Home 
Health and wellness experts are organizing a show to promote Cebu as a medical tourism destination and help boost the industry, which has been affected by the global economic crisis.
Johnie Lim, president of the Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu (SWAC), says this year's Beauty, Health and Wellness show will highlight the ability of Cebu's medical facilities to handle procedures geared towards foreign patients.
?A lot of Cebuanos don't know that we are already equipped with these facilities in Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu Doctors Hospital and Perpetual Succor Hospital which are already offering procedures like heart transplants. So we are doing the forum to make it known to all,? he said.
According to Lim, Cebu is ready to cater to tourists who come to Cebu for dental and medical procedures.
?Even the LASIK eye treatment is already popular here in Cebu,? he said.
Aside from the medical procedures, Lim said the Filipino ?hilot? massage is slowly becoming popular in Cebu.
Lim, who owns the Alibyo spa, said he has many foreign clients like Japanese and Koreans who want to experience hilot.
?We have been discussing with the SWAC members to really popularize hilot and as their president I have [taken a] risk by putting up Alibyo which offers Filipino massage hilot as the main service,? he said.
Lim said the push to make hilot a strong brand in Cebu's spa industry came amid the closure of at least 32 percent of the group?s spa operators because of the global economic crisis.
?The crisis has really affected our sales by 30 to 40 percent and has affected especially the small industry players in Cebu,? Lim said.
Lim said there are only 30 active members left of the 45 spa operators.
Cebu's spa operators are greatly dependent on tourists , and have seen sales decrease as fewer tourists have come to Cebu from May onwards.
?The spas are still operating are the serious players willing to lose some [money] because we don't want to lose the growing impression that we have been trying to build for [the] Cebu spa industry especially the hilot brand, ? he said.
Lim also criticized the sudden rise of ?linggam? massage operators in Cebu.
?I think there are three massage outlets now offering linggam,? he said.
Lim said linggam is a massage service from Malaysia that focuses on the scrotum in order to arouse male clients.
SWAC members are discussing how to address this because linggam operators are not their members.
The service is something that could destroy the good reputation of Cebu spas, he said, and goes against the SWAC's goal of setting high standards for spa operators here in Cebu including the elimination of indecent practices.
?I even asked DTI regional director Nelia Navarro how come ?the massage outlet? was allowed to use the name and offer the service. For me having that name is somewhat also saying that they are not serious spa operators and that they are only making use of the popularity of spas here in Cebu,? said Lim.
He also urged the Cebu City anti-indecency board to ?check out these operators because they are destroying everything the group has worked for.?
?Over the years we have successfully eradicated the negative impression about spa operations here in Cebu and now these operators are here offering such service which will again put the spa industry back to how it was perceived before, ? he said.
On the health and wellness show, Joseph Nelson Bascones, overall chairperson, said that more exhibitors were expected to join them this year such as Nuga Best, Restorun, Alibyo, Fitness First, Mary Kay, Waterfront Citigym, Prana, and Chi Spa.
?We are expecting 60 to 70 exhibitors this year to join the show and we expect this to be one of a kind,? said Bascones.
Aside from the medical forum, there will be a whole-day hilot workshop facilitated by Lim, a beauty forum to discuss the latest in beauty technologies, a dance sport competition and Rock and Run, a fun run with rock music and partying.
The Health and Wellness Show 2009 show will run from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8 at the Ayala Center Cebu.
