City oasis

MANY EXECUTIVES dream of having the chance to work in a

state-of-the-art office building, eat at a first-class restaurant or

have that massage, facial or aromatherapy session when the

urge strikes them. But with heavy traffic clogging the streets in

Makati, a busy executive will need more than a day for all these.

The Rockwell Club, the leisure and fitness spa and salon within

the Lopez group's Rockwell Center, attempts to make this dream

a reality.

With its proximity to the Makati central business district and to

Rockwell's own tenants such as Nestle Philippines and the

Phinma group, it has become a favorite hangout for some 1,200

members that include top players in the local business scene.

Johnny Revilla, Rockwell Club's public relations consultant,

says many executives make use of the Club's three meeting

rooms during weekdays.

They enjoy the luxury of conducting their meetings and, at the

same time, enjoy the view of the large swimming pool and the

greenery that surrounds the club.

For those power lunches and dinners, the Rockwell Club has

Fernando's, the fine-dining restaurant located at the upper and

lower dining levels that has become popular in the community

for the Sea Bass.

The Palm Grove, on the other hand, is the all-day dining

restaurant of the club that serves a mix of Asian and Western

cuisine fit for the executives and their families.

The Rockwell Club also put in place one of the country's most

modern n gymnasiums for members to work off extra calories

from those power lunches. Members have a choice between the

Startrack and Precor equipment in the Cardio areas and the

Cybex Gallileo for the strength areas.

But for those who just want to escape from the stresses and

strains of the business world, the Rockwell Club has a full-range

spa. It has separate areas for men and women complete with

facilities such as lockers, personal bathrobe towels and slippers,

showers, and the dry heat or moist heat saunas. There's also a

whirlpool to massage those weary muscles.

For an extra charge, members can avail of spa services such as

aromatherapy treatments for the face and body, aromatic body

massages and facials. A Frank Provost salon is also open for

appointments.

Among the most popular attractions is the swimming pool,

which has a shallow wading area and an official-sized lap pool.

There are also whirlpools that can accommodate three guests.

There are also tennis, basketball and squash courts as well as

aerobics and dance studios, which are quite popular with the

women.

Revilla says Rockwell Club also provided facilities for children.

The Rocky's activity area offers a wide range of activities and

classes including art classes and tennis clinics.

"We offer a complete package of amenities for all the members

and their families. We try to provide activities to encourage

them to use the club and for them to enjoy the facilities, whether

for business or for pleasure," Revilla says.

Aside from the facilities, Revilla stresses that the club's

exclusivity is one of its strongest points. He explains that

membership is by invitation only from other members. This is to

make sure that the members can build a community and would

enjoy being with each other since they will see each other often

in the club.

"We are also not going the way of some clubs that sell too

many club shares just to get money but end up having too

many members. We pride ourselves on the fact that we are

managing quite well even if we only have 1,200 members. We

don't want to oversell the club," Revilla says.

Rockwell Club sold out its membership shares to 300 individual

and 100 corporate members during the first exclusive, private

offer in September last year. The membership has expanded to

1,200 so far and more shares are being sold over the next seven

years.

"It is a little more difficult to be a member here also because it is

really not that big and we have to keep a manageable

membership," Revilla says.

Most of the members so far are senior executives at least 35

years old. The shares were initially sold at P550,000 each but

now goes for P650,000 in just one year. Corporate shares, on the

other hand, cost P1.1 million.