I just discovered Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa in the Philippines and now it’s on the must visit list. The place exudes nature, peace serenity and solitude. Before you make that appointment at the spa, the resort has a number of sea activities you can sign up for including kayaking, parasailing and deep sea diving. Hidden amongst the treetops is Rima, where you indulge in a sumptuous dinner. CHI, the Spa is located on a rocky peninsula looking out over a private bay so it feels like a sanctuary within a sanctuary.
They have something called a HILO massage which is two massage therapists at once (alas). You also receive a scrub-wrap routine using freshly prepared coconut, followed with a warm herbal bath.
Completing the experience is a distinctly different four-handed massage that succinctly combines the two therapists’ innate healing abilities with mesmerizing massage strokes delivered in perfect unison.
Then there’s something called a Hot Dino-Ot muscle relief session. This deep pressured massage uses a balm developed from local indigenous flora to ease bodily aches and pains.
Application of heated banana leaves gently warm the body and a dagdagay foot therapy completes the journey.
The Philippine Hilot is a treatment is based on ancient diagnostic methods passed down through generations of Philippine culture.
Warm coconut oil and banana leaves are placed over the body and allow the healing hands of the Hilot to detect areas of energy imbalance and blockages.
The Borcay Sand and Sea treatment starts with a full body scrub followed by a cocomilk splash bath and a full application of pomelo-calamansi body butter. Lastly, a pounding routine on the back area stimulates circulation and aids the renewal process.
Check out our other Spas & Retreats in our top Spas section.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
