Touch of Wellness opens new clinic at Gaisano South

Touch of Wellness last week opened its third massage clinic at the Mezzanine ground floor of the Gaisano South Citimall Ilustre.

The massage clinic operates daily from 9 a.m to 11 p.m with at least 15 well-trained blind masseurs and masseuses.

It offers comforting services at the great pleasure of the clientele that includes scientific therapeutic refloxology, shiatsu and sweedish rubdown.

“The customers can avail a lot from our services as it could help proper blood circulation, disappear stress and slow down the aging process,” said Leonie Español, 41, one of the blind masseuses in the clinic.

Therapeutic massage is defined as the manipulation of the soft tissue of the body, done with knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology of the structures, applied in a scientific, non sexual manner for therapeutic results, according to internet posting.

Shiatsu is a form of Japanese massage that uses thumb pressure and works along the same energy meridians as acupressure and incorporates stretching while sweedish massage utilizes long, flowing strokes, often but not necessarily in the direction of the heart and it has shown to be helpful in reducing pain, joint stiffness, and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee over a period of eight weeks.

A session of one hour whole body massage, a combination of all types, is only pegged at P180 while the 30-minute half body cost P90.

The 8-bed hygienic massage clinic is fully air-conditioned with relaxing instrumental music continuously playing.

At the present, the massage clinic has an average of eight clients, mostly Chinese, per day.

“We still need to promote and market by informing the people that we have already a massage clinic here in Gaisano South (Citimall), “said Touch of Wellness project director Riza Español.

Touch of Wellness is managed by United Blind Masseurs Associate Cooperative (UBMA), formed by 13 blind masseurs including Leonie and Riza with the help of Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in 2004.

Currently, UBMA has a total of 39 incorporators.

Few months later following the formation of UMBA, the Touch of Wellness was established with the “grant money” of P169, 000 from the Department of Labor (Dole).

In the same year, Touch of Wellness opened its first two massage clinics at NCCC Mall and KCCC Mall in General Santos City in that order.