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The number already shows the business potential of the spa and massage centers, a sector once considered as something meant only for the privileged few.
There are more than 200 spa centers in Cebu registered at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial office, according to Johnie Lim, president of Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu, Inc. (SWAC).
?That alone tells you that many want to join in the business especially that there is a change in the mindset of people. Getting a massage is not anymore viewed as a luxury, but rather, a necessity,? said Lim, founder of massage chain, Body and Sole Franchise Corp.
Lim said spa and massage centers mushroomed in Cebu in 2005 due to heightened awareness on alternative and preventive medicine.
A massage center can be seen in every corner, offering rates that are unimaginable five years back. Who would have thought that at P250, one can get an hour-long body massage? Some massage centers even offer lower rates.
?Makakita gyud ka nga daghan kaayo mangabli bisan asa lang (You can see that many spa centers would open just about anywhere). Some can even open their spas in a week's time,? Lim said.
But this was not the scenario in 2002 when massage centers had two reputations: a front for prostitution or a place where the rich people could unwind and relax.
Some establishments had masseuses in skimpy shorts and long, nail-polished fingernails. Their massage service was only second to prostitution, said Lim.
For those who could afford, they went to a massage center located in a Cebu hotel. But the rates were so high.
Need
To erase the ?prostitution image? of massage centers and to offer affordable rates, Lim decided to put up his own spa.
?I was a manufacturing employee at that time and since I cannot afford expensive massage, I just pay additional P100 to my barber (for a massage),? said Lim, who used to work for a Korean company that manufactures stuffed toys.
His travels to countries such as Thailand and Japan exposed him to the spa industry tagged by most business gurus as the ?thing of the future.?
Lim started to attend workshops and training on massage and spa to prepare him for the venture. He raised P200,000 from his savings and loans, which he used to put up his first spa in a 50-square meter space inside Rain Tree Mall along F. Ramos Street in 2003.
The spa initially offered three services ? body massage, foot spa and facial scrub with prices ranging from P150 to P250.
?It was so affordable and patronized by many people that I was able to expand to 150 square meters in two months. Inquiries for franchising also came.?
Today, there are 53 branches of Body and Sole nationwide. Only three are owned by Lim and the rest are franchised.
Challenges
While entrepreneurs like Lim prepared themselves before putting up a spa, others joined the bandwagon for the mere purpose of profit, said Cathy Turvill, president of the Spa Association of the Philippines (Sapi).
The haphazard decision resulted in various issues such as lack of quality massage, untrained or less trained therapists, lack of regulation and pirating of masseuses and therapists.
?Because of lack of training, you have therapists who just press anywhere without even knowing that a bad massage is fatal,? said Turvill, co-owner of Nurture Spa Village in Tagaytay City.
Edward Mendez, Sapi director for the Visayas and Mindanao, said therapists should be trained for at least three months to be able to do their massage well.
Aside from using the necessary essential oils which provide therapeutic effects to clients, he said therapists should also study physiology and anatomy.
Mendez, co-owner of the newly-opened Langkawi Discovery Spa, said these subject areas allow therapists to understand better how the body functions and how applying pressure to certain areas affects the organs.
Professionalizing the spa sector in Cebu is another challenge of the local players, said Lim.
The Department of Health (DOH) has not approved the request of SWAC to hold licensure examinations for therapists in Cebu.
?A spa can only be accredited by the Department of Tourism if it it has a licensed therapist. The ratio is one license therapist to 20 therapists,? he said.
The presence of licensed therapist will build up the image of a spa center and will strengthen its image as a trusted and well-managed business.
But Lim said it is expensive to bring therapists to Manila for review and training.
To make matters worst, some therapists sent there for training are pirated by spas in Manila.
Others leave for abroad after passing the test.
Lim said some businessmen find it easier to pirate the therapists of a competing spa than invest on training.
But the strategy often backfires.
?When the therapists resign, what they do is to pirate some more. This is why it is important that the owner should know the basics. He or she should know how to massage so he can train,? he said.
Massage centers, which offer ?extra service,? also hurt the reputation of those that operate legitimate business.
Lim said some clients ask if SWAC can regulate such centers. But they prefer that the government should regulate these centers, he added.
Despite the challenges, Turvill said the spa business will survive especially that people are more health-conscious.
?Spa is part of the beauty industry and as noted by Dr. Ned Roberto of AIM (Asian Institute of Management). Apart from beer, the beauty industry is recession-proof because during difficult times, people want to feel good,? she said.
But does this concept applicable for a price-sensitive market like the Cebuanos? Is growth still expected for the industry?
(Tomorrow: The future of spa and wellness)
