Healing hands

Much like a sacred doorbell that drives away negative vibes and signifies the start of a journey towards rejuvenation, a gong’s deep, round clang ushers well-heeled beachcombers into Tirta Spa, a place full of welcome rituals.

Dug into a mountain overlooking the Sibuyan Sea, the one-hectare Boracay property is the brainchild of owner and spa director En Calvert.

Some of En’s fondest childhood memories involve countless visits to her grandmother’s house — where a parade of physiotherapists, acupressurists and manghihilots often dropped by to give family members massages — and to Mt. Makiling for its fabled hot springs. “All these memories are, I suppose, what initially set the wheels in motion,” she shares during the spa’s first anniversary celebration.

As a chorus of birds, geckos, and lizards plays faintly in the background, it’s apparent that Tirta Spa’s setting is conducive to relaxation and other indulgent complements.

Rising like ancient ruins on the side of a dusty road, the entire place — the imposing entrance, most especially — culls design inspiration from the world’s archeological wonderlands.

Ethnic Zen

“Somehow En also found time to travel around Asia and as far as Egypt, too, sourcing furnishings for the spa and the finest natural ingredients for aromatherapy. En truly believed that she knew how to make a success of Tirta Spa and cutting corners with furnishings, building materials, or spa products simply wasn’t an option,” reveals Andrew, her supportive hubby. The result is a delightfully modern mash-up of Balinese, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Moroccan, and Cambodian elements, painstakingly brought to life and edited by En with the help of her architect, Jonathan Leonardo.

Aside from crisscrossing several countries in search of ethnic décor, however, En also familiarized herself with the global wellness industry and the business of healing. “I look back and realize it was seven years ago when I first enrolled in college in Hong Kong, my second home, to learn about wellness and where, after four hard years of studying, I earned diplomas from internationally-recognized wellness institutions such as ITEC (International Therapy and Examination Council) and CIBTAC (Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology), internationally-recognized British examination bodies for the health and beauty business,” she continues. “These diplomas in Anatomy and Physiology, Spa Management and Aromatherapy qualified me to take my first steps on the path to realizing my dream.”

The Tirta in Tirta Spa

En likewise traces her spa expertise to Kerala, India, where she studied Ayurvedic healing. Afterwards, she hopped on a plane to Hawaii to learn about lava stone therapy then headed off to mystical Sedona, Arizona to round out her knowledge of aromatherapy. Meanwhile, South Africa was where she went for crystal healing lessons. But it was a trip to a spa at the foot of the Himalayas, from where the Ganges River flows, that she came across a name that dovetailed nicely with the philosophy of her then-future spa. “Tirta is the Hindu word for “holy water,” she tells me with equal parts pride and humility. “And ’spa,’ by the way, is also short for the Latin phrase salus per aqua — ‘healing through water.’” 

As a luxury establishment with a holistic approach, Tirta Spa employs a team of expert therapists, whom En trained herself. Each one has to be trained for three to four months not just for proper massage techniques but for guest relations and English proficiency skills as well. In the spirit of selflessness, she reminds her therapists to love their clients unconditionally and not think of huge tips. Most important, she always requests them to leave their emotional baggage at home as this downbeat energy tends to transfer to the ones being treated. Of course, En lives by this principle, too. She sees to it that she’s in a positive state of mind whenever she blends their signature oils and scrubs. If you ask me, it’s a lot like The Mistress of Spices.    

The Royal Treatment

When the going gets tough, the tough get massages. It was finally my turn to sample Tirta Spa’s repertoire of treatments. To relieve tension, get rid of the knots in my shoulders, and calm my hyperactive mind, I chose The Prince Bath, which, according to the menu, was supposed to leave “blissful and comforting effects that linger for a long while.” Interesting.

It all started with the grounding ceremony, a footbath and foot massage intended to reconnect the stressed individual with the tranquility of nature. Then it was time to strip and slip on a pair of disposable undies, a somewhat awkward experience that left me feeling a bit exposed but nonetheless free. I may have not worked out in months but hey, this wasn’t the time to be a prude. And so, dangly bits and all, I continued.   

Touch my Body

With the heady scent of incense lingering in the air, I was escorted to the massage table where I was to be blessed by chimes, oils, and a pair of the most precise and refined hands my untanned body has ever felt. Lying face down and staring through a hole into a star-shaped flower, I felt like a sacrificial virgin or a Thanksgiving turkey about to be carved. Either way, the therapist’s tactile sensitivity was exceptional, gingerly unfolding a towel on top of my sari before shimmying it off.  

All that was followed by a floral bath amidst Angkor-esque bas-relief panels and the sound of koi doing laps in the surrounding pond. Again, it was a bit girly to be besieged by all the floating kalachuchi — think Mena Suvari in that rose-petal scene in American Beauty — but, as En qualified, there’s something about flowers that calms you down and gets rid of anxiety.   

Soul Exfoliation

After toweling off, my body — not to mention, my soul — was now ready to be exfoliated. Tirta Spa’s chocolate and cinnamon body scrub felt like sweet sandpaper and smelled like Christmas Eve cocoa, a deliberate combination that was simultaneously soothing and surreal. As if that weren’t decadent enough, I was then swathed in plastic like a takeout burrito for the next step in the treatment, the wild honey body wrap. The Vichy rain shower washed all the food away while the holistic massage that followed was the stuff of extended daydreams. 

With positivity humming all around me, I became aware of my breathing, which was deep and slow, and the therapist’s touch, which was gentle and seamless. Given their healing hands, the spa’s masseuses ensure that their connection to the client is never severed during the course of the treatment. During non-massage portions of a treatment, a therapist will gently let her fingers glide on a client’s toes, arms, or forehead as if to denote safety and trust.

Clocking in at three and a half hours, Tirta Spa’s Prince Bath left my back and shoulders warm and loose and the rest of my senses pleasantly fuzzy. I emerged from the dark, womblike suite completely refreshed and looking — and feeling — like a 12-year-old. I liken the effect to rising up from a deep sleep, at first slightly disorienting then absolutely invigorating. With their devotion to pampering tired urban souls, Tirta Spa is where one can stumble upon the real splendor of stillness and solitude.

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Tirta Spa is located at Sitio Malabunot, Manoc-Manoc, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. Telephone number (6336) 260-2488. Tel/fax. (6336) 288-6841. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 12 midnight. For a complete menu of treatments, visit www.tirtaspa.com.