One for the books

MANILA, Philippines - The general public is finally taking health and wellness seriously, if Fully Booked Publishing’s first book is any indication.

With 184 pages of beautiful photos depicting the different aspects of the growing spa culture in the Philippines, Wellness on the Islands: The Philippine Spa Experience is an aesthetic directory of the best places to go for the ultimate experience in health and well-being in the country.

Written by Elizabeth Reyes, author of books Filipino Style and 25 Tropical Houses of the Philippines and photographed by world-renowned Italian photographer Luca Tettoni, Wellness on the Islands takes a holistic approach to health and a wholesome lifestyle. Reyes looked to nature and tradition in seeking out ways to heal and rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit, touching on the movement toward herbal healing and the use of natural ingredients, the back-to-nature trend of eating organic food, the practice of moving meditation, yoga and qigong for holistic healing, and the potency of the Filipino power touch therapy.

“There is a wellness world out there, a burgeoning spa culture found amid the Philippines’ natural environments, tucked away in scattered resorts on far-flung islands amid all-encompassing Nature,” Reyes notes on the inside book jacket, and proof is in the pages dedicated to both famous and tucked-away spa resorts and destinations found in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. A result of the regional Asian boom of the spa industry, the health spa industry in the Philippines began in the early 1990s, with a turning point in 2004 when what used to be a developing cottage industry became part of a bigger growth. The Spa Association of the Philippines (SAPI) was formed by the first dozen health spa establishments in the country and worked with the Department of Tourism to market services that complement DOT’s plans for Medical and Wellness Tourism.

Tourism Undersecretary for Sports and Wellness Cynthia L. Carrion is quoted in the Wellness on the Islands introduction: “We are rediscovering our own indigenous traditions, then gentrifying our local healing methods for the modern spa.” Indeed, the different therapies, treatments and beauty spas featured in the book are centered on traditional Filipino methods of holistic healing, with all the elements easily sourced within the country.

Wellness on the Islands: The Philippine Spa Experience was launched at the Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street at The Fort, with Tourism Usec. Carrion and Cathy Turvill as the event’s guests of honor. Spa products and gift certificates were raffled off among the event attendees, and guests also got to enjoy wheatgrass shots and the Filipino signature hilot massage. Fully Booked’s managing director and publishing director, Jaime Daez and Chris Yam-Daez, spoke of the bookstore’s latest venture into publishing: “We look forward to more exciting titles to come.”