Monday, May 31, 2010

My Nurture Spa Experience Day 1

An e-vite I got in my inbox weeks ago to an event at a destination spa tells me one thing: I am overworked and I need to de-stress but I love my work so much that I go bonkers if I not get my hands on my brushes in a span of 24 hours. The keywords spa and destination were those that gave me my yes since it's been a long time that I went to destination spas and I would love to see this for myself.

I've seen Nurture Spa in leaflets and magazines as well as some of my friends' own personal experiences. It used to be a smaller spa before but it has now expanded its area and added more facilities and services. Aside from their massages, body wraps, and facials, Nurture Spa now has other activities such as Qi breathing and stretching exercises, cooking lessons, and wellness talks.

When we arrived at Nurture Spa, it was like we were whisked away to a totally different atmosphere. The temperature was relatively lower, for one thing. Instantly, the cement-paved streets of the metro were replaced with fresh air, vegetation, and of course, a shower of petals that welcomed us to the venue.

Tarragon tea was also served as a welcome drink.
We were served cocktails after registration. We parked our heavy bags in the dormitories and we were given a tour of the place.

Eric and I couldn't resist a bit of camwhoring when we toured the rooms. The matching glasses and green tops weren't planned, swear. Thanks Eric for the picture!

A little self-portrait indulgence.



We were introduced also to the Meditation Path, a spiral stone path of stones of various textures and sizes. We were supposed to walk barefoot in this path and the stones are supposed to target various pressure points in our feet. It does hurt a bit, especially the smaller ones. After the walk though, we felt a sense of relief, like we got rid of some of the tension in our legs, hips, and feet. The meditation path was quite interesting though. It reminded me of the stick they used to massage my feet when I get my weekly Thai massage.

They also showed us various treatments, like the signature Nilaib massage, a Filipino version of the stone massage using steamed hot pouches of traditional Filipino herbs wrapped in banana leaves to pound away stress and knots.

The venue has also been modified to cater to weddings. Nurture Spa has now tied up with Josiah's catering to provide more food choices and treats in case some couples would want to spend their wedding reception here. As you can see, the place has been set up to simulate a wedding. Aside from weddings, Nurture Spa now caters customized proposal, engagement, birthday, and anniversary dinners.

Some of the guests tried out the 10-minute head and shoulder massages using Nurture Spa's coconut-based oils. Other guests tried out the DMS or Digital Meridian Scanner, which was a computerized checkup to monitor symptoms of illness at their early stages. The procedure is proven to be 80-90% accurate and those with phobia of needles and scalpels would be happy to know that this is a very safe and non-invasive procedure.

We also got a chance to chat with Mike and Cathy Turvill, the owners of Nurture Spa who gave us a brief overview of the place. They even posed with us for this photo-op.




(Thanks Jo for this picture)

Dinner was a treat in itself. We indulged ourselves in DIY Mongolian bowls and pasta. I kept my dinner light but satisfying avoiding meat and indulging on seafood, veggies, and lemongrass and ginger tea.

Cocktails were also served. This shot of bubblegum lambanog was as smooth as water and it didn't burn from the inside.

After dinner, those who were just there for the day had to leave. I felt that I needed to stay the night, to get a full grasp of the whole experience. More on this on Day 2.

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