Philippine hilot wins in Asia Spa awards

Hilot, the Philippine’s own brand of touch therapy, is earning international fame as the prestigious 2007 AsiaSpa Awards recently recognized Mandala Spa and Villas Boracay’s hilot trilogy as Holistic Treatment of the Year.

"We congratulate Mandala for bagging this award. Citations of this magnitude indicate that our health and wellness destinations and services are definitely at par with world standards. They are also open to us more opportunities in developing this type of industry," said Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano

Established in 2005, the AsiaSpa Awards aims to set the standards, highlighting innovation and quality in the spa industry. Winning resorts, companies, organizations and personalities are the benchmarks for this fast-growing enterprise.

The awards are organized by AsiaSpa Magazine, the most recognized luxury wellness publication reaching more than 120,000 influential urban female readers across Asia.

This year’s search included categories on treatments, locations, products, teaching programs, events and individual efforts. A panel of 28 judges, comprising of spa owners, wellness experts and authors, decided on the most outstanding treatments and most original spa destinations.

The 2007 winners were recently celebrated at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong, which was attended by 350 leaders in the spa trade.

Mandala Spa and Villas, the only Filipino independent business among the roster of winners dominated by Thailand-based establishments, is one of the first luxury wellness centers in the country to offer hilot. Located in a quiet and secluded area in Boracay, Mandala had earlier won the 2005 AsiaSpa award for Treatment of the Year.

The spa’s two-hour hilot trilogy session combines three traditional healing therapies widely practiced in the Philippines. The deep-tissue hilot massage relaxes over-all tension and establishes equilibrium.

The dagdagay, of Cordilleran origin, uses two bamboo or rattan sticks to stimulate the soles and cleanse the body from specific points on the feet.

The bentosa portion of the treatment involves warmed glass cups that suction out toxins and improve circulation.

Hilot is currently one of the features that the Department of Tourism aggressively promotes in the international market.