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Melanie Ho

Melanie Holloway

Chi Spa

Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort & Spa,

Cebu, Philippines

Tel: 63 32 231 1688

www.shangri-la.com/spa

There is nothing more blissful than lying on a massage table having the stresses and strains of daily living soothed out of your body. Soft music calms your mind and sweet smells engulf your senses as you slowly succumb to rhythmical movements that take you to another world.

The Herbal Harmony therapy at the new Chi Spa Village at Shangri-La's magnificent Mactan Island Resort & Spa in Cebu is one such treatment. Heated linen pouches are plumped with healing herbs and gently pressed onto the body with heavenly effect.

Inspired by the mystical legend of Shangri-La in James Hilton's book Lost Horizon, Chi Spa's design and treatments are drawn from ancient Chinese and Himalayan rituals. And it is this theme that makes it so unique.

Starting with the entrance to the secluded village, just a few minutes' walk from the resort, guests are led past a cascading water feature and a lotus pond into the Sanctum, where a striking glass sculpture hangs from the ceiling.

From here, they can use the Chi Water Garden with its vitality hydro pools, herbal steam rooms, body scrub salas, spa pool and water shiatsu pool. Or they can head to one of the luxurious treatment pavilions, private villas or eight garden suites for a treatment.

There are echoes of Tibetan and Nepalese architecture throughout this peaceful village, along with Himalayan artifacts and traditional Philippine elements and accents.

The spa offers more than 30 treatments, some of which incorporate extras such as a fragrant Himalayan bath or a therapist playing a Tibetan singing bowl. Treatments have names like the Mountain Tsampa Rub (a barley scrub from the Himalayas) and the Himalayan Healing Stone Massage, inspired by the healing rituals of the Hor region in Tibet.

Chi's signature therapies are based on the five elements theory, where metal, water, wood, fire and earth are balanced to harmonise with the body's yin and yang energy.

Healing customs from Southeast Asia have not been ignored, and some treatments make use of indigenous ingredients such as coconut milk, banana leaves, mango, ginger and papaya.

The Philippine Touch Therapy (Hilot) massage is an ancient massage that incorporates Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines. Therapists are expertly trained in this ancient art to discover trouble spots in the body and then offer a deep- tissue massage to help with the healing process.

A fragrant option is the Barako Coffee Bean Scrub. The beans come from the Philippine Liberica tree, which is known for its cellulite-reducing properties, and the caffeine and tannin help remove excess body fluids. Afterwards, a heavenly mix of sampaguita flowers, coconut milk and aloe vera is prepared for a cleansing shower.

The Tropical Linen and Leaf Wrap is another traditional treatment, with fresh mango, papaya and pineapple blended with aloe vera, honey and marine clays and topped with banana leaves to revitalise the skin.

For the ultimate in indulgence, Chi offers a selection of half-day rituals, one of which, Paradise Found, offers a blissful four-and-a-half hours of exotic treatments starting with a relaxing Himalayan bath ritual and going on to an algae body wrap, a signature massage and a harmonising facial. Included in this experience is a selection of fresh cuisine from the Chi Cuisine menu, served beside the spa pool. If you haven't the stamina, try one of the Chi Journeys for two-and-a-half-hours of pampering instead.

Restoring balance and harmony to the mind and body is at the core of Chi Spa's philosophy. And at Shangri-La, this is an easy philosophy to follow.



Chi Spa