A MASSAGE is one of the best gifts you can treat yourself with if you’ve finally found the time (and courage!) to go on vacation amid this persistent pandemic.
So during my recent trip to Boracay, I entrusted my Covid-weary carcass to the expert hands of Lorna, COAST Boracay’s therapist, who works at the resort’s Tala Spa. For 90 minutes, Lorna, using Swedish-Shiatsu massage techniques, kneaded the knots on my shoulders and back, and found a few cold spots to focus on and stoke away.
At the end of the session, I was somewhat in a daze, as the endorphins were released throughout my body, replacing the tension that compressed my shoulders, my back, and my spine. I was fast asleep even before midnight.
“We find that massage helps break down the pain cycle,” said Danny Barnes, director of SB Sports and Rehabilitation, to The Guardian. “If someone’s coming in and they are very tense or they’ve got pain, manipulating the tissue doesn’t necessarily make it heal straight away, but it breaks the pain cycle, and the client feels better at the end of the session.”
Such “pain” has been especially more significant during the pandemic, as many of us are somewhat touch-deprived. We keep our social distance from others, and clamp down our mouths beneath our masks and face shields. In my case, as I was locked down, away from my family, I was unable to hug or cuddle my precious nieces, the newborn baby, even the dog. As we realize now, touch is an important aspect of human relationships.
Boracay thus is the perfect destination for that missing healing touch. The island is famous for its beachfront massage therapists, aside from popular spas.
therapist sprinkles flowers and salt into a wooden basin with warm water for a foot bath and scrub,
the initial step in the Shodhana Karma ritual; a therapist shows the way to the spa villa for the body treatments; and Mandala Spa takes advantage of the natural healing
surroundings of Boracay Island.
SHODHANA KARMA RITUAL
I HAVE been a frequent visitor to Mandala Spa, one of the very first spa resorts in the country, since it opened in 2001. The spa takes advantage of the natural healing surroundings of the island, having built low-impact structures among its dense foliage.
In my latest visit, I had the award-winning three-part Shodhana Karma ritual, which has roots in Ayurvedic medicine. After a relaxing foot bath and scrub, my therapist gently pressed and rubbed my body tissues in long, broad strokes (Mandala’s Signature Massage) using cold-pressed sesame oil with calamus powder. Calamus is an aromatic herb that, when absorbed by the body, helps restore the proper function of our lymphatic system. Sesame oil, the molecules of which are as minuscule as red blood cells, ensures deep penetration into our blood stream, further removing the toxins from our body.
After the massage, I rinsed off the powder and proceeded to the sauna. For 15 minutes, with every pinprick drop of sweat, more toxins are flushed from the body. Ideally, the sauna treatment is for 30 minutes in 15-minute intervals, but I chose to cut it short due to the extreme heat.
The last part of the treatment was the Ubvartan body scrub using more Ayurvedic ingredients to exfoliate the skin. While achieving a healthy glow after, the scrub’s essential oils and herbs also help balance one’s emotional and physical well-being. The final touch is a shower to rinse away all the oils and powders, as I lay face down on the massage table covered in banana leaves.
The entire treatment takes about two and a half hours, and it is worth every minute; it calms the soul and frees it of stress.
FOOD CRAWL AT STATION X
AS part of my pursuit of wellness on the island, the Department of Tourism encouraged me to try its food crawl at Station X for lunch. I am currently on a keto diet to ease my fasting blood sugar to a more normal level, but I realized, there are very few restaurants on the island offering keto meals. Instead, I dined on seafood, vegetarian, and non-meat dishes for this food crawl.
For appetizer, I headed to Hue Hotel’s Laud restaurant for a shrimp salad, which had a refreshing citrusy dressing. Next was at Supermagic, where I feasted on a Beyond Meat Burger with a vegan cheddar cheese in a soy milk bun, which was light and tasty. (Although personally, the Supermagic Classic with Kitayama beef would have been more my regular vibe with its hearty and sincere take on cheeseburgers. Throw in a vanilla milkshake and the dining experience becomes close to divine.)
At Sunny Side Pizza, another health-friendly dish is the Vegan Three “Cheese” Pizza using a medley of vegan mozzarella, smoked “cheese,” and pepper jack. In the past, I’d abhor the thought of eating vegan cheese, as it felt fake, disparaging what cheese actually is, i.e, made from goat’s or cow’s milk. But in truth, I couldn’t tell the difference between real or vegan cheese in this dish. Each bite tickled my palate with waves upon waves of melty, earthy goodness.
For my mains, I transferred to Nonie’s Restaurant, one of the more popular vegetarian restaurants on the island. I was served a delicious vegetarian sisig (with tofu and mushrooms), which made me crave for an ice-cold beer, but I accepted a Mango Kombucha instead. It’s tempeh kare-kare was also an interesting take on the much-loved traditional Filipino dish. (Tempeh is basically fermented soybean cake.)
Capping off the food crawl, was a visit to Coco Mama for a taste of my favorite dessert—coconut and pandan ice cream. I have been savoring these treats since the kiosk opened on the island. It certainly is the most perfect, joyful ending to any meal.
n Station X is located at Hue Hotels and Resorts, Main Road at Station 2. Check out the restaurants on their respective social-media pages.
Image courtesy of Stella Arnaldo