Hilot Filipino Massage Is NOW Being Recognized

The traditional Hilot Filipino Massage is one of the hottest trends in spa today. Hilot was, in fact, nominated as the “Spa Treatment of the Year” during the 2005 Baccarat Inaugural Awards in Hong Kong. Soon, the art of Filipino healing and massage will also be available in Europe. A Philippine non-governmental organization and a company in Germany recently signed a memorandum of understanding for the transfer of technology and introduce hilot in Europe.

In the Philippines, all the Department of Tourism-accredited spas are now required to incorporate hilot in their massage therapies. Out of some 90 spas in the country, some 37 DOT- accredited spas are now offering Hilot Filipino Massage to their local and foreign guests.

Leading the pack in Metro Manila is the luxurious Oriental Spa of the five-star Mandarin Hotel in Makati City. Run by Swedish spa consultant Ronald Decter, the Oriental Spa is now offering five types of hilot massage therapies, with prices ranging from P1,800 to P3,200 for a 30 to 90-minute session. Other Manila hotels offering hilot massage are Westin, Oakwood, Manila Peninsula, Holiday Inn and Hyatt.

Most resorts in the provinces that operate spas also include hilot in their menu of services. These include the Chi Spa of Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu, Dos Palmas in Palawan, Norture in Tagaytay, San Benito in Batangas, Ilang- Ilang in Tagaytay, and Punta Fuego in Batangas.

“Hilot is a deep tissue massage and in my spas, the Bellevue Spa Club and the Total Image day spa, we use banana leaves and virgin coconut oil,” explains Lopingco.

Using warm banana leaves, which have antiseptic qualities, and virgin coconut oil, the hilot therapist can detect possible problem areas caused by some imbalance and disturbed flow of energy in the body, according to Lopingco. The therapist then can focus on the problem area until balance and harmony are restored and there’s a feeling of relief, she says.

SAPI is on the forefront of campaigning and pushing for the promotion of hilot. Its efforts in convincing the country’s tourism officials of the potentials and attraction of hilot, particularly to foreigners, have obviously paid off.

“What do we have to offer? asks Lopingco. Not the Thai massage. If we don’t have our own, we can’t compete globally in this kind of business.”

“When SAPI launched hilot as a major platform to showcase the Filipino healing modalities,” she says, “we could only hope that we can gather enough attention to our health and wellness program in this country.”

Atho de la Cruz, head of the membership committee of SAPI, adds: “We have also chosen hilot massage because it is something that can be explained scientifically.”

“The government has responded very well,” Lopingco says. “Now health and wellness is one of the major thrusts of government.” Philippine booths in health and wellness trade shows abroad offer a taste of hilot massage to stressed westerners.

Hilot as an art of healing

“Wala pa ang mga Spanish sa Pilipinas, 500 years ago, ay may mga hilot na tayo,” says Bibiano Fajardo, president of Association of Traditional Health Aid Givers Inc. or ATHAG. Bibiano, a chemical engineer and businessman, has spent 40 years on what he calls the “industry of healing.” He is one of the founding trustees of the Philippine Institute for Traditional Health Care.

Hilots, Bibiano says, are Filipino traditional healers based in the communities who deliver health services. Historians and scholars had associated the Filipino traditional hilot therapy with the traditional Chinese medicine and the Ayuverdic or Indian traditional medicine. Somehow, under the Spaniards and Americans, this Filipino traditional medicine was largely ignored and suppressed.

“Hilot is a science, not all intuitive,” insists Bibiano.

From its humble beginnings in the countryside, hilot filipino massage is slowly finding its way to the most modern spas and wellness centers her and abroad. Finally the seeming magical and soothing powers of the lowly hilot can now be experienced by more Filipinos and foreigners alike.

I can’t understand why people would go for shiatsu or swedish when the traditional Hilot is even better and cheaper.  We should support this and we need to elevate this to the level of popularity as Thai/ Swedish massage in the world. Article source: hilotmassage.com