Body Tune SM Southmall

On Saturday I had the luxury to try the Balinese massage at the Body Tune in SM Southmall, Las Piñas. It’s been over a year since I had my last body massage. And if not for the tremendous stress and backaches I was experiencing for the previous weeks, I would have probably forgotten that my body also needs some pampering.

It was my first time with Body Tune. I usually had my massage at Cosmedic in Trinoma. But ever since our move to Las Piñas I rarely have the opportunity to go to Trinoma. In fact, I no longer remember the last time I was there. Nevertheless, in my attempt to relax my aching body, I decided to check whatever spa or massage parlors are near the village. Two of those that came up in my Google search were Ton Ton Massage and Body Tune. And because we usually do our grocery at SM Southmall, Body Tune became the most convenient option.

Body Tune is located at the ground level of SM Southmall. As soon as you enter the establishment, you’d be greeted by the ambient interiors and aromatic air. There’s the typical spa music that serves as a background to keep you relaxed. Since I’ve tried Swedish massage many times before I decided to indulge in another type of service – this time the Balinese massage. For PHP 801.00 I got a fully body, 1-hour massage using the anti-stress oil. The other oil options include relaxing oils and muscle pains.

I was led into a dimly-lit room, passing a small, narrow hallway. Personally, I don’t find anything special about the room. In fact, I think theirs is very small that my masseuse has to literally move the bed in the center so she can move around while massaging me. I had more than once heard her banging the walls so she could shift from place to place. The room has a clock and a built-in locker to store your belongings. I was expecting to be given a hanger for my clothes as I changed into a pink robe, but there was none. So I just folded my clothes neatly and placed them inside the locker. The room wasn’t dim enough to encourage me to shut off my eyes. I also find the sliding door with a small gap that you can somehow take a peek at the hallway. But I like the fact that it was quiet. I never heard the other masseuses nonchalantly chatting with each other. I guess it’s because they have a room where they can stay together when they don’t have customers.

In all fairness to my masseuse (name is Kat), she did a good job in softening all my stressed nodules. I just had too much in my upper back…no wonder, I kept complaining about back pains from time to time. As soon as we’re done I checked the clock and I was happy she really exhausted the time. Kat even offered me a glass of hot tea, coffee or juice which I politely declined since my husband and I are going to eat afterwards. I was handed a tray with hot towels and a tip envelope. The service included the use of sauna and shower but I decided to just wipe myself with the hot towel because hubby was sure to complain if it takes me more than an hour (it would mean more waiting for him…lolz). I felt better as if I unloaded a huge baggage off my body.

On a side note, I felt a bit sore the following day. It’s because for someone who doesn’t regularly exercise or go to a massage often I made the mistake of choosing hard massage. Okay I learned that the hard way…it was a stupid mistake. If only I knew about that earlier I should have opted for the gentler type, such as the Swedish massage.

Body Tune offers a handful of massage services, body scrub, body bleaching, hand and foot care, facial treatments, etc. I don’t mind going back but I’d be happy to try Ton Ton Massage next time. Body Tune is found in most SM malls, including:

SM Southmall
Lower Ground Floor
Tel: (02) 800-9038

SM City North Edsa
5th Level, The Block
Tel: (02) 442-0018

SM Megamall
5th Floor Bldg B.
Mandaluyong City
Tel: (02) 634-3082

SM City Fairview
Upper Ground Floor,
Main Building
Tel: (02) 936-5768

SM City Bicutan
2nd Floor Bldg B,
Parañaque City
Tel: (02) 776-5261

SM  City Sucat
3rd Floor Bldg B,
Sucat, Parañaque City
Tel: (02) 788-0677

SM City Marilao
2nd Floor, McArthur Hi-way,
Brgy. Las, Mardao. Bulacan
Tel: (044) 238-8066

SM City Dasmariñas
Upper Ground Level
Tel: (046) 432-3163

SM City Bacoor
Lower Ground FIoor
Bacoor, Cavite City
Tel: (046) 417-2432

SM City Pampanga
2nd Floor Main Mall
Tel: (045) 961-6389

SM Mall of Asia
2nd Floor Main Mall Arcade,
Pasay City
Tel: (02) 556-0086

SM City Batangas
6th Floor
Tel: (043) 783-2476

Market Market
3rd Floor, Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig
Tel: (02) 886-7459

Yesterday I had my follow up check up with my dermatologist regarding the skin rashes that appeared all over my body beginning Monday. On Wednesday I had my initial check up wherein I was prescribed to take Iterax and apply the Petroleum Jelly and Diprolene (Betamethasone) mixture on the red blotches on my skin. True to form, what I was having is Urticaria, which is commonly known as Hives.

Urticaria or Hives

According to the ACAAI (American College & Allergy, Asthma & Immunology), urticaria is a skin condition that affects an estimated 20 percent of the population at one time or another in their lives. It is characterized by itchy, swollen red welts that may last from a few minutes to several hours to several days to several weeks. The inset image is one of the urticaria cases I found on the web which resembles exactly what I experienced beginning Monday.

To be honest, I never had this kind of skin allergy ever since. Although I had eczema which appears whenever I’m stressed or when I eat chocolates urticaria is fairly new to me. The red blotches appeared on my thigh on Monday and in only a matter of hours have quickly spread all over my body.

There are two types of urticaria, such as acute (short-lived) and chronic (long-term). Urticaria is often triggered by allergens, such as insect bites, pollen, pet dander, as well as foods including crab, nuts, eggs, and milk. It may also occur as an allergic reaction to soap, detergent, and makeup. Additionally, emotional stress can maneuver urticaria or hives in other people.

If I am to backtrack the events before I started having the rashes, here’s what I can remember:

• Friday: I ate baby ribs, pasta, and some seafood at T.G.I.Fridays as part of my sister’s birthday celebration.
• Saturday: I had pasta w/asparagus and tacos from The Pancake House.
• Sunday: I had crabs for lunch and grilled fish for dinner

I could say it must be the crab fest I had on a Sunday, but my dermatologist dismissed crabs as the culprit. First, I’ve eaten crabs, shrimps, and other seafood before but I never had any allergic reactions. Second, the allergies occurred the day after, wherein I’ve already eaten other stuff which I don’t have allergies either. My dermatologist concluded that it must be the soap I was using. I was told to switch back to my old Dove soap (extra sensitive). As of today, the hives have somehow disappeared with the help of the medications I was prescribed to take and apply, as well as with the Dove soap I am using. Maybe I should stick to this soap for years or else I’d have those depressing hives once again.

Acute urticaria can last just one day or as long as six weeks, whereas, chronic hives can last for longer than six weeks. I came across a blog wherein the blogger is suffering from urticaria for 10 years already. Not a good lifelong disease, is it? In my case, my personal conclusion is that my urticaria was triggered by stress, over consumption of coffee, sudden and drastic change in diet, and the use of a wrong soap…hahaha. I’d have to say emotional stress accounts for nearly 90% of the circumstances. So I’m promising to myself that I’ll stick to using Dove soap, reduce my coffee intake to one cup per day, and do my best not to worry and over analyze everything

Symptoms of Urticaria

Urticaria starts itching, followed by swollen red welts. The symptoms can appear on any area of the body and often change shape, move around, disappear, and reappear over short periods of time. The bumps—red or skin-colored “wheels” with clear edges—tend to come on suddenly and go away just as fast. To know more about the signs and symptoms of hives, you can visit ACAAI or MedicineNet.com.

Physically, my skin has always been one of my biggest challenges since I was a kid. I would develop certain types of skin allergy that would require me to take or apply specific medication. Sometimes I’d wish I’d have darker skin so that when I have skin allergy it wouldn’t be very visible or that the scar wouldn’t be so devastatingly obvious. At least that’s what I have always thought.

Very recently, several rashes sprung out of nowhere from all over my body – thighs, arms, legs, and neck. I tried taking some pictures of them but my camera doesn’t seem to cooperate. Skin rashes started to come out on my thighs by Monday. I ignored them thinking they might have been caused by the Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Soap I was using. My daughter experienced itchiness when she tried to use the soap earlier; thereby prompting me to switch her back to the white one which she normally use. Came Tuesday, the rashes sort of spread on my thighs and arms. They were not itchy at all. They were just a bunch of red blotches. However, by late afternoon I noticed they have gone on my legs, back, and neck. I started to panic so I decided to have an appointment with my dermatologist the following day.

By Wednesday morning, the rashes have spread, sparing only my face and chest. Thank goodness, they didn’t reach those parts yet. It was more than 3 years since I had my last visit with my dermatologist – Dra. Ma. Victoria Dizon in UST Hospital. She was quite surprised to see me again and asked if I was having the same old problem in my skin. I said it’s different this time and showed her the skin rashes. She asked me what soap I was using. I told her I started using Safeguard soap for the last 3 weeks and also tried Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Soap for a day. Before that I would only use Ivory and Dove. Three years ago she recommended I use Dove extra sensitive after I had eczema appearing on my skin. Anyway, the mere mention of Safeguard took her by surprise. According to her, I made the mistake of using the soap and that I should only be using Dove extra sensitive. I mentioned my eating of crabs on a Sunday and let her know that the rashes started appearing Monday. However, she dismissed that the skin rashes have something to do with the crabs I ate.

I was already about to topple crabs on my favorite food list. But I was relieved when Dra. Dizon told me that they have nothing to do with the skin allergy I was having. It must be the Safeguard soap I was using, saying it’s not a good soap at all. I was prescribed to switch back to Dove extra sensitive. Likewise, I needed to take Iterax tablet 3 times a day for 4 days. Apparently, one of the side effects of Iterax is that it’ll make you feel really sleepy. It somehow worried me because even though I work from home, I work 10 hours a day. Yesterday, I took the tablet and in just 30 minutes I felt the side effect already. In fact, after taking one tablet in the evening I was already in deep slumber just an hour after. I also noticed I was more temperamental – perhaps, another bad side effect for me. On top of that, I need to apply a mixture of Petroleum Jelly and Diprolene (Betamethasone) on the affected areas.

I’m scheduled to have another check up this coming Saturday. I hope that the red rashes will somehow diminish by then. As of today, so far they are under control. And I made sure I bought more than a handful of Dove extra sensitive soap since it’s pretty hard to look for them. I’m hoping against hope that I will be completely free of any skin allergy, because to be honest, I’m fed up of having to constantly apply ointment or cream on parts of my body. But I guess it’s impossible to dream about that since it’s in my genes. I read somewhere that there’s no cure for skin allergies that are already part of your genes. So I guess the only thing I can do is control it.

One of my pet peeves is when I’m feeling something wrong with my body or health. When that happens it’s just so hard to draw a fine line between being worried and being paranoid. A few months ago my eyes started to blur…thanks to Odesk work, my eyes are no longer as good as they used to be. I decided to have my eyes checked in one of the optical centers in SM North EDSA and from there my suspicion was validated. I ended up buying eyeglasses with -50 lens on both eyes. Not contented, I decided to have my eyes checked by a specialist in UST Hospital and true to form, my eyes have been badly affected by too much computer use. Huh, that’s just so great! I was prescribed with vitamins for my eyes and eye drops, which after several weeks I stopped taking and using.

Fast forward to today, just a little over 4 months since my last check up I asked hubby to come with me to get a new eyeglasses because I feel the grade of my eyes just increased. We dropped by at  Ideal Vision in SM North and from there I found out that my left eye is now at -100 and my right is at -75. Wow, am I really experiencing this at 31?! I’m quite alarmed but I don’t want to set myself in panic mode. Of course, I’m having Myopia and I guess that’s better than having a Diabetes, right?

See, I want to pacify myself and good thing my health-conscious father has blood pressure monitors at home, as well as a digital blood monitor. I had my blood pressure taken just to be sure and also my glucose level checked to see if my blood sugar is fine or if I need to ditch drinking my ever-favorite Coke. Several minutes after, dyaraaaaaaaan…contrary to my earlier prediction that I might already suffering from hypertension and diabetes, my blood pressure is 95/63 which meant I have low blood pressure and my blood check showed my glucose level is within normal range.

Somehow I am relieved but it also makes me wonder if those are exactly what you feel when you’re getting older. Oh goodness, I see there’s really no escape to aging

An hour ago I was lingering in my room and looking around for some things I can fix when my attention shifted to my closet. As I rummaged through it, I realized I had kept so many things I didn’t need such as clothes I never wore, clothes I only wore once, swimwear I was hoping to still wear, concert tickets I thought would last a lifetime, accessories I no longer feel fit to wear, wallets I kept for years, bank statements of more than six months, and pictures I can live without.

I can’t believe I kept so much more than I needed. And no wonder I get stressed all the time just by the moment I’d open my closet.

So without a tinge of hesitation I placed them all in a paper bag, very much ready and willing to throw away. And while I was doing the entire cleaning I fee freer and great. Then it occurred to me:  sometimes all it really takes to free yourself from all the stress is to just let go. No need to spend on a grand vacation or go on a shopping spree which a lot of women do when they are feeling bad or stressed. I’ve done that, too, and I always ended buying things I never really needed or would only wear once. I did think about the many times it happened as I saw those clothes in my closet which I never wore even once and  had now ended up in the paper bag waiting to be given or thrown away.

Less is more, so they say. And I now understand what that really meant

Stress and the changing weather must have taken their toll in my health recently after symptoms of colds struck me and is exhausting me down for the last 4 days already. It started with a stuffy nose, sore throat, and then followed by dry coughs. Yet, this hasn’t prevented me from reporting to work, especially now that I am at the near end rendering my 30-day resignation notice.

My father advised me to drink freshly-squeezed lemon juice with a tablespoon of honey to relieve the discomfort, which I did. And somehow, it helped relieve the discomfort I am feeling.

But what worried me a lot was when my daughter started showing the same symptoms in just a matter of two days being with me. The thought that it could trigger her asthma attack once more scares me a lot that I have to constantly remind my husband to frequently monitor her condition.

At first, I misdiagnosed myself with flu because of the similar symptoms, except for fever which, thank God, I did not experience at all. Just to give myself some peace of mind about my health and my daughter’s I did some Google search and found very helpful information on how to distinguish whether what you are having is flu or colds.

The week has been so kind to me. On Monday, I got myself a foot spa and a pedicure. Tuesday was time for a scalp treatment and hot oil to rid off the itchiness in my scalp and get back the gloss to my hair which has been dried out caused by too much stress at work. And late this afternoon, I treated myself to a one hour full body massage at Cosmedics in Trinoma mall.

Wow, it felt really great to pamper yourself once in a while! The massage was such a delight. However, unlike before when I’d usually take oils, this time I tried powder for a change. It was my second visit at Cosmedic and as usual I chose to have an hour of Swedish massage. My favorite masseuse (ironically, I forgot her name) gently kneaded my back, arms, legs, thighs, as well as did some stretching. I literally fell asleep on the first 10 minutes of the massage and she just had to wake me up when it was time for the stretching.

What I love about Cosmedic is that they have several rooms for their massage services. I really would feel uncomfortable being massaged in a cubicle partitioned only by a curtain. The room was properly dimmed and the background music was totally relaxing.

I hope Cosmedic would establish another branch within Metro Manila. That way I wouldn’t have to travel from, say Makati to Quezon city. Aside from body massage, Cosmedic also offers facial treatments and dental services.

Do you find yourself feeling all too exhausted, easily irritated, and mentally bothered lately?

Your boss has been acting grumpy and finicky since the beginning of the week and you’re wondering if it has anything to do with you.

Awful traffic jams, pollution, unfinished report, pending household bills, relationship crisis, etc. All these are enough reasons to make your sanity take the zigzag route leaving you like a giddy chick at the end of the day.

Apparently, in today’s frenetic and gadget-driven world where our lifestyle is marred with so much pressure, it is not surprising if at one point—or two—you’re almost always at the verge of taking some sleeping tablets to prevent yourself from going through the tunnel of stress.

So before you do just that, give yourself the much-needed time out that you deserve. And what better way to breeze away from those energy-draining and mentally-exhausting facts of life than to seek solace to the simple, free-wheeling pleasures which do not necessarily require a huge chunk of your hard-earned money.

Listen to happy music

Yup, you heard it right. Most of the time all it takes is just some lively tune to get you going. It doesn’t matter whether it has got some sappy lyrics or a really Bronx style. What counts is you go with the beat.

So to start the day right, fade in a heart-pumping song while you prepare yourself to get to work. This way, you can up that good mood you haven’t had for quite some time. You might want to try some Pussycat Dolls collection or Rihanna’s funky music. Go with it and liven up the day!

Grab a bite

You can never go wrong with food. We Filipinos just so love to eat. So go ahead and treat yourself to your favorite merienda.

Order your fave ice cream or that freshly baked ensaymada you just love to munch since you were in grade school. Forget about cholesterol once in a while and give yourself a good food-trip.

And if you’re quite big in appetite, treating yourself in a buffet on a weekend is not a bad idea. Sure, it may look boring to do this one alone, but sometimes it’s fun to be just doing things yourself.

Get a new haircut

Need we say more? A lot of us go to a salon when not feeling really good. Girls in particular love different hair styling while guys often do it for sheer hygiene and maintenance.

But it doesn’t matter. Either way, have your hair done by a pro and show off. That chopped style might look fabulous on you or it could be that sophisticated boy’s cut Miranda Hobes had once sported in Sex and the City.

Whatever cut you demand just be sure to enjoy it as if it’s the finest look you ever had in your life.

Go interactive

Try online chat. It may sound quite desperate for you, but yeah, it’s a pretty convenient venue to meet new people since you don’t necessarily have to reveal your name or personal identity.

What’s nice about it is that you can always have the option to meet or not to meet the person. Thus, you don’t have to worry about personal blunders or embarrassment in case your conversation didn’t work out or you say or do something that will make you want to crawl back on your shell right away.

Besides that, the possibility to meet someone rather interesting isn’t a bad idea after all. Good if it happens, likewise you won’t lose anything if at the end of the day you didn’t actually come across with somebody to exchange phone numbers with. That’s all fine as long as you’re not on the edge of harming yourself or the other person.

Explore the Net for your own convenience and make new friends.

Shake your groove thing

Rev up your endorphins (better known as the happy hormones) and shake your booty. No need to be an expert breakdancer to maneuver gracefully.

Just enjoy yourself as if it’s you’ve never rocked that hard before. So, the next time you visit your favorite weekend night spot in town with your friends, remember to show your best moves in the dance floor. Show that little wild side of you by gyrating like selling yourself in an auction.

Be like a child again

I’m not saying you act like a bratty, annoying minor. What I meant is, carry on a laidback behavior as if nothing in the day would upset you.

Set aside all your worries. Don’t take yourself way too seriously. Smile and laugh like there’s no tomorrow.

Enjoy the company of your friends like you used to with your childhood playmates.

Sure it is impossible not to feel stressed out especially at the height of too much work and personal worries. It’s normal and it’s ok but don’t get too overboard in sulking in your anxiety.

Everyone goes through it but you don’t have to live with it. Look at the lighter side and convince yourself that indeed, there’s more to life than killing yourself with too much pressure.

Author’s Note: Article originally appeared in Emanila.com on Feb. 12, 2003