THE JAGUAR OF MASSAGE CHAIRS. The Osim uPilot, which takes massage therapy to the next level with the state-of-the-art ROBO-Stic, a joystick-like lever that gives the owner full control over the massage.

WE used to manage stress by sleeping it off or taking a minibreak, say, a weekend off to Tagaytay. That may have been good enough to recharge ourselves physically and mentally back when life was a little slower and a lot kinder. But life as our parents knew it—or even as we knew it a mere decade before—is no more. The advances in modern consumer technology—those cool hi-tech gadgets that are supposed to streamline our lives and make the day-to-day living easier—have done little to stave off the increasing amount of stress that weighs us down on a daily basis, as a volatile global economy leaves in its wake a work force scrambling and multitasking to near breaking point to stay competitive.

According to the web site stressdirections.com, stress is a global phenomenon—and its impact is staggering: In the US, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are dedicated to studying stress. They’ve found:

§          Stress is linked to physical and mental health, as well as decreased willingness to take on new and creative endeavors.

§          Job burnout experienced by 25 percent to 40 percent of US workers is blamed on stress.

§          More than ever before, employee stress is being recognized as a major drain on corporate productivity and competitiveness.

§          Depression, only one type of stress reaction, is predicted to be the leading occupational disease of the 21st century, responsible for more days lost than any other single factor.

§          $300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the US on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses (nearly 50 percent higher for workers who report stress), and employee turnover.

Small wonder then that the wellness and health industries are among the few growth industries in the current volatile global economy. Men and women are retreating to spas and massage clinics, and popping vitamin supplements and homeopathic alternatives in a valiant struggle to keep themselves from being consumed by their increasingly stressful lives.

EYE CANDY MEET S BLISS. JV Borromeo, the vice president of the Borromeo Group of Cos., which is the master franchisee of Osim in the Philippines. --PHOTO BY RHOY COBILLA

Small wonder, too, that JV Borromeo, the sports-driven and utterly delicious-looking vice president of the Borromeo Group of Companies (BGC), is looking upbeat. Not only does the company own the local GNC (General Nutrition Center, a global hub for health and wellness products and sports nutrition) franchise, with some 40-plus stores operating throughout the country, but also is the master franchisee in the Philippines of the global healthy lifestyle brand Osim. It has stores in Alabang Town Center, Greenhills Parklane, Rustan’s Department Store Makati, Abea Home Plus in Waltermart Makati, and Shangri-La Plaza, where the flagship store is located. Osim can also be found in the HealthPlus outlets in SM Megamall, SM Cebu, The Podium, Bonifacio High Street and SM Baguio. There is also a smaller Osim store in SM Mall of Asia, which carries the brand’s hand-held massagers and small-ticket items that promise relief to tired bodies.

According to Borromeo, the prevailing social and economic conditions are ideal to bring the Osim brand to widespread awareness around these parts. “People are facing increasingly stressful situations in their daily lives, particularly in the workplace. And with the cost of hospitalization and health insurance continuously rising, they are actively looking for ways to either regain their health or stay healthy. Prevention remains to be much better than cure.”

And one of the preventive measures against the ravages of everyday stress is a souped-up, thoroughly luxurious massage chair. Meet the Osim uPilot, which was introduced in the market recently and takes massage therapy to the next level with the state-of-the-art ROBO-Stic, a joystick-like lever that gives the owner full control over the massage. It allows the user to effortlessly position the massage rollers exactly at the desired spots, with the desired intensity, speed and action. Think about it as playing the Nintendo Wii but with plenty more health benefits than a Wii, workout.

“Nobody knows your body like you do, which is why the Osim uPilot allows you to personalize your own massages with the ROBO-Stic, making customized de-stressing at home possible,” said Borromeo. “Design your own signature massage in the intensity, speed and action of your choice at your desired position. Record your preference into the uPilot’s memory bank and replay it as often as you like.”

How cool is that, right?

Still, you have to ask: with spas and massage clinics having sprouted all over the metropolis like mushrooms after a spring rain, why not just go get yourself kneaded and twisted to a state of physical and psychic bliss by human hands? Then again, as Borromeo points out, it’s not every day that you have time to make the trip to your friendly neighborhood spa. “And, of course, there are the attendant hassles of going to a spa, like wading through the horrible traffic, finding a parking space and so on. With the Osim uPilot in your home, you can quickly ease yourself into the chair and massage away another stressful day at the office as soon as you come through the front door.”

Ah, bliss....

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