat the cooked food in JB. The Singapore Food Agency does not allow travellers to bring meat products from Malaysia into Singapore for personal use, and that includes popular takeaways such as bak kwa and meat skewers. Check SFA’s list of allowed foods before packing snacks for home.

A Monday afternoon-to-evening plan

1. 1pm: Leave Singapore. Weekday afternoon crossings are usually lighter than the morning and evening peaks, though no day is guaranteed.
2. 2pm–4pm: Errands in the mall: spectacles, phone shop, a haircut or nails.
3. 4pm–5pm: Foot reflexology or a massage.
4. 5pm–7pm: Walk out to Jalan Seladang for the night market.
5. 7pm–7.30pm: Lotus’s for any last groceries, then meet your driver.

On other days, the same plan works without the market: finish with dinner inside the mall instead.

Getting there and getting picked up

KSL is in Taman Abad, a short drive from the JB checkpoint via the city roads, so it is one of the easier malls to reach after crossing the Causeway. The mall lists three drop-off points for cars: the main entrance, a side entrance (which the mall suggests) and the hotel entrance. Car park entrances are on Jalan Seladang and Jalan Rusa.

On Monday evenings, Jalan Seladang is taken over by the market and the surrounding streets slow to a crawl. Agree a pick-up point with your driver that avoids the market street, such as the hotel entrance, and message them 15–20 minutes before you are ready.

Practical tips

• Keep receipts for spectacles and electronics. Singapore Customs gives GST import relief on new goods up to S$100 if you were away for less than 48 hours (at time of writing); anything above that should be declared.
• Check warranty terms. A phone or gadget bought in Malaysia may only carry a Malaysian warranty.
• Staying the night? The KSL hotel is connected to the mall. Our where to stay in JB guide compares it with other areas.
• Comparing malls? See our JB shopping malls guide to decide whether KSL or another mall suits your list.

Why a private car works for KSL

KSL is easy to reach, but the trip home after the Monday market is not: buses and ride-hailing cars get stuck in the same market-night traffic, and then you queue again at the checkpoint with your shopping. With a Luxway SGMY private car to Johor Bahru, your driver collects you anywhere in Singapore, you stay in the car through immigration at both checkpoints, and you are dropped at the entrance you choose. Fares are per car and include tolls, checkpoint fees, fuel and parking, from SGD 100 one way in a Toyota Innova, with the same fare for the return. If you want the car to wait while you shop, waiting time on transfers is SGD 40 per hour; for a longer day that adds more stops, our Day Trip Service keeps the car with you for 8, 10 or 12 hours.

Plan your KSL trip

Pick your day (Monday if you want the market), then read how to book or Whatsapp us your pick-up address, group size and preferred return time. There is no deposit, and you pay the driver on arrival. For the ride back on another day, see our Johor Bahru to Singapore page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 14 October 2026