Tuesday, November 20, 2007 All-Filipino specialty spa opens
AFTER operating for several years in the local beauty, health and wellness industry, a Cebuano businessman engaged in the massage and spa business has decided to introduce the “first authentic Filipino specialty spa.”
Body and Sole proprietor Johnie Lim recently led the soft opening of Alibyo Boutique Spa to answer the strong demand for a truly Filipino massage and spa facility.
“We don’t have a Filipino spa, especially in the city area, that we can truly be proud of. If foreigners go to Thailand, they look for a Thai spa. But when they come to the Philippines, we still offer them the same spa service because we are fond of adapting other cultures,” Lim said.
The need for an authentic Filipino specialty spa is what pushed Lim to invest more than P3 million to open Alibyo, located on the upper floor of i2 building at the Asiatown IT Park (AITP), Cebu City.
The 200-square-meter spa and massage facility has eight beds, a sauna, foot massage and relaxation area, and a small café that offers native Filipino snacks.
It is open daily from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m to cater to the market at the AITP, Lim said.
Hilot
To give more meaning to its being an all-Filipino spa facility, Lim has decided to even use the Cebuano for the English names of its services.
These include: “hilot” (original Filipino massage); “pi-so” (foot massage); “banggud” (foot spa); “pahamis” (facial detoxification) and “lugod” (body detoxification).
Lim said the spa facility specializes in the traditional “hilot” as a “more complete wellness process involving both physical and spiritual aspects.”
“The DOH (Department of Health) is trying to fine-tune ‘hilot’ with scientific background,” he said.
“Hilot,” according to Lim, is different from other popular massage styles as Thai and Swedish, among others, since it involves “pure relaxation.”
“If Thai is more of stretching, ‘hilot’ is all about lying down and ‘letting go.’ Therapists won’t disturb by waking you up to let you turn on your side,” he explained.
Time
He advised customers to visit Alibyo “when they have more time” to better appreciate its services.
“Hilot,” for instance, lasts for two hours, he added. “It is better if you are not in a hurry,” he said.
While several hotel and resorts have incorporated “hilot” into their massage services, most of these establishments still introduce Western spa techniques, Lim said.
In line with this all-Filipino massage and spa concept, Lim has hired 12 local therapists—including Victor Donaire, a graduate of New Era University.
Donaire is said to have acquired a license from the DOH as a master in “Hilot.” He also created a “Hilot module.”
In addition, Alibyo only uses locally sourced virgin coconut oil, cucumber, calaman-si and lemon grass as ingredients for its “hilot” liniments.
For the “pahamis,” the facility uses ground rice mixed with cucumber juice, while its body scrub ingredients include fruit acids with coconut milk.
Despite being a new player in the local beauty health and wellness industry, Lim said a city-based hotel wants to have the Alibyo concept included in its spa services.
However, Lim said Body and Sole Franchise Corp., which operates Alibyo, has not yet considered plans of opening the business for franchising. (MMM)
