Living in today’s stressful and fast-paced modern world, health has apparently taken the back seat in favor of meeting work deadlines, catching up with payment of bills, keeping up with glitzy and power lifestyle trends. Checklists to take care of business unfortunately have overlooked to a certain degree vital health-related concerns. The increasing back-to-basics awareness and the keen realization of the sensitivity of the human body to abuse are, however, changing attitudes toward wellness and the pursuit of health care.
Policies to address availability of wellness programs in various sectors are now in place. Manifestations of the shift in mindsets are seen all over in the Philippines. Today, we find well-conceived spas in many places, from seaside resorts to plush hotels in business centers. “Health as wealth,” is the buzz and a whole new range of services to address the care demand has emerged. And, for more systematized providers of medical and health care services such as hospitals, well-conceived Wellness Programs are in place.
Importantly, Wellness Programs find avid supporters in the government sector which believes in the gospel of health. On the part of the Philippine Department of Tourism, encouragement and aggressive support has come in the form of the Public-Private Partnership Task Force on Globally Competitive Philippines Industries or PPPTF. The group is composed of private and public sector leaders from different disciplines and includes doctors, hospital directors and related agency representatives and is focused on steering Health and Wellness cum tourism growth. One of its strategies is information awareness on programs that are related to the promotion of health and wellness.
One of its members, The Medical City, is a private, tertiary care hospital that has been running now for 40 years. The Medical City boasts of a Wellness Center that provides complete health and wellness programs for all ages. The Medical City’s Wellness Center also offers optional packages at reasonable rates. These include cardio- tests, stroke evaluation, pulmo-check for smokers, bone densitometry, diabetes mellitus, colonoscopy, gastroscopy, endoscopy and diagnostic tests for snoring and sleep disorders.
The availability of evidence-based, customized, and optimized executive checkup packages that are designed for the unique health history, habits, and situations of every individual is what makes The Medical City’s Wellness Center more effective, less time-consuming and less expensive. Now patients no longer need to undergo every medical test regardless of their specific need.
Outside of hospitals, the surge for the provision of services to improve quality of life is found in upscale hotels and resorts. Calm, therapeutic and relaxing, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Manila offers personal spa journeys in the four treatment rooms designed for different character needs. Over at the Peninsula Spa, the setting is aligned for rejuvenation. A refreshing dip in the pool, an hour of relaxing Thai massage or a detoxifying sauna bath are all made available with special touches for the client.
Chi-Spa at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel allows one to enjoy the luxury of the largest spa suites in Manila complete with sunken spa tub, spacious relaxation area, herbal steam room and showers. With a lush tropical setting, Chi embraces a holistic philosophy for restoration of balance and harmony to mind and body.
Aside from breathtaking views and crystal blue waters, the Philippines’ top beach resorts also have exciting spa services to present. Cebu’s Plantation Bay rewards visitors with Moogambo Springs, a health and relaxation spa constructed with its own waterfalls, creek and fog-like mist, enough to send you off to sweet paradise
Nurture Spa in Tagaytay City is a destination spa set in a tropical garden amidst coffee tree orchards and pineapple plantations. It offers a range of Filipino and international standard spa treatments using primarily natural ingredients and botanicals. Also in Tagaytay City, tucked in the mountains with a view of Taal Volcano, is Le Petit Paradis, with world-class accommodations, a relaxing spa and a team of professionals. With vitalizing spa experiences like these, the sense of having a more complete connection with inner selves now becomes more pronounced, giving visitors the much-deserved pampered and cared for feeling.
Another way of seeking renewed health includes a trip to The Farm at San Benito. Located in Lipa City, Batangas, The Farm at San Benito is a private sanctuary that offers everything from medical therapies and spa treatments, to spiritual development activities. Also called the Hippocrates Health Resort of Asia, The Farm at San Benito is an excellent venue to begin the healthy lifestyle people aspire for.
The Farm at San Benito’s warm and welcoming staff is ready to assist visitors through the offering of optimum health-supporting diet, and through a series of detoxifications: physical, mental and spiritual. Guided by their belief that true nutrition comes from “living” food, their Vegan Restaurant, headed by world-class chef Felix Schoener, serves food that are almost completely uncooked to maintain the enzymes in food that are necessary for every function of the body.
Professionals behind wellness services in the Philippines are continuing to raise the bar and visitors are finding amazing touches that not only delight the senses but reach their inner core that seeks to be nourished by essential care.
