CHECK IT OUT: Vietura at Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Pasay City

(SPOT.ph) Where diets become myth and resolutions are thrown out the window, Sofitel’s Spiral is famous for its culinary extravagance. Just a few steps away, however, is a different kind of indulgence: one where health, well-being, and especially beauty are the precepts. Once you’re through with Spiral’s gastronomical Olympics, you may want to drop by Vietura to counter some of the effects from (delicious) overeating.

The spa-like interiors, designed by Gruppo Espazio, are a warm brown accented with deep greens. Without those narrow corridors and intimidatingly clean white surfaces, one would be hard-pressed to believe that Vietura is actually a medical center that promotes beauty and wellness through aesthetic procedures, integrative medicine, and lifestyle coaching. The name is derived from vie which means life and tura from natura or nature. "Being healthy and beautiful is natural in life," says Vietura head Dr. MJ Torres of Zen Institute Medical Spa. This beauty objective is done through a three-step program: Measure, Mentor, and Monitor. 

"We wanted something unique," says Torres who confesses that Vietura is her dream finally fulfilled. "It’s the first and only total well-being institute in Manila." Like other aesthetic clinics, this new haven has all the usual beauty treatments like weight management programs, lasers, facials, and lifts, but Torres is quick to add that everything is non-invasive and non-surgical. "It’s for a person who understands that the path to greater confidence isn’t a dramatic change," says newly appointed Sofitel General Manager Adam Laker, adding "It’s a long-term holistic approach that results in a more natural glow and prompts friends to ask, ’Where did you go on vacation?’ instead of ’What surgeon did you see?’"

Think weekend spa, but with a more integrated approach.  Vietura also has a nutritionist, Agnes Tumaneng, dedicated to helping clients maintain your new figure and lifestyle long after you have your lifts and (non-surgical) tucks. Not only can proper diet affect fitness, she says, it also has profound effects on disposition and, surprisingly, fertility. 

Sometimes though, just a nice smile could do wonders. "It’s the perfect accessory," says Dr. Cecilia Infantado who heads Vietura’s own dental cosmetology clinic. Another deviance from other beauty institutes. Dental procedures include veneers, gum contouring, and bleaching.

While most aesthetic centers are busy concerning themselves with the latest treatments and enhancements, the basic definition of beauty seems to have been largely ignored. It’s something that comes from the inside and radiates physically, remind Torres. Vietura’s lifestyle coach Lisa Tilstra takes care of this department by offering advice on how to move on, prepare for the future, and achieve goals. 

To cater to their multi-platform campaign for beauty, Vietura has 19 rooms for consultation, treatment, doctors, colonics, IV, and dentistry. But even as you go through these rooms one by one, every session only ends with the knowledge true beauty is an everyday journey that starts from within. Vietura is only the beginning.