TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Hot Stone Massage in Cebu, Philippines

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Hot Stone Massage in Cebu, Philippines

Since I enjoyed the Island Spa in Resorts World, I thought I'd try a spa in Cebu. My friend and I went to Meddah Spa at the Crossroads Mall in Banilad. This place offers a lot of services, including hot stone massage.

The ambiance and accouterments of Islands Spa are better. Meddah's room is spartan; their garb (shorts), towels are tired and ready for retirement. The room is dimly lit and your eyes covered for the most part, so the clinical feel of the room is not really an issue. The masseuses that we had were courteous and professional; I have no complaints with them.

The massage started with a regular hands-on massage, followed by the stone massage. Heated river stones are used to massage your body and placed on parts of your body. The heat of the stones, the suddenness when applied and the lingering heat when placed against your body are very comforting.

I nabbed this information from the internet:

The use of hot stones for healing dates back to ancient times, but it wasn't until Arizona massage therapist Mary Nelson introduced her hot stone massage technique, called LaStone Therapy, that the use of hot stones for massage caught on.

The hot stones are usually made of basalt, a type of rock that is rich in iron, so they retain heat. River rocks are normally used because they are so smooth - they have been smoothed over time by the river's current.

The stones are immersed in water and heated in an electric heating device until they are within a certain temperature range. The stones may be placed at specific points on the back, in the palms of the hand, or between the toes.

The heat warms and relaxes the muscles, which allows the therapist to apply deeper pressure, if desired.

The warmth of the hot stones improves circulation and calms the nervous system.

Some massage therapists place stones on points that are thought to be energy centers of the body to rebalance the body and mind.

The stone massage was quite good and I'll probably do it again.

Meddah Spa is quite popular and an appointment needed especially for weekends and holidays. The stone massage, by the way, was half the price of what Islands Spa charged for their combination massage. It's a deal. I saw quite a number of foreigners at Meddah's, availing of this luxurious treat that would probably cost $200 and more in the US

tags: massage, hot stone massage, Cebu, Meddah, tourism, travel, therapy, health, Shiatsu, Swedish

All for now,
Cecilia

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.