The cool scent of peppermint is what first greets visitors to Lifestyles Spa for Men and Women. "It's a way to attract customers and keep new ones curious about our place," says Raul Asuncion, one of four owners of the spa.
Located smack in the middle of Quezon City, a residential suburb of Metro Manila, the waft of peppermint is about all that distinguishes the building - a converted three-storey townhouse - from all the others around it. "We are trying to cash in on the so-called 'neighbourhood concept'," says Asuncion. "Nobody else has thought of that yet," he says.
Asuncion points out that it is not just the wealthy who like to pamper themselves; many middle-income people also like to treat themselves to a spa. It's just that they can't afford to.
This is where Lifestyles comes in. From a low of US$7, customers can indulge in one of Lifestyles offers: hair care, a facial or hand-and-herbal massages. Asuncion says prices are kept low because the partners are able to save on certain costs. In fact, one of the founding partners, Gina Paez de Villa who works for an airline company, buys all the supplies and equipment while she is travelling and her husband delivers them to the business via his forwarding company. This translates into enormous cost saving, says Asuncion.
Asuncion's wife, Cherry, and de Villa's younger sister and former Philippine beauty queen, Sara Santiago, are also partners in Lifestyles, which was set up in July 2000 with startup capital of 3 million pesos (US$59,000).
The low-price-homey-atmosphere formula has paid off. Lifestyles has been self-sustaining since its second month of operation and in the next two years, the four partners expect to recover their entire investment.
"We still haven't reaped yet the fruits of our labour... but we expect to recover all of our initial investment within three years," says Asuncion, who also manages his own real estate-broking firm.
On peak days, the spa's 15 therapists serve as many as 40 clients. The spa is sometimes so busy customers are turned away. But Asuncion says it wasn't always smooth sailing for the business. First the partners had to deal with the fact that many Filipino men assumed the spa was a brothel. "It was really tough. Guys would visit and ask for pretty girls."
Asuncion says he and the other partners were keen for the spa to present a wholesome and relaxing image, so they built partitions separating the male and female facilities. Couples wishing to have massages together, however, can use the same room.
Also, male clients are asked to cover up. "There are some foreigners, like the Europeans and Koreans, who prefer to wear hardly anything. But we ask them to wear shorts or robes," Asuncion says.
The clean, wholesome image appears to be working - Lifestyles is soon to open another branch in Tagaytay in the province of Cavite, south of Metro Manila.
The spa business is an emerging industry in the Philippines, says Cesar Tolentino, an economist at Manila's University of Asia and the Pacific. "We're not as stressed as our Asian counterparts, like the people in Hong Kong or Singapore, but more and more Filipinos are realising the benefits of attending stress-relieving centres or spas." Tolentino says. "Sooner or later, everyone will offer the same service and perhaps the same fee. What will make one different from the rest is how personalised one's service would be."
Lifestyles Spa for Men and Women
Corner of Malamig and Matahimik streets
UP Village, Diliman
Quezon City, Philippines
Tel: (63-2) 434-7627
Fax: (63-2) 928-2223