Photo courtesy of lightstalkers.org
Imagine, you’re in one of our 1701 tropical islands…What comes to mind?
…the warm sun, turquoise water, thirst quenching coconut juice, and a relaxing massage…
Isn’t it amazing that we have something more to offer than the usual Balinese, Swedish, Shiatsu and Thai massages?
Ladies and gentlemen, pave the way for ‘Hilot' (hee-lot) massage. This type of deep tissue massage dates back to pre-colonial Philippines. Nowadays, you can easily find this type of massage in any spa in the country but not everyone is aware that it has a very humble beginning.
Hilot is in fact more to healing than relaxing and its roots can be found in the rural communities. ‘Manghihilot’ (the massage therapist) is intuitive and a chiropractor of sort. Unlike other treatments, the manghihilot first takes your pulse and identifies the areas that need to be rubbed/massaged. The manghihilot can be classified into four types. First, there’s the comadrona who is an expert in post-natal massage; the hilot, who is a bone setter; the acupressurist who aligns ugat (nerves) and balance electrical energy into the body; the reflexologist, who drains excess energy; and the herbalist, who uses herbs in healing.
A visit to our country is incomplete if you’ll skip this treatment. Experience our ancient healing tradition through hilot.
-r-
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