Raw veggies, coffee enemas among treats amid spa craze

LIPA CITY (AFP) — Coffee-water enemas and meals of raw vegetables may not sound very relaxing but for a revolutionary spa outside the Philippine capital, these are part of a wider healing experience.

"The Farm at San Benito," located in Lipa City, tries to combine exotic massages, skin scrubs and a quiet atmosphere with new-age, "alternative" treatments intended to heal body and spirit.

This is just one of scores of health resorts that have mushroomed all over Asia in recent years, from basic yoga retreats to luxury spas in resorts from Bali to the Maldives.

High-end spas attract the wealthy and health-conscious from around Asia and the West, with resorts such as Chiva Som in Hua Hin, Thailand, proving popular with celebrities such as England footballer David Beckham, actress and model Elizabeth Hurley and tennis star Serena Williams.

The Philippine Department of Tourism says such spas are the fastest growing tourism sector in Asia with as much as 20-25 percent growth annually and an estimated total value of $27 billion.

A survey by the department in 2001 found that the majority of spas required investments of P30 million. Net income varied widely but 85 percent of respondents said they were profitable.

The Philippines is now moving in on this lucrative market, but "The Farm" hopes to stand out by offering a "wellness lifestyle," aimed at both stressed executives and the genuinely ill.

Visitors can enjoy a day of special "pampering" packages including lounging by a pool, Swedish, Thai, Philippine, Balinese or stone massages or gentle body scrubs using salt, honey, coffee, papaya or a cocoa-coconut mixture that invigorates the skin and loosens tense muscles.

But The Farm also offers medical vacation packages focusing on "detoxification." In such programs, lasting a minimum of five days, patrons largely consume nothing but juices, undergo "colon hydrotherapy sessions" and psychotherapy using "neuro-linguistic programming."

Even casual vacationers who drop by The Farm’s restaurant will taste the difference: all of the food is strictly vegetarian — not even fish, dairy products or eggs are allowed.