Not just a beauty salon, it’s a holistic center, too

By the entrance of San Antonio Arcade in Forbes Park is an attractive billboard that one notices when passing by McKinley Road. The billboard reads "Mikaela," a beauty salon at The Fort with "eyelash extension" as its specialty. I have been tempted many times to try this service, but just never got myself to do it. My friends who did it looked good, and after a while, they got addicted to seeing themselves with long lashes that they can’t do without it now. They claim that the eyelashes feel natural and soft and not at all uncomfortable. Plus, it stays for two to three months and when one falls off, the salon replaces it for a minimal fee.

People have different formulas for staying beautiful – some need long lashes and me, I am a sucker for foot spa and foot reflexology. When my feet are pampered, I feel so relaxed and de-stressed that all my anxieties are drained out of my system. A Thai doctor explained to me that our feet have the most nerves that are connected to corresponding internal organs in our bodies. One reason we feel well after a foot treatment is because it increases the blood flow to our internal organs. So, when my friends told me that Philosophy, a newly opened beauty salon on Pasay Road, has the best foot reflexology and treatment in the whole of Metro Manila, I quickly agreed to have an appointment.

It turned out that the owner of Mikaela and Philosophy are one and the same person. Mikaela Bilbao, a young, glamorous entrepreneur with porcelain skin, was not content with the success of her first beauty salon at The Fort, so she put up the kind of salon that she had always wanted to have: a combination of beauty salon and holistic center.

A graduate of nursing, her philosophy in life is "Beauty and internal wellness go hand in hand. One cannot be externally beautiful if one feels out of sync inside." Her salon provides "holistic" treatments for clients that believe in holistic health. "Holistic health is not only concerned with the absence of disease, but with a positive state of being. We combine the wisdom, traditions and disciplines of Eastern healing arts with the advances of Western medicine to achieve this ideal. For this reason, I incorporated traditional Chinese medicine, such as moxa ventosa, acupuncture, Xiamen foot reflexology, gemstone acupuncture, with my beauty salon." There are numerous holistic centers all over the world but this is the first time I see it integrated into a beauty salon.

My foot reflexology proved to be one of the best I ever had. The leather chair has a built in footbath with whirlpool jets. My feet were then soaked in luxurious rose petal water while the jets gently caressed them. Then Leo, Mikaela’s foot reflexologist, started my most relaxing foot massage. I must have dozed off because on top of Leo’s delicious foot massage, the leather chair was so relaxing as it was positioned at a comfortable recline. The chair can even emit heat to heal a painful back if one requests for it.

When I came to, Leo was already scraping off the dead skin off my feet, which made me feel 10 lbs lighter. For the final touch, he rubbed deliciously scented organic oil on my feet to make them feel smooth and soft.

Mikaela proudly told me that all ingredients of the oils in her salon are from her organic farm in Bacolod. She believes in using only organic products – free from pesticides, herbicides and other harmful substances. Using products with a lot of chemicals could be toxic to the body and are in conflict with the holistic approach of her center. At long last, I found my foot massage haven in the heart of Makati.

I also noticed that the air seemed different from other salons. She told me that her salon has a 92 percent pure oxygen environment. The salon and spa area are equipped with oxygen concentrators that emit a continuous concentration of oxygen. This is the only one of its kind in all Metro Manila. No wonder I felt so good inside her salon.

The holistic treatments worth trying are:

1) Acupuncture facelift, which is a good alternative to cosmetic surgery. It is a safe, painless way of rejuvenating the face and body. The needles are placed strategically to tighten sagging muscles at the jaw, neck and smile lines. They stimulate new collagen growth which smoothes out wrinkles. Fine lines may be entirely erased, deeper lines reduced and eye bags and neck are firmed. This treatment also reduces stress and improves sinus congestion and cures acne.

2) Gemstone acupuncture. For over 5,000 years, precious stones have been valued not only for their beauty but also for their medicinal properties. In traditional Tibetan or Indian medicine, diamonds are said to be the strongest, most stimulating medication. When diamond resonates, it induces energy into the carbon atoms of living cells that are in close proximity. It is the most effective and valuable of all medicinal gems. Pop star Madonna and other Hollywood celebs are avid patrons of this wellness therapy.

3) Moxa ventosa is based on the old Chinese technique that uses warm glasses placed on the body, creating a vacuum-like effect on the skin, which induces the blood and nutrients to flow in the area. This generates well-being throughout the body.

A trip to Philosophy, which is located on the penthouse floor of 832 Pasay Road corner Paseo de Roxas, need not be only for holistic treatments as it also offers general services that a regular beauty salon offers at reasonable prices. The plus factors of Philosophy Beauty Salon and Holistic Center are the 92 percent pure oxygen, the skilled and friendly staff, the organic products, the modern equipment, and the latest techniques in beauty care.

Mikaela, who is a walking advertisement of her center, makes it a point to be abreast of the latest in beauty trends in hair and makeup to give her clients the best service her salon can offer.

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For appointment at Mikaela’s and Philosophy, call 892-1574.