Delectables: A Japanese Morning (Karada experience plus Yoshinoya)

The star of Karada
Wasn't able to resist taking a picture

Finally, I experienced Karada. After two half-day sick leaves, I put my feet down (figuratively) and decided that it's about time. 

Please read more for my Karada experience.

Reservations: Make sure to call for an appointment. 

While I waited at the reception, I realized that I did the right thing by calling in first since they do not entertain walk-in customers and are pretty strict with the schedules (i.e., an indefinite time like 12:00 to 12:30 is not allowed for an appointment).

The Venue: The treatment is in an open area. So Japanese. There are no private rooms as one will usually find in spas. The beds are separated by dividers, low enough for you to see what's going on with the other customers. I was asked to change into pants and later into a shirt (so as not to ruin or crease my top during the treatment).  All treatments will not require you to go bare (as done for spas) and there will be no massage oils here so the open treatment area is just right. All my stuff are stored inside the basket (with my clothes) which was stowed beneath the bed.

Initial Assessment: I filled out the form which served as the basis of my therapist's initial assessment. I remember putting in my main complaints at that time --- lower back pains, migraines and shoulder aches. My therapist asked me some questions based on the form I filled out and to learn more about my usual hours (i.e., I'm desk-tied most of the time; I have no time to exercise except for the usual walking; I carry a heavy laptop; and I have a monthly case of migraine.). Then she went on to explain the purpose of the treatment.

The Experience: I believe that the Karada experience will not be consistent since we experience different pains and ills. I'm sharing some quick points below just to give you an idea of how it went for me.

Treatment Proper: I opted for the 60-minute AP and BT therapeutic package. There's a 90-minute package for an additional Php 100 but in my case, I felt that I didn't need the extra 30 minutes.

The 30-minute Atlas Pelvis (AP) treatment: 

• The therapist explained the procedures and their main purpose which is to re-adjust and restore the body's alignment and balance.
• My left foot is shorter than my right. To cushion my "shock" with this information, my therapist told me that the difference is not that significant or alarming (yeah, otherwise I should have been limping). She further explained that this misalignment is one of the causes of the pains felt in the body.
• The exercises or treatment (however you may call them) kept me alert throughout the entire session. They required some flexibility and some of these are of the bone-cracking kind. My therapist repeated "Relax" over and over, as I believed she expected how nervous these should have made me feel. I tried to offset my nervousness by trusting her thorough training based on how precise she was with the chiropractic stretches that she did with me. Although I could only imagine how the more dainty, "maselan" types would have reacted to these. I also observed that most of the clients are male although I overheard one interested lady making an appointment at the reception. I wanted to warn her, hehehe. Believe me, throughout the treatment, it felt like Jackie Chan or worse, Bruce Lee, was breaking my neck (lol).
• I had NO BALANCE. I was asked to stand with my feet apart and my hands clasped behind my back and be in a relaxed position. The therapist tried to bring me down from that position by pushing my clasped hands downward. And guess what, I was down with no effort. She tried it the second time. And yes, it was confirmed, I had zero balance. I was asked to lie down for her to work on giving me back my balance through another set of bone-cracking and twisting exercises. And voila, I REGAINED my BALANCE!!! She repeated the balance-check (feet apart, hands clasped behind back) just to show me that the regained balance was no stroke of luck :)
• I went through the final round of bone-cracking exercises. My therapist showed me that my left foot is now almost of the same length as my right foot. ALMOST, she explained, because their techniques rely on slowly adjusting the body's alignment through continuous treatment instead of forcing it to be perfectly aligned in an instant.

The 30-minute Body Treatment (BT):

• While I laid on my stomach, the therapist placed some hot stones on my lower back. This felt really good and helped ease the pains I've been complaining about for the past days. 
• I was turned over to another therapist. This sort of disoriented me 'cause I felt unsure on how she'd familiarize with the complaints that I discussed with the first therapist earlier. Oh well...
• I didn't like my masseuse because I thought that she was working with a cold. I  felt that she was massaging while fighting through a runny nose (I swear I wasn't wearing perfume or any strong scent that morning; the hot weather made me stay away from scents for a while).
• The massage was painful, to say the very least. Well, everything in this entire treatment was painful (including the AP). If you expect a relaxing massage, go to a spa. PERIOD.

Reminders: I was provided warm water before and after the treatment. I was reminded not take cold drinks within eight hours and was actually encouraged to avoid these as they prevent proper blood circulation. Unlike the traditional hilots we know, bathing is allowed immediately after the treatment =)

Lessons Learned: I asked my therapist on what causes these kinds of body misalignments. I'm guilty of the examples she gave me --- standing on one leg, wearing high heels, prolonged sitting on my desk without stretching, and crossing my legs (I cross my legs every time and didn't know it would shorten my left foot! hahaha). After the treatment, I got soooo conscious of NOT crossing my legs. In fact, I observed that it actually hurt when I tried to cross my legs now. Hmmm.

Overall:  I was satisfied with the AP treatment. I will probably go back for the AP but not for the BT (I will have a proper massage instead).

To complete the Japanese morning experience, I had lunch at the adjacent Yoshinoya (New Glorietta).

Not much diners yet at this time

Mixed Tempura
This is an affordable find.
There's good customer service and a filling bento-size meal.
I had to say 'no' to the salad though.
(No cold drinks or eats after Karada as these will disrupt proper blood circulation).


Now that was a good filling way to end a Japanese morning.
Sayonara, my friends :)