Lasema: Seoul in Manila

To retreat to a special sanctuary where you can hear your heartbeat, be in touch with your inner self, sit back, relax and truly live: This is my philosophy of well-being.

In the heart of the cosmopolitan city of Makati, there is a treasured place open 24/7 where a journey to the center of your self is a priceless experience. In the daily grind of this rat race, we welcome this New Year with countless opportunities and new blessings. I invite you to share with me my newfound haven of bliss — Lasema: the best of Seoul in Manila.

Welcome to the first authentic family-oriented traditional Korean spa utilizing therapeutic gemstones like jade, sapphire, topaz and amethyst. In this palatial haven tucked along Malugay St. in Makati City, you are pampered like royalty. The first time I entered Lasema, each step I made was one of awe and wonder. Imagine, a spacious wet area (separate for women and men) where Jacuzzi baths are brimming with green tea, an excellent and effective antioxidant, and ginseng, known as “The King of All Herbs” that boosts energy and vitality. Try the exhilarating steam room with fitted jade stones acknowledged for their healing properties. Steam acts as a decongestant and helps cure skin allergies.

Precious crystals adorn the ceiling as the hot steam with the fragrance of authentic Korean herbs gently infuses your face and body in a truly rejuvenating fashion. From here, take the plunge in the icy cold pool before having a bath scrub of milk crystals and salt which is perfect for exfoliation. You then don your pink shorts and top for the women, white ensemble for the men, and enter into the Jjim Jil Bang where the interplay of heat and cold therapy is so beneficial. Here, you are ushered into a world of authentic Korean culture. Healing gems of various colors embellish precious artwork, mosaic masterpieces and ancient paintings of Korean history. One notices the cozy restaurant named “Jewel in the Palace” made popular by the Korean telenovela about delightful cuisine and creative cooking. Traditional Korean dishes like japchae, bulgogi and hearty soups are served at very affordable prices. A snack bar also serves Korean beverages and sports drinks as well as spicy noodles and sweet bean with crushed ice and milk dessert.

My eyes then wander towards three dome-shaped structures that are actually hot saunas. These Jjim Jil Bang facilities provide a mise en scène of a traditional Korean village with sleeping caves to rest in with bun beds and therapeutic pillows. Little did I know these dome structures are actually sanctuaries of wellness that utilize thermal therapy, an age-old tradition being practiced in Korea, Japan and many European countries. The three dry saunas are made of dome clay (at 75 degrees Celsius), a healing mud from volcanoes that stimulates blood circulation and increases metabolism, the 50-degree salt and charcoal sauna known for its detoxifying properties. Think of how we usually place charcoal in our refrigerators to remove toxins and odors: the charcoal also cleanses the body of such toxins and impurities. The 60-degree oak and clay sauna (made of oakwood and hwangto clay) has been proven to intensify the body’s curing process. As if this isn’t enough, there is even an ice room with a temperature of -11 to 2 degrees Celsius where real snow abounds. Enter here for that cooling down, or frozen delight experience where your tired muscles and tissues can recover from fatigue and stress. In this ice room, stare at the ceiling peppered mostly with valuable amethyst. Exquisite gemstone therapy uniquely heals the body, mind and soul.

Their massage therapies are among the best in the city. Operations manager Kate Jang and spa director Dr. Eric Tan graciously welcomed us and made sure we got the best therapists for our choice treatment. My sisters Michelle and Jaqui love the combination Swedish/ shiatsu and aromatherapy massage while I was truly satisfied with their authentic Thai massage. Eva Bayubay, the very efficient head of salon services, is an expert in facials and eyelash extensions among many other beauty treatments. If you are a golf aficionado, the Makati Golf Club is located in the same complex as Lasema. It is the first fully-automated driving range in the country. The Ara Korean restaurant also in the Lasema Plaza complex serves an extensive menu of exquisite Korean food at affordable prices.

When my good friends Makati Councilor Armand Padilla, Pacer Travel Agency owner Mel Martinez and Pagudpod Vice Mayor Maja Sales invited me to join them on a special trip to Seoul hosted by the Lasema proprietors, I instantly agreed. Gracious couple JB and Elizabeth Yim, aside from Lasema Spa and Sauna, also own the chain of Best Western Hotels in Seoul. Their super-deluxe and four-star Best Western hotels are spacious and luxurious. We stayed at Best Western New Seoul with an excellent location fronting the city hall, near shopping centers and entertainment venues. With 145 guestrooms on its 16 floors, this building was once  the tallest edifice in the area. Upon entering the lobby of the Best Western Premier Seoul Garden — with 15 floors and 362 rooms — we were reminded of the Waldorf Astoria in New York. It has among the best fine-dining Chinese restaurants while the Best Western Kukdo, formerly a historic opera house for a century, is a newly opened hotel for business travelers and tourists. 

 The colorful lights and snow outside provided a very cheery, festive ambiance. In our thermals and thick coats, we braved temperatures 12 degrees below zero to get our bearings in this dynamic city. Mr. JB and his wife Elizabeth are so gracious and hospitable and took such loving care of us. For our welcome dinner, we savored a delightful meal of the freshest salads, soups, steak and pasta and with the finest wines from Italy, Austria and Australia at Room 201, their Italian restaurant in New Seoul Hotel.

We all had a soulful night’s rest in our state-of-the-art suites replete with flat screen TV in the room and bathroom with heater, all the luxury you could wish for. It was a treat for us as we proceeded to shopping havens like Nandaemun, Itaewon, Doota shopping complex, electronic street (for our Korean telenovela discs) and traditional street where exotic Korean wares are sold. At the picturesque Seoul Tower, we enjoyed a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the city.

The next day, we traveled to the winter ski resort in Dragon Valley, Pyeong Chang — truly a wonderland. We frolicked in the snow like schoolchildren, took the cable cars up the ski slope, took photos in the location of Winter Sonata where the very first kiss took place. The TV drama Winter Sonata depicts nostalgia for a platonic love, which seems to be missing in modern life, and has earned great enthusiasm from female viewers.

We even had the privilege to spend the night at the winter villa of the Yim family in Birch Hill. The view from our window of the expansive ski valley reminded us of the Swiss Alps and Aspen in Colorado. To reciprocate their hospitality, dynamic Pagudpod Vice Mayor Maja Sales invited Mr. JB and Elizabeth to her pristine Saud Beach Resort in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

We thanked the good Lord for our unforgettable trip to Seoul. The beautiful memories created, the exchange of knowledge and wisdom certainly heightened our appreciation of each other’s history and culture. 

Back home in my spa sanctuary, I transferred from the heated saunas to the ice room and remembered Winter Sonata with the view of the valley. Such exhilarating thoughts kept me warm inside, eliciting blessings of newfound luxuries.

After all, we must, like a painter, take time to stand back from our work: to be still. There is a silence into which the world cannot intrude. There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and can never lose.

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Lasema Spa and Sauna is located in the Makati Golf Club, Malugay St., Makati City. For more information, call Kate Jang of Lasema at 830-2222 local 108, e-mail info@lasema.com.ph or visit its website at www.lasema.com.ph.

For accommodations in Best Western Hotel or travel packages to Seoul, Korea, please call Pacer Travel Agency at 521-8884 or 525-3688.

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E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.