The Ventosa Massage at Bioessence

Ever heard of Ventosa? Ventosa is an old traditional massage in China which is meant to restore the flow of Chi. Most people shy away from the Ventosa because of the fire element involved. At Bioessence however, they managed to totally eliminate the use of fire, and instead infused elements of the traditional Pinoy hilot for a truly unforgettable spa experience.

I had my Ventosa treatment at their West Avenue branch...

The West Avenue branch is large, spacious and clean thus making it my favorite Bioessence branch to date. 

And in case you didn't know, Bioessence also carries a fine line of skin care products that you can 

purchase :

And now onto the experience. 

I was ushered to the lounge on the second floor as I waited comfortably for the staff to finish prepping my room...

The staff at Bioessence are VERY friendly and more than ready to cater to your every need. They truly know how to make you feel right at home.

Bioessence has Turkish Sauna rooms which everyone getting a treatment are free to use. I was a little iffy about this at first because being "trapped" in a little compartment with just my head sticking out didn't really appeal to me much. I get claustrophobic easily howevr, I am a sucker for trying anything new so I gave it a shot.

It still felt a little claustrophobic but the tv they had in the room made it a little better. What I like about Turkish style saunas is that you can control the temperature more accurately and the fact that you're head is sticking out doesn't make it hard to breathe. I still highly recommend a few minutes inside these contraptions since the "super fresh" feeling you get after showering is priceless. 10-15 minutes should do the job but if you have the patience to stay longer, stay. Or schedule a visit with a friend so you can do it together to avoid boredom.

And now onto my room. Ballers like me get nothing less than the executive room! HAHAHA.

The rooms at Bioessence are equipped with "mood lighting". You can choose between a regular dimmer, pink or blue. I chose pink cause I found it to be the most relaxing. It doesn't feel kinky when you're inside the room :P

You can avail of the executive room for only P1800* (not sure, might be P1200) which comes with a massage for two and unlimited use of the jacuzzi. The executive room comes with your own shower, toilet and wash area. 

large roomy jacuzzi for two:

The staff explaining the Ventosa/Hilot massage to me:

and my awesome therapist:

Before getting a massage, your required to go straight to the jacuzzi for a bubble bath which they already prepared while I was steaming in the sauna:

When I returned to the room, I was welcomed by the sight of a warm, candlelit bubble bath.

Scary, floating head in the bubble bath:

You don't need to bring bath and body products with you since the rooms/bathrooms are already equipped with high-grade shampoos and bath gels:

After my ultra-relaxing bubble bath, I was given delicious hot tea to enjoy while I dried myself off and changed into my massage appropriate robe.

Instead of the traditional "fire cups", Bioessence uses suction cups which creates the same effect. It sucks out all the "lamig" which makes us uncomfortable and is most of the time, the source of all back pains. This doesn't hurt at all. You wouldn't even realize that they are on your backs already if not for the clinking sound they make when the therapist grabs for them.

Some people report redness after getting this treatment. I was informed that the redness usually goes away by the following day. Fortunately, I didn't experience any redness on my back.

After the Ventosa, my therapist started rubbing warm, smooth sheets of banana leaf on my back. This felt sooo good and relaxing. Do not underestimate the power of the leaf! Upon research, I found out that the Banana Leaf treatment has long been a part of the traditional "Hilot". The banana leaf is rubbed against your back and it supposedly "stops" on your problem areas making it easier for the therapist to figure out which areas to concentrate treatment on.

The whole Ventosa + Hilot treatment lasted about an hour and a half - almost 2 hours. The whole spa experience took about 4 hours. I highly recommend it. All tightness on my back disappeared and I felt refreshed and very relaxed afterwards. Now that's getting your money's worth.

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