Sentara Nail and Body Spa is well into a program that will elevate its services up to the level enjoyed by similar establishments in Europe.
Then newlyweds Mark and Kerby Uy went into the spa business in 2006 for its market potential, noting the growing tourist traffic in Cagayan de Oro and the need to establish wholesome spas at the same level of service visitors to the city enjoyed back home.
PUM Sr. Expert Janny Berends lectures Sentara therapists on the theoretical side of their craft
“People are increasingly conscious of their health and wellness with many keeping fit in gyms and outdoor exercises and sports,” said Kerby. “They need a place to cool down and relax after working out.”
Kerby and Mark thought of going into the spa business when they visited the US in 2006 and found out nail services were so expensive.
“At the time what we could have for PhP 40 here already costs US$10 over there,” Kerby noted.
“In Europe at that time it already cost something like 30 Euros because we count everything per minute,” noted Janny Beewkes-Berends, the only senior consultant in Netherlands Senior Experts Program (PUM) for spas and beauty consultancy, who recently completed her second visit to Cagayan de Oro with the aim of uplifting Sentara to international standards.
“If you go for quality, you have to pay for it,” she noted.
PUM is being implemented by an independent Dutch organization to provide consultancy services for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and institutions. Volunteers are mostly highly qualified specialists with many years of experience in practically all fields of economic and social activity: agriculture, trade, industry, healthcare, private, public and national government management sectors.
Explaining the proper use of a professional manicurist’s tools
Like most start ups, Sentara experienced the usual growing pains. Capital expense was greater than expected and the newlyweds even had to dispose of Mark’s car to keep afloat.
“Since we were new, we also were unable to tap suppliers’ credit lines yet for lack of a track record,” Kerby recalls.
But the business survived the early years and flourished, though in the later years of its first decade, competition was growing.
“We tapped PUM because we want to upgrade,” Kerby said. “Competition is stiff with many new spas coming up, and we want to be on a different level. We want to offer our clients something better.”
The couple also noted a growing number of seniors who were yearning for better places to go to have their nails and hair done, especially when traditional parlors did not offer the kind of professional services they need like massage, scrubbing and exfoliation.
To start, Ms. Berends evaluated Sentara’s application for a PUM expert. Although she wasn’t sure about what exactly their needs were, she believed the couple was determined to improve Sentara and she consented to come on the strength of that conviction.
Ms. Berends already had 10 years experience working in the Philippines when she first came to Cagayan de Oro in February 2015, having previously worked in prestigious establishments such as the Amuma spa in Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; and the Grand Royal Spa Bacolod, Negros Occidental.
“I’m the only senior expert in Holland who is qualified for the hair. I’m a medical beautician, a pedicurist, manicurist, so I work together with doctors for medical cases. I’m a teacher because I had my own school for more than 30 years for beauticians, manicurists, pedicurists, foot therapists and I have a very big spa, one of the biggest in Holland for more than 38 years. So I have a lot of experience.”
After analyzing the situation and their needs, she told them what they needed to become a global standard international spa.
“Initially, I saw the need to improve hygiene through the working methods and training of the therapists. I think most of them learned by only look-and-learn with no theoretical experience. If you only do the practical things the way you saw them without knowing the theory behind them, you don’t use your brains and it’s very dangerous,” she noted.
Although there was much room for improvement, she was encouraged that Sentara was already doing well by local standards.
“So it was not bad the way I see the hygiene and cleanliness was already nearly perfect, but not international standard. So we made a new plan to educate the therapists in the theoretical side of things, so that they understand what they do. They need to understand why they do it like this, and not just because somebody taught them it should be done that way. So they don’t put the customer or themselves at risk.”
The partners also found it was better to train new therapists than educate the more experienced ones.
“We don’t want to get the traditional manicuristas because they are so difficult to retrain because they won’t change their methods and they think they know better so we need to get fresh, inexperienced technicians,” Kerby recalls. “Now, all our therapists and nail technicians are new.”
“We did training for the theoretical part, reviewed the treatments, and we changed them all,” Ms. Berends noted. “We changed everything.”
For instance, unlike the traditional ventosa treatment (still practiced by most spas in the city, several glasses are affixed on the patient’s back), Sentara therapists now use only one after learning the theoretical part of the practice.
“When you massage the affected muscle with the glass and soften it, then bring it to the lymphatic system, you take the bad toxins (locally known as panuhot) out all in one motion,” Ms. Berends explained.
“The most important basic thing is the health of the customer. Most customers come to a spa because they have aches and pains. Wellness is only relaxation, but therapeutic is trying to solve a problem.”
In fact, the patient at Sentara undergoes a diagnostic process not unlike what they undergo when they visit their doctor.
“In Holland, the therapist is the professional because of her training and experience. She will analyze your body with the help of the Anamnese (case history of the patient). For instance, many diabetic patients have lost digits or limbs caused by an infected wound incurred during a manicure or pedicure,” the Dutch expert said.
“If you use an Anamnese, followed by the Spinal Muscle Test (SMT, a proprietary test exclusive to Sentara) we can say where exactly the problem is in the body, and we will tell the customer what type of treatment is the best for her,” Kerby added.
“The big difference between Europe and the Philippines is here the customer is the boss,” Ms. Berends noted. “It’s not the customer who asks us what we need to do. If they come for relaxation only, they can choose from the menu, but if they have a problem with their body then the professional therapist will decide what’s best. We ask diagnostic questions like if the patient has diabetes, or uses prescription drugs, because if you know this, you know what to do.”
For instance, she cited how pressure on the head can be very dangerous to those who have high blood pressure. If a patient has high or low blood pressure or health issues involving the head, a stroke or cardiac arrest can happen anytime.
“If you massage the head of a patient who already has a problem like that, you can kill him!”
Demonstrating a world standard facial
“If you speak only about spas and treatments, people don’t feel responsible about what they are doing. If I touch your body, I am responsible about what I do to you. If I make a mistake, the blame is on me. You need to be careful that you do the right thing.”
Besides training the staff, the partners also prioritized the acquisition and use of the proper equipment.
“We make sure that everything is hygienic and sterilized,” Ms. Berdends said. “We have special sterilizers for beauty spas called it bullet sterilizers. You heat crystals and after you use your instruments you wash them with soap, alcohol then put them in the sterilizer. Afterwards, you again clean them with alcohol, so you know for sure they are free of bacteria and viruses which can contaminate your clients. Ultraviolet (UV) light alone doesn’t kill all microbes and bacteria, unlike the bullet sterilizer we use in Sentara Spa which kills all bacteria, fungus and viruses.”
Ms. Berends said there are salons exclusively for manicure and pedicure in Holland; salons for facials run by beauticians and full service spas which can do everything.
If you want to start a pedicure or manicure salon or spa, one needs to register first with the chamber of commerce. If you don’t have the diplomas proving you have studied the theory and passed the exam, you cannot open a business.
Even if you are allowed to start, you need to submit a business plan. You need to show your Anamnese plan, your hygiene plan, and what type of treatment you will do.
“In my school I didn’t only teach the hands-on practical aspects but also theoretical, how to be an entrepreneur, how to make a business plan, how to manage your cash, how to plan for renovations of your building, sales and marketing, everything you need to know to run your own spa.”
And a spa is an expensive proposition in Europe.
“In Europe you are not allowed to call your establishment a spa if you don’t have water treatments. In Holland, if I want to open a spa, I need to have a swimming pool, I need to have a work pool, I need to have at least showers or whirlpool or Jacuzzi.”
So is Sentara shooting for something like that under Janny’s mentoring?
“Our wish is now we go as far as possible with the rules and regulations of the international standards,” Kerby said.
High on the list are certifications from CIDESCO (Comité International d’Esthétique et de Cosmétology) and CIBTAC, the most prestigious qualifications in the field of beauty therapy. Acknowledged in over 33 countries, these credentials are recognized globally as the very highest standard of expertise and professionalism.
Sentara is already CIBTAC-certified and a member of the Manila Spa Association.
PUM Sr. Expert Janny Berends mentors one of the therapists in her signature pedicure
Besides international accreditations and diplomas, next on the Sentara horizon is para-medical treatments.
“I want to teach them new techniques like para—medical, the Botox injections and all other injectables, face lifts and all these things, Sentara spa can help you attain the same goals without all these artificial means.”
“I say this because I have a para-medical education that says I can work together with doctors to do treatments before and after operations, and this is what we are now training for the lymphatic drainage, deep connective tissue massage, for edema following operations.”
A new horizon indeed.
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