Revisiting some of the Metro’s Top spas
Who says that you need to get out of the city to relax, de-stress, and achieve wellness? Amidst the chaotic hustle and bustle of Metro Manila are urban sanctuaries offering various spa services that will definitely soothe your senses, relax your tired body, invigorate your mind, and rejuvinate your spirit.
Text by Sheila R. Jambalos
THERE’S a reason why spas are abundant in the metro. It’s because city life is indeed stressful!
With most jobs ending beyond 5 p.m. coupled with nagging bosses and taxing deadlines, a typical hardworking city dweller almost always ends up stressed even before the week ends.
One surefire way to beat stress and achieve total wellness is to submit the body, mind, and spirit to a renewal process. Going to a spa at the end of a really tiring day or week is truly refreshing. Luckily, there are a number of good spas around the city that can help relieve stress and provide a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Here are Zen Health’s pick for some of the metro’s best bets for a truly relaxing spa experience:
The Spa
To bring to Filipinos the consciousness of an alternative lifestyle that embodies the ideals of healing, rejuvenation and fusion of body and spirit—this is how The Spa concept came about.
Established in 1996, The Spa became one of the pioneering health facilities in the country that offered a complete array of spa services like massage therapies, facials and foot, hand and body care treatments.
As The Spa continues to bring about a healthy and holistic lifestyle to its clients, it also continues to develop and expand, adding new features for a more holistic approach to wellness, such as a four-court badminton center, a gym and a salon designed to cater to male grooming.
Through the years, The Spa has evolved from a single branch to six more, each featuring different themes: Tropical theme in Alabang, Moroccan theme in Bel-Air, Oriental Thai theme in Greenbelt, Minimalist Asian theme in Acropolis, Monastery theme in The Podium, Cosmopolitan Minimalist at The Fort and Safari at Trinoma.
Catering to both male and female guests, The Spa offers steam, sauna and contrast therapy baths—a hydrotherapy treatment that involves the combination of alternate immersion in hot and cold baths to increase circulation. It also offers yoga and Pilates classes to complete the whole fitness and wellness set up.
Clients at The Spa are assured of getting high quality standards, as it is an accredited member of the International Spa Association (ISA) and the Spa Association of the Philippines, Inc. (SAPI).
Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La
Traditional Chinese philosophy believes that chi, the universal force that governs a person’s well-being and vitality, must flow freely within the body; otherwise, it will cause disease.
To help restore the body’s balance and allow chi to flow freely, movement is the key to release natural blockages. Physical movement through exercise, stretching, massage and water therapy and movement of the mind through meditation and relaxation, when combined, help the body’s natural renewal.
Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La, uses “a holistic approach to physical and spiritual well-being.” Treatments at Chi are inspired by traditional healing philosophies and are based on the principles of “restoring balance and harmony to mind and body.”
Stepping into Chi after a stressful day at work is like finding a refuge for your tired body, mind and spirit. Set in a lush tropical garden at the EDSA Shangri-La Manila’s Garden Wing, Chi offers the privacy and luxury of the largest spa suites in Manila. Complete with amenities like a sunken spa tub, spacious relaxation area, herbal steam room and showers, and separate private entrances for both hotel residents and external clients, Chi provides the exclusivity and serenity spa-goers are looking for.
Chi offers therapies, massages, body treatments, body scrubs and nail care treatment. Regular guests favor Chi’s trade mark Himalayan Healing Stone Massage and the Philippine Hilot Massage.
Chi’s Hilot treatment uses deep, kneading motions that concentrate on the body’s vital muscles to ensure smoother circulation, effectively soothing, relaxing and rejuvenating the body.
Chi’s signature therapies are based on the Five Elements Theory which should be balanced to harmonize with the positive Yang and negative Yin energy within the body. These therapies are performed by well-trained therapists using the restorative powers of fragrant oils, aromatic herbs, and spices.
For a more holistic approach to physical and spiritual well being, Chi also offers yoga classes, a perfect complement to the spa’s repertoire.
Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La is located at 1 Garden Ways, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. You may also call +632-633-8888 or visit their website at www.shangri-la.com
Amezcua Wellness Centre
Feeling beat up or do you feel like you’re down with something but don’t feel like going to a hospital or clinic? Then Amezcua Wellness Centre is just the place for you.
Amezcua is the first urban medi-spa in the country. Opened in February 2006, Amezcua offers a combination of spa services, fitness activities, wellness therapies and traditional and alternative treatments that are designed to complement Western medicine practice.
“At Amezcua, we boast of some of the world’s most modern equipment and facilities which are rarely, if at all, used by other medical establishments in the Philippines,” says Dr. Edwin Arellano Bien, Amezcua Wellness Centre’s medical director. These include the Body Terrain Assessment or Quantitative Fluid Analysis which uses state-of-the-art equipment for checking blood, urine and saliva to evaluate organ functions.
As a medi-spa, Amezcua offers complete detoxification to cleanse the body of toxins that weaken the immune system, making the body vulnerable to disease. The spa also advocates the use of preventive medicine to detect weaknesses in the system before the symptoms of disease manifest.
“Since we opened, no other establishment has been able to equal our standards in terms of having exactly the same kind of service offerings in a highly-comfortable, exclusive environment,” says Genny Puno, sales and marketing manager of Amezcua.
Favored by a clientele who value exclusivity, Amezcua provides the perfect balance for serenity and rejuvenation. As an urban sanctuary, Amezcua offers a retreat for nurturing body, mind and spirit with its various spa and massage therapies.
Spa treatments at Amezcua uses essential oils, minerals, infused herbs and sea plant extracts to cleanse, firm and tone the skin, slim down the body and boost energy levels and the body’s immune system.
The wellness center also incorporates a modern jacuzzi and steam and sauna facilities for that total hydro-massage experience. Amezcua also holds yoga classes for total wellness.
Amezcua Wellness Centre is located at 122 Katipunan Ave, White Plains, Quezon City. Aside from its medical and spa services, it also offers yoga classes. For inquiries, please call +632 913 1353 or 57 or fax +632 911 8075.
Bioessence
What started as a three-bed clinic in Davao City that offers skin care services, Bioessence has now become one of the leaders in the beauty, health and fitness industry with 36 branches nationwide.
“For the last 14 years, Bioessence has been known more for facials than spa. We were quite successful in doing skin care, and so we went on to slimming and then spa,” says Dr. Emma Guerrero, president and owner of Bioessence. Today, Bioessence offers skin, slimming and spa services—all of which are getting its fair share of clients in the health, beauty and wellness industry.
As a facial center, Bioessence’s direction for the future is to provide more anti-aging treatments than whitening treatments. “Our target market is basically 35-40 years old, so our treatments are more on anti-aging and wellness,” says Dr. Guerrero.
Aside from their skin services, those who are looking to shed off some body fat and lose weight without pain can avail of Bioessence’s slimming services using state-of-the-art technologies. They also offer free fat breaking treatment and figure analysis to clients.
Bioessence also offers advanced cosmetic procedures done by board certified cosmetic surgeons, such as: nose lift, face lift, neck lift, eye lid surgery, eye bag removal, chin augmentation, liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, etc.
They also offer all sorts of massages for total relaxation. To make it more personal, Bioessence accepts reservations for small parties like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, bridal showers, intimate gatherings, corporate product launches and other activities. Small groups of families, friends and colleagues can enjoy group massages, spa and facial treatments in the privacy and company of their group.
Apart from the aforementioned services, what really sets Bioessence apart from the other high-end spas, according to Dr. Guerrero, is the quality of service and products that they offer. “We make sure that the products that we use are natural ingredients. We use only organic or natural essential oils.” She also stresses on the importance of quality of service delivery by therapists, assuring that all technicians and therapists at Bioessence have the technical know-how to deliver quality service for all their clients.
With the increasing demand for relaxation and spa services, Bioessence continues to upgrade its line of services by developing and adding new treatments that address the growing needs of its market, truly living up to its commitment to give its clients naturally beautiful skin and body.
