Isn't that spa-cial?

Spa junkies like me have it great living in the Philippines. Ten years ago the whole concept of wellness and pampering was virtually unknown locally, but today spas have become so commonplace that people share the phone numbers of their favorite masahistas, men have also become massage addicts and there’s a treatment out there for every preference and budget, from the cheap home rubdown to the most high-end designer indulgence at the five-star hotels.

The Philippines has definitely tossed its tapis into the ring as one of Asia’s premier spa destinations.

One of the earliest players was Nurture Spa in Tagaytay, which prides itself on being a genuinely Filipino spa and was one of the first to offer the traditional therapeutic massage, hilot. Nurture’s treatments have such romantic names in deep Tagalog (like Kaaya-ayang Paglingap) that I was surprised to find out the owner is a Brit, Dr. Mike Turvill, president of Spa Essentials and the Spa Professionals International Development Center. The picture becomes clearer when you meet his lovely Filipino wife, Cathy Turvill, herself a wellness expert who is president of the Spa Association of the Philippines.

Nurture was voted one of the Top 7 spas in the Philippines by Asia Spa magazine and one of the 28 Most Relaxing Spas in Asia by CNN Go Asia.

“When we opened in 2002, spas were not very well known — not even the concept of home massage,” Mike says. “We were unique and different, and now home massage has taken off so we’ve raised our game.”

That entailed renovating the spa for 18 months and expanding it into a “spa village”: Turvill bought the lot next door and redid the rooms, swimming pool and wedding pavilion. “For four to five years we did our own weddings but wanted to take it to the next level,” Mike says, so they partnered with Josiah’s Catering and enlarged the garden to accommodate up to 350 guests.

Now spread out over half a hectare, Nurture Spa Village has 14 overnight rooms, including an elevated Heritage Hut for two modeled after Ifugao dwellings. Open to the cool Tagaytay breezes, it has no air-conditioning but does have a private massage bed and breakfast nook for couples that like getting close to nature.

Though Nurture’s most popular treatments are the relaxing Aruga and intimate Magsing-Irog massages, the Turvills devised a new signature treatment, Nilaib, after Mike had a bad experience with a hot-stone massage in Indonesia. Forced to balance scorching rocks on his back, Mike decided to go with something softer and more yielding for Nurture: banana-leaf pouches containing a blend of sand and Filipino herbs like ginger, peppermint and rosemary. The pouches are then steamed and massaged over your aching muscles for an hour and a half to relieve body pains.

“We’ve also added facials from Germany and body treatments from France,” says Mike.

I tried the one-hour Hilot Kagalingan, which starts with a floral footbath where they exfoliate your feet with ground corn — Nurture’s sister company Spa Essentials actually makes and supplies most of the products used in the spa. They source fair-trade lemongrass from Negros and essential oils like grapeseed and almond from Australia. For my soothing hilot, my therapist used a fragrant coconut oil blend.

Nurture is also strict about maintaining a high standard of therapist. Another sister company, Spa Professionals, does training and is the only internationally certified spa school in the Philippines. “We have an exam for anatomy and physiology and if you fail one you automatically fail both,” says Turvill.

To show the seriousness of its intent, for the Spa Village launch Nurture invited Department of Tourism Undersecretary for Sports and Wellness Cynthia Carrion (the spa has full DOT accreditation) and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino. For its detox and stress-buster programs the spa has also partnered with organizations like the Institute for Natural Healing, Healthway (you can do overnight executive checkups at Nurture), and Brahma Kumaris to round out its holistic approach to wellness.

Considering that the standards of local massage in the Philippines used to be based on 1959 embalming techniques, according to Turvill, we’ve come a long way in the spa scene.

“When our therapists do a massage the most important things are focus and flow,” Mike says. “When they flow it’s like doing a dance.”

I can’t wait to dance again.

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Nurture Spa Village is located in Barangay Maitim II West, Tagaytay City. From Manila take the South Expressway and exit at Sta. Rosa or Greenfields. Upon reaching Tagaytay Ridge turn right, go past the Tagaytay rotunda and head straight in the direction of Batangas. When you see a group of restaurants (Starbucks, Leslie’s, Max’s), turn right to Magallanes road and follow the signs to Nurture that say, “Pampering ahead.”

Let’s Sparty

Now that everyone’s jumping on the “green” bandwagon, it was only a matter of time be fore spas followed suit.

Organic Rituals Spa in Greenhills is the first to offer vegan mani-pedis and treatments using all-organic products. Owner Nikki Ang-angco and partner Kat Armamento approached Nikki’s aunt, Nadine Tengco, asking her to supply them with eco-friendly products to scent the spa. Though a US-certified fitness nutritionist and weight-loss specialist by profession, Tengco’s company iHealth blended natural, non-flammable aroma oils for reed diffusers. These now scent the spa, which uses natural Zoya nail polish (free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP and camphor) for its vegan-friendly yet fashionable mani-pedis.

The enterprising Nadine had a brainstorm and formed Wellness A La Carte, an alliance that offers themed “sparty” packages to brides-to-be and spa devotees alike. “The sparty is an innovative concept that is one of the fastest-growing party trends among A-listers and celebrities in Hollywood,” observes Nadine.

Two of her clients are the famed Alejandro sisters — singer Rachel and chef Barni — who rely on her to develop their diet menus for The Sexy Chef, the sisters’ healthy meal delivery service for people who want to lose or manage their weight.

“We make Nadine’s diet food tasty and deliver it right to your doorstep,” says Rachel. “We’ve helped our clients lose as much as five to 12 lbs. in only two weeks!”

When The Sexy Chef recently launched its spa food catering service, Nadine introduced Organic Rituals Spa’s young partners to the Alejandro sisters, which gave birth to Wellness A La Carte. With its plush, European-boudoir atmosphere, Organic Rituals provides the stylish atmosphere and spa services, The Sexy Chef provides the spa food, while Nadine’s iHealth creates the themed eco-giveaways. They can also bring the sparty to you or set up spa stations at your next social event, if you wish.

Nadine also offers “Before the Big Day,” a weeklong weight-loss and detox program for brides that promises a three-inch “waist-loss” and a way to lose that last stubborn five to 10 lbs. through a cleansing diet and lavish body treatments.

Truly, spa fanatics have never had it so good.

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For spa stations, premium spa events and mobile sparties, call Eden Ilagan at 975-4950, mobile 0917-531-8514.

For basic sparty packages at Organic Rituals Spa, 2nd level Atlanta Center, Annapolis St., Greenhills, call 661-3101. You can also e-mail wellnessalacarte@gmail.com or visit www.wellnessalacarte.multiply.com.