From being a massage spa tucked in a quaint barangay in Tagaytay City, Nurture Wellness Village has turned itself through the years as one of the best destinations for a relaxing and rejuvenating wellness experience.
For more than a decade, Nurture spearheads the promotion of wellness in the country with deep detoxes, spa treatments, alternative medicines and personalized health programs, with its founder and president Cathy Turvill at the helm.
This year, as it welcomes its 17th anniversary, Nurture Wellness Village takes on a bigger role—to introduce what wellness tourism in the Philippines can offer to the international market.
Dubbed as one of the most relaxing spas in Southeast Asia by CNN Travel and a pioneer in Philippine spa and wellness industry, Nurture is taking a step forward wellness with its recent launch of the Wellness Intervention Program.
Turvill says Nurture’s Wellness Intervention Program is its answer to the Department of Health (DOH) and World Health Organization’s (WHO) call to the private and public sector to work together and address the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases or lifestyle diseases that continue to plague the globe.
Based on DOH reports, the prevalence rates of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, kidney failure and obesity have been soaring for years, posing a threat to the socioeconomic status of the country.
Turvill says, “The country ranks very low on health and wellness. We have a young population, but they are not very healthy.” She adds that with sickness comes financial ruin, resulting in resources being allotted for the care of sick rather than education.
“Nurture would like to be part of change,” she says. “Our Wellness Intervention Program works with conventional medicine to prevent and address chronic diseases.”
Turvill introduces the incorporation of lifestyle medicine awareness, through personalized programs that focus on prevention, recovery and rejuvenation.
Led by Dr. Sam Dizon, a known expert in natural medicine with more than 20 years of practice, the Wellness Intervention Program has different packages which cater to the wellness needs covering kidney health, diabetes prevention, healthy heart, and immune boost and transformation programs.
Complete with services that are holistic and evidence-based, Turvill says the program includes executive checkups, diagnostics tests, computerized health scans, healthy juice preparations, healthy cooking classes, fitness and exercises, detoxification and immune-boosting therapies, as well as yoga and tai chi gong sessions.
With packages offered to the international market, Turvill stresses that Nurture hopes to introduce Filipino hospitality, coupled with quality wellness care and services, as a key boosting factor for tourism.
Tourism Assistant Secretary and Director for Medical Travel and Medical Tourism Roberto Alabado III, who dubbed Turvill as the “champion for the wellness tourism industry,” says that Nurture’s efforts are leading the country to become a known wellness destination.
“We are looking at medical tourism and wellness as one of the key products we have in the Philippines,” he says.
Alabado adds that the trademark Filipino hospitality is known to the world; one of the best assets of tourism.
“When we take care of our tourists, we nurture them. We don’t treat them as guests. Most of the time, we treat them like family. Sometimes, it’s not the destination, but the experience of being well taken care of,” he says.
Aside from the Wellness Intervention Program, Nurture also offers holistic weight loss and detox program, and holistic health services for guests who are looking for a relaxing weekend treat.
The village offers wellness activities all day and amenities that are enriching to both body and mind.
To start off one’s stay, guests can avail themselves of free tai chi class to release negativities and boost happy hormones. Throughout the day, they can also avail themselves of massages, coffee-roasting demo, healthy cooking classes, healthy juice demos or have a farm tour.
Nurture also has glamping sites and Filipino-themed garden and forest view rooms to choose from.