Royal treatment at Urban Luxe (photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

Rushing for work early in the morning, demanding bosses, beating deadlines, tricky motherly and wifey chores and not to mention the hair-pulling effect of traffic comprise a normal day for a busybody. 

With this routine, it would not be long before the conundrum of metro living would get into one’s nerves, thus the gaiety call of a luxurious spampering is too much to ignore.  Yet, spending an hour or two for travel just to get to the spa is another dilemma.  For others it is a waste of time.  With this, young and enterprising Gen Chua thought of putting up a dainty spa haven right in the middle of Madrigal Business Park in Alabang—the Urban Luxe Facial Center and Spa. 

The 26-year-old entrepreneur says that Urban Luxe answers to the needs of the busybody who looks for a luxurious spampering, yet without the guilt of wasting so much time.  But although time is essential, she stresses that quality should not be compromised. 

Like so, royal treatment is what each deserves; and this is spelled out in the spa’s Victorian theme wherein the color purple dominates every wall punctuated by purple velvet couches, wallpaper reminiscent of a boudoir, a palette of violet and grey mirrors, and a purple crystal chandelier hanging in the reception area. 

“Purple is the color of royalty,” she daintily gushes, and true enough the setting brings out the contemporary feel of an urban spa while boosting the ambience of luxury and comfort. 

“When people come in, you just have to do everything for them. Yung slogan nga namin, you deserve nothing but royal treatment, so pagpasok mo, royal treatment.  Dapat feeling mo king or queen ka.”  But aside from this, she explains that what further differentiates Urban Luxe from other spas is the product that they are using—the Indio Cosmeceutical line. 

“Indio stands for ‘industry only’ since the use of Indio requires professional diagnosis by aestheticians,” she says. Indio’s high-strength active ingredients bring unparalleled results in skin treatment and skincare which she came to know during an Australian trade expo five years ago.  By then, she was researching on what business to venture. 

Her love of going to spas and knowing Indio made her decide to foray on the thing that she loves the most.  Furthermore, since Indio is one of the fastest selling brands in Australia, she tells that it would be a waste if Filipinos would not be able to enjoy and experience it as much as she did.

Furthermore, Chua, a graduate of Business Management at De La Salle University in Manila, says that venturing into business is sort of imbedded in her.  Her parents are into plastic manufacturing for almost 30 years and they somehow expected her to follow suit. Yet, she laughingly shares that her parents realized that she was not into plastic manufacturing; instead she followed her instinct and trust in Indio. Armed with five years of research, she worked on the exclusive distributorship of Indio for the Philippines and trained in Australia for a year.  In early April of this year, her labor came into fruition when Urban Luxe opened. 

“Indio masks, cleansers, toners, serums, peels, creams, and moisturizers will be incorporated in the luxurious facial custom-picked for your specific needs. While other beauty treatments include massages, waxing of different areas of the body, organic body scrubs, hand and foot treatments like foot reflexology or hand and foot spas, and skin and body works.”  

“It is about their wellness, their well being, their confidence after using Indio.  Kasi kapag may confidence may glow.  After the treatment, makikita mo naman ang glow and you don’t have to say much at all.  Sila (clientele) na ang magsasabi na it’s different,” she concludes.