Sep
26
Traditional Hiliot at Modern Spa
September 26, 2007 | |
Spa business now a day’s are booming in the health and wellness industry. Most of the Spa and Health Club are offering different modalities of bringing optimum Health to their clients. Most of them offer techniques that come worldwide. It is very common to have a relaxing Swedish massage, Reflexology, or Shiatsu Treatment at the Spa. And to think of, each country worldwide has a signature massage of thier own.
America developed massage treatment by a Swedish gymnast Pehr Heinrik Ling and was known as Swedish Massage. An EENT Doctor named Dr. William Fitzgerald together with Eunice Ingham developed a system called Zone Therapy which later know as Reflexology Massage. Indian’s are well known in Ayurveda. Japan has its Shiatsu. China for Tuina and Thailand for Thai Massage.
Filipino’s are well known for their rich culture and tradition. But today in modern Spa’ Business and industry, the modality of ancient Filipino healing arts are Left behind.
The Department of Health with the Help of Department of Tourism now promoted the Spa Tourism and Medical Tourism- that make Spa’ owners and Association offer Filipino inspired treatment and a sort of reintroduction to the ancient art of Filipino Traditional MaSSAge which is known as "Hilot’.
What is Hilot by the way? Hilot, the Filipino healing arts, are the oldest
and the most secret arts in the Philippines
Most Hilot in the Philippinesare either learned from relatives, through hands on practice, or inherited from
their forfeathers, passing the arts from one generation to the next.
Anywhere
you visit in the Philippines,
most Filipinos are exposed to the curative value of Hilot. The art survives
through family interation, relatives, and friends. Hilot apprenticeship is
taken seriously by the young "hilot" to absorb as much of the
knowledge as possible from his/her "Hilot Priestess."
Hilot is a word from the Tagalog dialect meaning
massage rubbing or touch with caress. There are many words used to refer to the
healer(or Hilot). From the Tagalog region there is "Hilot,"
"Manghihilot," "Hagod," "Manghahagod,"
"Haplos," "Albolary," and "Magagamot." Also there
is "Aplos" in Bontoc region, "Unar" in the Kalinga Apayao
region, "Aptus" in the Ibatan region, "Ilot" or
"Ilut" in the Ibanag, Isneg, Ilocano, Itawis, Zambal and Pampango
region. Then there is "Ablon" in the Northern Ilocano region,
"Kemkem" in Pangasinan region, "Elot" in the Ilonggo
region, "Agud" or "Agod" in the Mindanao and Maranao region, and "Hagod" in Bukidnon region.
So what happen if you visit a Hilot therapist?
As we have said, Hilot Massage is a Filipino Traditional Massage. When you first visit a Hilot therapist, the therapist will conduct a Guest Consultation which is asking you basic information that makes you come for a treatment. The therapist will ask you your concern regarding the session and also you health complaint.
The during the consultation, the therapist might offer you a herbal tea which is good to drink as a preparatory for the Hilot Ritual.
After the Guest consultation, the Hilot will make an invocation prayer then after ward will do the pagpupulso. A seires of light and deep touching your wrist to detect any imbalances in your system.
Then after the Pulso, there come a ritual called "LUOP". Luop is a mean where a piece of paper will be burned on a dish plate to determine the cause of imbalance. Luop is a form of divinition whereas the therapist will apply only when the Pagpupulso will not give a clear sign.
Hilot therapsit that illness does not only come because of physical means, the hilot therapist also consider emotional, social and even spiritual cause of an illness. That is why Luop Ritual is part of the Hilot Therapy Session.
After the Luop comes "SALA". Sala is passing of banana leaves to the body to determine the hot and cold spot. When detected, hilot therapy will be administered and focus on the spot where the sala detected.
After the Massage , sala will be done again if there are left-out residue of negative energy.
The whole process from the start upto the end will give the client a self renewing and spiritual journey by improving their health and wellness.
I my self, as an Alternative Medicine Practitioner do believe that the Therapist bridges individual to their Optimum Health to great Wealth.
