With medical tourism at the rise throughout Southeast Asia, Sofitel Philippine Plaza has jettisoned the standard spa playbook, teamed with one of the most country’s most famous wellness experts and opened the doors on a health and aesthetic institute, the primary inside a hotel in Asia.
“Manila is an enormous destination for international travelers who want cost-effective aesthetic treatments,” said Goran Aleks, general manager of Sofitel Philippine Plaza. “They stick with us always. Watching them exit the hotel for wellness clinics (downtown) sparked an concept: Why not take it to a better level, and develop an idea that goes beyond the fast fix to full-on behavior modification”
Called Vietura, the hot facility offers an array of customizable programs designed to assist clients look better and live healthier.
Services range from weight-management tools akin to Calloblock — which naturally binds carbs and fats within the food you consume and hurries up the calorie-burning process — to anti-aging procedures that involve the administration of medicine directly into the fattiest layer of skin.
Vietura also has tried-and-tested remedies for complexion problems and digestive disorders.
All solutions are non-invasive and start with a whole-body assessment — the 1st step in Vietura’s three-step ‘Measure, Mentor and Monitor’ philosophy.
“Vietura isn’t your typical medical spa; it’s a life-style experience,” Aleks said. “It’s for the person that understands that the trail to bigger confidence isn’t dramatic change. It’s a protracted-term holistic approach that ends up in a more natural glow and prompts friends to invite, ‘Where did you go on vacation’ rather than ‘What surgeon did you only see’”
Vietura’s concept was developed by its chief practitioner, Dr. Mary Jane Torres, a Filipina who spent years studying mesotherapy methods in Europe and is a troublesome-core believer in non-invasive, non-surgical solutions.
For face contouring, she employs Platelet-Rich Plasma technology, which harnesses the healing powers of platelets present in the blood.
For body sculpting, she uses Italian-made resonance machines, which produce electrodes that speed fat dissolving and skin tightening.
During the process any treatment, she runs tests to make certain every move is the precise move.
“Evidence is everything,” said Torres, who has treated one of the most Philippines’ biggest celebrities throughout the Zen Institute, a medical spa she founded in 2006.
In addition to Torres, Vietura’s staff includes 12 registered nurses, a dietician and an approach to life coach.
Their workplace is a suite of 20 treatment rooms located in a strategic and discreet corner of Manila’s only bayside hotel.
The facility’s position means it is accessed via the back of the valuables — a feature Aleks expects will entice local business.
“It’s a completely private setting so guests is also assured of anonymity,” Aleks said. “That’s a huge deal to a couple people, especially those inside the public eye.”
There is not any common waiting area, either.
When a guest enters, they’re escorted on to a consultation room, where soothing, ambient music is but one component of the consultation experience.
Another is the design itself, which was imagined by Gruppo Espazio, a prolific, Manila-based interior design firm that still conceived the trendy LeSpa at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.
In Vietura, Gruppo Espazio devised an area this is sleek yet natural, thanks largely to warm lighting and a live, vertical garden feature in each consultation room.
“It’s anything but clinical,” Aleks added. “Vie means life and tura means nature. We would have liked to construct off that, and create something people would find calming and cozy and compatible with what Sofitel stands for to boot. i feel we’ve accomplished that.”
Vietura’s launch comes at the heels of another debut at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.
On Nov. 8, the hotel officially reopened Spiral restaurant after a year-long, US $11 million renovation.
The culinary marvel now features 21 dining ateliers helmed by Eric Costille, the regional executive chef for Sofitel Asia-Pacific.
Built in 1976 with input from former President Ferdinand Marcos and primary Lady Imelda, Sofitel Philippine Plaza has long been the address of choice for guests of the country’s capital.
The only 5-star hotel with a resort setting in Manila is adjacent to the enduring Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and within quarter-hour of the international airport, Mall of Asia and historic Spanish walled city of Intramuros.
At 609 rooms, the valuables is the most important in Sofitel’s portfolio and, in true Sofitel spirit, exudes a mix of French savoir faire and authentic local touches.