Wellness tourism at Kape kag Isyu's 16th year




Wellness tourism 


Today's resource persons are owners managers of spas or "wellness centers" in Iloilo city. 


Ms. Beverly Lopez's Kasanag Wellness Center specializes in traditional Bisaya "hilut" that utilizes warm banana leaves and hot stone therapy. Ilonggos go to the traditional hilut to treat their fever or painful muscles and joints.


Vina Hanada's Face Value and Facial Care Spa Center not only serves as massage clinic but also as beauty saloon of sort because its services include facial massage that stretches wrinkles and removes dead skin from the foot.




Another resource person, Jeffrey Celiz, political liaison officer of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has a suggestion for city hall to help Iloilo's budding spa business by including them and their employees in its tourism promotion guides and flyers. 


For one, the sector may organize and create its directory or lists of members for the convenience of their clientele.


The two spa owners welcome the suggestion. "Wellness tourism is a new field which attracts travellers to visit a place just for that," says Lopez.


Face Value's masseuses and masseurs are available for hotel and home service.


However, Kasanag does not go into room or home service it "disrupts the ritual." Its session begins with a warm foot bath. Other features of the massage include draping the back with warm banana leaf or other leaves, and later, placing of warm stones on accupuncture points in two symmetrical rows. The warm leaf and stones induce sweating expulsion of fats, which is "slimming while resting".






After the talk show, we repaired to the in house restaurant of Hotel del Rio for lunch in celebration of Kape kag Isyu's 16th anniversary, with friends from the local media.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Boy Scout Roy B. Babas, in memoriam

Image
By Pet Melliza/The Beekeeper Iloilo Gov.  Arthur D. Defensor (center in light shirt) and Estancia Mayor Rene Cordero (beside the governor) unveil the monument of Scout Roy.  By now, he could have been 53 and, if he married at 20, he would have grandchildren. However, Roy B. Babas, gave up his life at a tender age because of a freak accident 41 years ago, January 24, 1971. He was 12 years old and a grade five pupil. Babas, orphaned of both parents and cared for by his paternal  lolo   eked out a living on weekends and holidays as cargador , carrying luggage of passengers of vessels docking on the wharf of Estancia, Iloilo. Bionat: When I broached the idea to the governor of erecting a monument in honor of Scout Roy, he nodded at once. Scout Roy was his buddy in the Boy Scout. He promised silently beside the latter's bier that he will work it out to have a monument built for him. Defensor: Bravery and helpfullness are among the virtue...
Read more

Kalampay getting scarce and costly

Image
Today a kilo of kalampay fetches P80 to P140, at par with other fishes. This freshwater crab was almost free before. Photo above shows a freshly broiled crab. Kalampay" for sale was almost unheard of 40 years ago. The freshwater crab teemed in Iloilo rivers and people caught it for free. Today, it fetches the minimum P80 per kilo. Surprisingly, Iloilo River, dubbed the country's biggest septic tank after Pasig River, is still home to crabs and shrimps that Ilonggos consume. Mention the word today to the young generation and they would stare at you bewildered. "Kalampay? Ano ra man? (Kalampay? What's that.)" They more they would stare at you blankly if you asked them what "katang" and "baringay" are. The usage of term is getting scarcer like the fate of kalampay. "Katang" is a juvenile kalampay, the size a half thumb while "baringay" are botton size ones that migrate inland from the sea where they are spawned. ...
Read more

Broad daylight robbery by Treñas and caboodle

    Mayor Jerry Treñas and his caboodle in the mass disinformation industry are yelping accolades and jumping in glee at nothing but how good, bright and promising the fates of the Iloilo Terminal Market and Iloilo Central Market would be under his watch. Better still, miswatch.      "Public-Private Partnership" kuno; "renovation" kuno, "progress" pa gid, lapdogs in the  mainstream mass disinformation industry oogle.      What they're deliberately hiding is the obvious, that the deal is nothing but a "lease contract", a heavily lopsided one, that hands over for a song two prime real estate properties of Iloilo City taxpayers to SM Holdings, owner of the most number and biggest of malls in the Philippines.      It's neither PPP nor renovation but a broad daylight robbery where Treñas surrenders to SM the ownership of the "Central" and "Super" to SM for 50 years, renewable thereafter at SM's caprice.      By merely...
Read more