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“THE
moment you step into Chi, you will feel the difference,”
said Neil Rumbaoa, Edsa Shangri-La Hotel’s director of
communications, one Friday afternoon while we were
touring the hotel’s newly opened spa, Chi. A week ago,
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the guest of honor
at its inauguration.
Indeed,
the moment he opened the door to the reception area, the
calming scent of lavender greeted me. One of the
therapists, Daisy, told me to sit down on a comfortable
sofa so she can determine what essential oils would suit
me. She gave me a form and asked me to answer some
questions such as favorite color, favorite time of the
day, among others. This would help determine if I were
fire, metal, earth, wood or water.
After
ticking the boxes on the form, it was discovered that I
was both wood and fire—that is, I have a clear mind,
flexible, pleasant and affirmative. Each of the five
elements has a corresponding essential oil, a mixture of
different herbs and spices such as rose, lime, lavender,
chamomile.
Then, we
proceeded to the fourth floor housing the 10 treatment
rooms. Of the 10 rooms, there are four suites, two for
couples and two for singles. While each room has its own
bathroom, dresser, massage bed, sofa, the suites have
their own steam room, an outside bath and a heated table
for body scrub. The rooms are decorated with artifacts
from Tibet. The tea sets are made from jade.
“Our
treatment rooms are a lot more luxurious, very private,
very quiet that it feels like being transported to
another place, to a Shangri-la, that mythical place
where everyone is young and beautiful,” Rumbaoa said.
“We have
paid special attention to details for that complete
Himalayan experience.” The spa occupies the entire
fourth floor of the hotel’s garden wing. On the fifth
floor are the Chi guest rooms, where clients can book a
room complete with a yoga studio, an exclusive dining
area and a business center called the Horizon Room.
Robes
and sleepers made of very fine, very soft cashmere are
given to those who will have a massage or a body scrub.
For pedicures and foot scrub treatments, they will be
handed with a silk kimono.
Chi
boasts of over 30 specialized body massages and facial
treatments featuring traditional therapies from the
Philippines and the Himalayas. The Philippine Hilot
Massage uses indigenous herbs combined with Chinese
and Ayurdevic methods to soothe and heal the body of its
ailments.
The
Tui Na Massage is a traditional Chinese technique
that stimulates the meridians, known as the energy
pathways of the body. The massage focuses on the back,
the store house of stress.
The
Himalayan Goji Red Berry Scrub uses red rice replete
with vitamins, minerals and saturated fats. The
Himalayan Goji berry is known to have the highest
anti-oxidant content, which is good for the skin.
Coconut milk is added for a soft, glowing skin. Then
there is the Hayahay, Visayan word for relax, a
fresh coconut scrub with mayo butter rub and finished
with an hourlong traditional Filipino hilot massage.
Before
the massage, a customer is lavished with a foot ritual
upon entering the treatment room. Both feet are soaked
on lukewarm water in a small tub with orchids and herbs
thrown into it.
“At Chi,
it’s all about relaxation,” Rumbaoa said. “We draw
inspiration from ancient Chinese and Malayan healing
traditions.”
To
ensure the quality of its treatments, all of Chi’s 32
female therapists have undergone trainings at the
Shangri-la
Spa Academy,
which was established in November 2006. It is where all
Chi therapists in the Asian region go to brush up their
skills.
The Chi
spa at Edsa Shangri-La is the seventh so far and 21 more
are in development, including the one in Boracay,
Rumbaoa said.
With its
pricey treatments, way above other day spas, the place
is going for the A and B markets, such as socialites and
celebrities, he said.
“This is
not just going to be about a massage; it’s a lifestyle,”
Rumbaoa pointed out, his face radiating a vibrancy that
only comes with being in a state of chi, which, he said
means light force. |
