Nestled in a hilly and forested area near the sea, this newest attraction in Batangas, which opened early this year, offers facilities and services, including a kawa warm bath, Vichy shower and ice plunge, that “let wellness become you.”
By ALEX Y. VERGARA
Nawa, an ancient Filipino word that means a wish or fervent hope for things to get better, is what propels people behind Nawa Wellness, a secluded resort and sanctuary in Calatagan, Batangas, to give their best in the hopes of bringing each guest to achieving his or her health, wellness and even beauty goals.
One of its taglines, “let wellness become you,” says Nawa Wellness operations manager Tanya Deldar, is deeply rooted in the word nawa, which is a desire “for all beings to thrive.”
“We’re more than just a resort,” Tanya adds. Nawa Wellness envisions itself as a place for guests to either start or continue with their wellness journey “where you can experience healing and rejuvenation through the marriage of traditional and modern techniques.”
And these techniques include such therapies as traditional and conventional massages by trained therapists, warm kawa (giant vat) baths infused with coconut milk, honey and flowers, downtime in a Himalayan salt room and a Vichy shower.
The latter combines varying water temperature and pressure to induce relaxation, while the former allows you to spend some time in solitude or with a companion, and imbibe the healing aura of authentic Himalayan salt. But for the ultimate jolt, you can plunge into one of Nawa Wellness’ two bathtubs and get an immunity-boosting ice bath. Brrr!
Seasoned fitness and yoga practitioners also conduct scheduled activities like yoga, shamanic breathwork, aqua Zumba and Mandala flower arrangement.
The latter, which is far from strenuous, is an ideal form of therapy designed to relax the mind and senses while encouraging self-expression and connecting with others. It also provides individuals with an ideal platform to share with other participants a side of themselves as reflected in their individual flower arrangements floating on water.
Holistic health, after all, is achieved not only through physical exercise and diet, but also in the connections one forges with other human beings. As highly social animals, people have a need to connect, to be heard and to be understood by others. At Nawa Wellness, this vital need is never underestimated.
“Magandang araw!”
At Nawa Wellness, the staff, often with their hands clasped as if in prayer, greet guests with a warm “magandang araw” (Good day.) regardless of the time. It took us a while during our recent three-day stay to understand why.
A member of the Araw Hospitality Group under businessman Jean Henri Lhuillier, Nawa Wellness sits on a hilly, forested 17-hectare property in Barangay Bagong Silang. On good days, the place can be reached in just a little over three hours by car from Metro Manila.
Only seven hectares have been developed so far, leaving Lhuillier and his managers plenty of room, literally, to add to the property’s existing structures and attractions, which include several thematic villas grouped under such names as Zambales, Escolta, Ilocos, Malay and the top-of-the-line Araw Villa. One would also find a restaurant, semi-outdoor gym, swimming pool and satellite bar.
Designed differently from one another and following a theme that mirrors the name it carries, each cluster of villas, 24 villas in total, also offers visitors a virtual tour of the Philippines.
While the building housing Escolta, for instance, harks back to Old Manila by virtue of its late 19th century-inspired architecture and interiors, including framed photographs of bygone street scenes and old houses, the more rustic Malay, which is inspired by the Boracay of yore, is composed of a row of separate air-conditioned and triangular-shaped villas with thatched walls that double as roofs.
“Each villa can accommodate two people, but we have a number of villas (grouped under Ilocos and Malay) that can accommodate as many as four,” says Tanya.
Since Filipinos love to travel in big groups, they can also opt to book an entire cluster of adjacent villas like, say, Zambales, Amadeo or Escolta. Nawa Wellness also encourages them to bring their pets [for a fee], and enjoy the pet’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, pet bed and poop scooper.
Uphill and downhill
Owing to Nawa Wellness’ uneven topography, its designers have grouped the villas and other public areas like Malabon, which hosts a number of rooms and also doubles as the receiving area, Dalisay, the resort’s all-day dining restaurant and several massage huts, uphill.
“We only have one restaurant,” says Tanya. “We understand that the Dalisay’s limited sitting may not be enough whenever we are fully booked, but not to worry.”
Executive chef Ronnie Requino, a veteran in the hospitality industry who has worked with some of the biggest hotels and resorts here and abroad, and his team are ready to set up at a moment’s notice at one of the resort’s many gazebos. For her part, Tanya, also a seasoned hotelier with overseas experience, and her staff plan to schedule lunch and dinner in batches should they find themselves attending to a full house.
“Of course, food is an important part of a person’s wellness journey,” she says. “And guests here aren’t necessarily confined to vegan or vegetarian food. At Nawa, we give them a variety of options.” These options include meat and seafood dishes rich in protein and paired with organic ingredients. Instead of using, say, a wee bit of salt, dishes are seasoned with natural herbs and spices to enhance their flavor. But for purists and those with other health issues, Dalisay also offers a full-vegan, pescetarian and gluten-free menu.
Majority of the recreational facilities, including a swimming pool, outdoor gym, kawa baths, apothecary and satellite bar dubbed the Tiki, are located downhill. Both upper and lower elevations are connected by a series of concrete stairs and sloping walkways that can pose certain challenges for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Rather than carve out and flatten the area, and destroying decades-old trees in the process, they decided to work around it, which explains the place’s hilly, uneven terrain. But Tanya and her team have hosted elderly guests who didn’t seem to mind.
“We had an 80-year-old guest, a former athlete, who was quite fit for his age,” she says. “He was able to climb up and down the stairs without a hitch.”
But guests with mobility challenges need not miss out on all the fun. The massage huts, for instance, are located on the same level where the villas are. They may also avail of massage service without leaving their rooms. By giving the front desk a call or telling their assigned butlers. But, yes, it can be quite challenging for certain groups of people to fully access all the facilities and attractions available to them.
Coconut oil, honey and flowers
One of Nawa Wellness’ featured attractions that sets it apart from most other resorts in the area is its kawa warm bath section, which we got to try. In lieu of wood-fired metal vats, it uses oversized concrete vats that double as receptacles of warm running water. Each vat can accommodate as many as three people. “We can’t fire up the vats with firewood underneath just like that because the nipa roofing and the area’s entire forest cover might catch fire,” Tanya explains.
Once filled with warm water, the vats are infused with coconut oil, honey and petals of bougainvillea and calachuchi, which are said to smoothen and refresh the skin. Not too hot and not too cool, the warm water coming from the faucet and into the vat is enough to keep guests happy for the next 45 minutes. An assigned butler attends to each group of guests, even serving them drinks while they luxuriate in a bath like no other.
For those who want to awaken their senses and, according to certain research, boost their immunity, Nawa Wellness has two bathtubs also within the recreational area that can be filled with cold water and ice cubes. There, guests who are brave enough can plunge themselves for 10 minutes or so and avail of the ice bath’s immune-boosting action.
“By the third quarter of the year, we plan to introduce a traditional-inspired package called ‘Gayuma’ (potion),” says Tanya with a smile. “No, it’s not what you think. It’s not a love potion but a package of healthy food and herbs. We will also be opening the place to more nutritional retreats with an assigned resident nutritionist to curate special menus for you.”
On the medical side, to make the experience a truly holistic one for guests, Tanya and her team hope to bring on board doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine within the year.
But what about a person’s spiritual needs? The place, it seems, has got it all covered. Although God, as they often say, is everywhere, some people are wont to commune with the divine in a quiet place consecrated for worship. For such a purpose, Nawa Wellness built a Catholic chapel on top of a hill that requires one to climb 250 steps to access it. Beside it is a pair of pickleball courts for those who want to continue to sweat it out.
From a series of vantage points, one could take in views of the entire property below, forested in most parts, and the sea beyond. Although visitors to the place are sure to be awed by the charms of nippy and at times foggy Tagaytay along the way, there’s nothing quite like Nawa Wellness to lure them to drive a tad further to experience this slice of Eden in Calatagan.
Call 0917-1408802 or visit http://www.nawawellness.com to know more.
