Feeling Good Inside Out With SpaRga Wellness Center

Spas are there for a reason - to make you feel good by kneading and heating up the kinks and knots that cause the owies that plague our daily lives. Even by just calling a massage therapist for at at-home massage does wonders in an hour's time. Come a week after, sometimes even days, we feel like going to the spa again for a massage for letting the kinks out.

An invitation to a launch of a spa event I got yesterday got my attention going because apart from makeup, I love going to spas for a massage. I miss my friendly neighborhood spa back in the Las Pinas home and for an emergency kink, I resulted to calling the home service spa the condo complex has. I thought a spa would be interesting. I got the address of this spa called SpaRga Wellness Center, which apparently has been around for quite some time. It's located along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, near Buendia.

While going there, I sort of got lost so I called the PR asking if I got the location right. After several U-turns, I was able to see the quaint little building and the sign SpaRga. It was so funny though that I used to pass this route to school or work for the past few years I never really paid attention to it until now. You could miss it since it's drowned by the bigger buildings of Singing Cooks and Waiters and other banks and government offices. To get there, just take EDSA southbound then turn right to Roxas Blvd. Take the side street instead of Roxas Blvd per se. It would be on your right. It's right opposite the PNB Building along Macapagal and the complex with the roofs where Hall 5, Hall 6, etc. are written. If you're already past Buendia cor Roxas, you missed it.

When I got there to register, I was welcomed with a hot towel to clean my hands and the refreshingly relaxing scents of lemongrass and olive. It was as if I was taken to another world since outside is busy, busy, smoggy Roxas Boulevard. Inside, was complete zen.

I was taken to a place painted a refreshing avocado green color dotted with calachuchi plants and calla lilies. I took my seat where we were offered refreshments. I chose my favorite lemongrass drink, since I've always been a fan of lemongrass and I wanted to match with the scent.

The flavor was mild and refreshing, which tasted amazing with the veggie sticks served as appetizers. I decided to eat the veggie sticks alone since the dressing was blue cheese and cream, which were danger zone to my tummy (towards the end of the event though I was wolfing two shotglasses of veggies with the dressing).

As soon as the event started, we were introduced to the owner of the spa, Mrs. Ruth Gautier, who shared with us the story of the spa's location, from the time that it used to be an old house to the spa that it was now.

The spa's interiors had remnants of the old house that it was before, complete with wooden stairs and capiz windows. I did notice the presence of calla lilies around and when I asked about it, Ruth said that among the choices of flowers that she had, she was drawn by the simplicity and elegance of the calla lily, with its pure white color and simple streamlined form, nothing complicated or cluttered.

Calachuchi also was another flower I saw around, either in the corners of the stairs or scattered randomly along with rose petals like little white stars. Calachuchi is also a readily available flower and it had a pleasing and mild scent, another personal choice of the owner.

The event also introduced to us aside from the massages Swedish and Shiatsu, the traditional therapeutic massage or hilot, which not only makes us feel good but also targets what causes our kinks and strains and irons it out to perfection.

Our volunteer gets a head and neck massage that's good for migraines. That's Alice, the head therapist working her magic on the three volunteers. Swear, she's a miracle worker and she could tell your ailments just by looking at you, even the cause of it. Freaky but cool.

Shen said she's prone to back pain and she gets her lower back massaged. After the quick massage, she said she felt relaxed and relieved.

Yours truly gets to be the willing guinea pig for foot massage. When I got there, they towelled of my tootsies with a warm towel before a dry massage that targeted pressure points. The first point massaged was the midsole which felt absolutely good that just shut me up from kidding around. After applying pressure points to my ankles and shins, it was sort of painful but feels good after. Alice asked me if I had a sprain on my right foot some time in my life. Turns out that I did, I tripped while walking a few years back and it was painful for like a few days then the pain sort of went away on its own. Alice mentioned that something's painful because there's something wrong with that part, say you had an accident or injury a few years back. If you're ticklish, there's something wrong with your circulation. To sum it up, if it doesn't feel good, there's something wrong.

After the demo, we were served lunch. I skipped the mini burger in the buffet for two servings of fresh lumpia, penne pesto, and chocolate cake.

For a second drink, a refreshing drink of avocado and pandan was my choice. These drinks are not only yummy but they have bodily benefits as well. By the way, no artificial mixes in the menu here. Everything is fresh and real from the crisp veggies to the choice cheeses and grocery items.

After our snacks, we toured the spa vicinities where we saw the various massage rooms.

The single massage room if you want a room all to yourself.

Couples or friends could opt for a room for two.

The jacuzzi laced with roses and mood light.

Here's another treat I discovered. Jo and I got to try the massages. Alice recommended that I have the Shiatsu massage due to my back problem. Okay, here's the thing... I never mentioned that I had a back problem. Okay, so far it could be obvious too but Alice was able to diagnose just by looking how I got it and when. It wasn't an accident but I got it during my growth spurt in elementary aggravated by bringing heavy books.? She told me to lie on my tummy as she proceded to align me. Since my camera was at the locker, we'd all have to rely on my narration.

Okay, Ruth and Alice warned me that it's going to hurt. BAD. And it did. The aligning process wasn't the relaxing stretching from yoga or pilates. Your muscles and limbs are stretched and bent at angles you've never bent before. Ruth reminded me to breathe according to the stretches. Can I just say that I've been stretched during yoga but never have I been stretched that's so painful I thought I was going to throw up. Brazilian waxing or physical therapy was no match and it's like you think you'll be split in half after the process.

Afterwards though, I felt a relieving feeling, like blood was rushing through the right places. Alice told me that my spine had been realigned and she made me feel my back. My right scapula was less pronounced Jo confirmed the results.

When I looked in the mirror, my back was so much flatter and when I stood up, my legs are more aligned. I felt more balanced. It was just too cool because I've underwent so many treatments and have undergone chiropractic treatments and even had a doctor abroad, which cost a lot of money. I've been through brace and conservative treatments and I was told that only surgery could correct my spine. Wooohooo! Looks like I have hope. Alternative medicine rocks! After that, I was massaged now using the Swedish technique using non-greasy lavender oil that lulled me to a ten-minute nap as it rubbed me just in the right places with the therapist only asking me if the pressure is right.

Anyway, I was also given a chance to try out reiki, which balances your energy using touch. According to Wiki, reiki is a form of alternative medicine transferring healing energy through the palms. Weirdly enough, the reiki therapist was able to assess certain aspects of my life in a freakishly amazing way, like what's causing me to have all the bad energy and how to avoid it. It was weird and cool at the same time, since I've never met her in my entire life until today and somehow what she was saying made perfect sense. She warmed her hands by rubbing them together with minty orange oil that smelled uplifting rather than overpowering. She then pressed her warmed palms on certain areas of my body where energy was concentrated like my head, tummy, throat, and legs. I had this feeling of heat and energy more on my head, where she said most of the energy was concentrated. After that, I had a relieving feeling, like the anvil on my head was removed.

Basically, I was really impressed at this new spa. If it really does work, there could be a better and more natural way of improving the quality of life of someone without pumping in chemicals or going through the knife. Aligning my spine in 15 minutes got my attention up. Until now, as I'm typing this post, I don't feel much pain and ngalay. I was advised to drink lukewarm drinks for the next few days to relieve me of the toxins which I'll be purging out in the next weeks or few.

All in good time, I'll be heading off for a much-needed vacation next week. Maybe I'll get to enjoy it more with my new disposition then! SpaRga is a place I'll definitely come back to. Not only does it relieve me of my aches and pains, but it really improved my posture and targeted why am I having those problems in the first place. The prices are relatively affordable. Whole body massages (swedish, shiatsu, combination) cost around Php500 for an hour. The Modern Hilot (Php 1,500) massage and Reiki and clinical massages are scheduled by appointment. Aside from the relaxing treatments, they have also a Cafe that serves healthy treats, Indian vegetarian, non-vegetarian, paellas, and Mediterranean specialities - that and free WiFi. You could call 8369143 or visit SpaRga wellness spa at #1 Sta. Escolastica St. Corner Roxas Boulevard Pasay City.