Bliss up north

Tuesday, 15 March 2011 02:57

Written by Malou E. Rosal

Strawberries are not just for eating. That’s what I found out on a recent visit to Baguio, the City of Pines and the country’s strawberry central.

Up there where the cool mountain air is bracing, those sweet plump juicy red fruits are also the prime ingredients for an exfoliating scrub.

Lala Gonzalez, owner of North Haven Spa which offers this Strawberry Scrub, wanted to feature treatments that are endemic to the northern provinces. Lala explains: “I wanted to offer something different in the spa. I love going to the spa myself. Sabi ko, instead of using Swedish and Shiatsu, why not use what is ours. So I researched and immersed myself in that.”

Having obtained her Spa Orientation education in Thailand, Lala then focused on learning all she can about homegrown wellness techniques. Her research yielded interesting finds. Through the Northern Sampler, she let me experience these massages from the western part of the Mountain Province, specifically Besao, Bauko, Sagada, Tadian and Sabaangan.

She also discovered that some of these indigenous massages serve as a rite of passage for the young people of the mountain provinces. One in particular is the foot massage called Dagdagay, which uses sticks to stimulate the soles of the feet. This procedure can prove to be very ticklish but when a young person can perform this on a senior member of the community sans the tickling sensation, then the young one has “arrived”. “If you go to Batad,” Lala adds, “magpamasahe ka sa mga bata doon, ida-dagdagay ka nila.”

Another uniquely northern treatment in called Gis-gis-to, a traditional massage that applies pressure to specific points of the head. There is also a body massage called Tal-talad-tad marked by gentle strokes that are designed to relieve stress.
Lala also focused on products that are indigenous to Baguio and the Benguet area like coffee, rice, and strawberries. “Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and the seeds are also good for exfoliation,” she continues. “Our strawberry scrub is quite popular, along with the coffee and red rice scrubs.”

Now those who find the strawberry scrub too cold to the touch may want to opt for North Haven’s warm ginger package. This is also a scrub composed of ginger oil, scent, and emulsion for softening the skin.

Already six years in the business, North Haven Spa has been included in the 10 Best Spas in the Philippines by GMA-7’s “Mel and Joey”, one in the Q-TV’s “Sampung Pinaka” roster of Rovilson Fernandez, and listed as one of Colors Magazine’s 25 Best Spas in the Philippines.

Lala remarks: “Wala naman ding masyadong maraming spa dito sa Baguio and I’m the only one offering those indigenous massages kasi ako yung nauna noon. I really positioned it in such a way that people get curious and are drawn to it. I also gave it themes like the rice god, just to show that there was a culture before that offered these massages.”

While she opened a New Haven Spa branch on Session Road (in front of SM) to make it more accessible, Lala is not keen on branching out to other parts of the country. There have been offers to establish a “South Haven” but Lala says, “I don’t really want to spread myself too thin kasi hindi ko naman mapupuntahan, and cannot supervise it regularly. I’d rather be relaxed here in Baguio than get too much stressed because of too many branches nationwide.”

So in the meantime, folks yearning for that soothing northern touch can visit North Haven Spa at 21 Avelino St., Ferguson Road, Baguio City. The location may be quite unobtrusive, being tucked away inside the Avelino compound., But log on to their website (www.northhavenspa.com) and you can find a very helpful location map. Print the map like I did, hail a cab, and show it to the driver. And the usual friendly and honest Baguio cabbie would most likely study it, then say in gramattically correct English: “Yes Ma’am. I know where it is.”

(Also contact North Haven Spa by telephone: (634) 300 5022, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )