Classification rating for spas pushed

CEBU, Philippines - To professionalize and raise the bar of Cebu’s positioning as health and wellness destination, the government should implement a classification rating for spa centers.

Johnny Siao, the proprietor of Spa Banilad Corporation, the operator of Spa At Cebu chain, said that there is a need for Cebu to climb to the higher level in providing the “real” spa services, and that classification or ranking should be given by the government, in order not to jeopardize the spa centers that offer the “real” spa experience, from those that merely offer a massage.

Siao, who pioneered the introduction of real Spa service in Cebu in 1998, said that the market now is flooded with a lot of spa centers, and that some only provide half-baked spa experience that somehow does not bring good impression to customers, most importantly the visitors.

Despite the tougher competition in the wellness industry in Cebu, particularly in Spa centers, Siao’s Spa at Cebu brand has been able to grow, now operating five outlets located at Banilad, Ayala Center Cebu, City Sports Club, Radisson Blu Hotel, and recently opened a new 15-room outlet at J Mall shopping center in Mandaue City.

Investing into a real spa business, he said require big investments. Providing good and well-trained therapists is not enough, but the most important thing is to give a total wellness ambiance of the Spa center. Cleanliness, sanitary requirement should be strictly imposed, specifically in required necessities such as towels, bed sheets, among others.

The Spa at Cebu chain is now maintaining over a hundred therapists, most of them are trained in China, Thailand, and Bali in Indonesia.

“Everybody uses the name Spa. We should protect its name,” he said adding that in Cebu where it is pursuing a bid to be a preferred destination for health and wellness, proper classification of Spa centers is needed.

Siao, who also sits as the board member of the Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu (SWAC) said that if the Spa and wellness industry will not be properly organized and offering of services will continue to be dispersed, it may give wrong impressions to foreigners, of the kind of spa service Cebu is offering.

Because of the competition, some Spa joints are cutting down their prices, even to the most “impossible” rates, Siao said. Because of this, services is being compromised, and the total meaning of a Spa experience is not there anymore, thus pulling down the positioning of Cebu to attract more wellness and spa buff from all over the world.

He further explained that a Spa Center, is entirely different from a massage parlor. However, this time because of the popularity of the “Spa” service, everybody is using it, regardless of the quality they offer.

A spa center, provides a holistic approach to wellness, he said. “It’s not just relieving stress physically, but it will also give relaxed environment to calm the mind. Now, this is the real spa experience, it’s not just purely massage.”

Because of this confusion, there is a need for the government to start off with the service standard monitoring, or ranking accreditation, just like the hotel and resort establishments—they are classified through their rating from three star to even six-star, Siao said.

Uplifting the quality of Spa service, and facilities will help put Cebu in the top list of few Health and Wellness destinations not only in Asia, but in the world, Siao emphasized.

This move can be jointly implemented by the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as well as the Department of Tourism (DOT).