By EJ Dominic Fernandez
More and more massage parlors are sprouting up in Davao City, most of them offering Thai, Swiss, or many other foreign
massage techniques.
“Hilot,” an authentic traditional Filipino massage technique, is rarely found in these massage parlors.
“It is time for Filipinos to believe in something that’s our own,” said Gerry Sy, owner of the Shui Hilot Naturopathy Cure Spa, which opened barely three weeks ago on the second floor of the Matina Town Square.
His massage parlor offers the ‘real deal’ as far as “hilot” is concerned.
Those who have tried the “hilot” massage technique, know that it is not the simple massage you get from the usual spa. With this massage technique, they have to undergo excruciating pain from the deep, long strokes delivered by the masseur before they experience the rejuvenating feeling of health and wellness.
This is the kind of service that Sy’s spa offers. And more. Which is why customers of his massage parlor say “Saruy” after every session. This term is a combination of the words “sarap” or “it feels good” and “aruy” a Filipino expression when one feels pain.
He advocates “Hilot” to become a mainstream massage technique among Filipino clients and for it to have a more standardized definition.
Another advocacy that he has is to give back to the deaf-mute community by hiring these persons with disability (PWDs) in his spa here.
He also has Hilot Spas in Makati, Libis, Quezon City, and Puerto Princessa City, Palawan, but only he hires deaf-mutes in Davao City.
“Hilot” is actually a traditional healing method practiced by our ancestors since 2000 years ago. Gerry Sy and his organization have travelled all over the Philippines to acquire skills and techniques from different “manghihilot” of every region.
“Manghihilot” the traditional term for masseurs using this technique, looks for the “panuhot” in a patient. “Panuhot” is a Filipino term for irregularities in the human circulatory system.
Gerry Sy and his organization partnered with the Department of Health to have a more standardized definition for this term, since there are some non-believers of “panuhot” and “hilot.”
He said that “panuhot” is actually lactic acid that develops in the circulatory system of the body due to lack of activities and exercise.
The body is made up of 70 percent water, and it will undergo a state of shock when it enters a cold atmosphere from a warm one, which in turn develops lactic acid in the body system, or in the colloquial term, “panuhot.”
“Hilot” in the old days was passed down from a patriarch to his eldest son from generation to generation, but today it can be learned, Gerry Sy said.
The “manghihilot” in his spa will first scan the customers back three times.
The first scan is to dteremine the temperature of the body.
The second scan determines which part s are too warm or too cold. Too warm means the area lacks blood circulation while too cold means the energy in that area is blocked.
The third scan is to check for “panuhot,” and if there are irregularities in the bone formation of the body.
Therapy would then be formulated, especially for the condition of the patient as determined by the scan.
After the session, clients are diagnosed to determine what is the ailment or sickness the patient is facing, and how these problems can be cured.
“More than relaxing, it is healing, and that is the Filipino hilot,” Sy said.
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