Of Myze and men
Interior designer at the helm of a bespoke wellness center for the high and mighty
BEING general manager (GM) was Myze Bangayan’s first assignment when she joined Travertine Longevity and Wellness, said to be the first of its kind in Manila as it redefines opulence and well-being.
In early 2023, Bangayan joined the group which ventured in an upscale and high-end longevity and wellness center.
“They presented the concept to me back then, and I realized what they conceptualized was really different,” she said.
Up to this day, Bangayan is professionally an interior designer.
“Others were asking me if I had other plans when they presented Travertine’s concept to me,” she shared.
“It’s not a spa, but more of a longevity and wellness. It’s more of a clinical thing. I like that.”
Nestled in Ortigas Center (5th Floor, Main Wing, Shangri-La Plaza), Travertine Longevity and Wellness opened last December, but had its formal opening only in late January.
Bangayan was offered the GM position. Working closely with her is Travertine’s vice president, Faye Ramirez.
“I told them, ‘Let’s try,” she said. “Wellness clinics are a dime-a-dozen lately. So it’s easy to just join one. But Travertine is different.”
Surprisingly, when Travertine Longevity and Wellness opened its door last December, they had a number of walk-in customers.
“We also had a lot of returning clients up to recently,” disclosed Bangayan.
“Even doctors came to us, and most of them were returning clients.”
Among the spas and wellness centers around, Travertine invested in ultra-modern machines like the vital dome and doctors for acupuncture.
“Second quarter of 2024, our Angel of Water hydrocolonic machine will also arrive,” Bangayan informed. “That is for colon treatment.”
Admittedly, Bangayan previously knew very little about spas.
“I’m not the kind of person who often goes to spas and wellness centers. Friends were always telling me, ‘You have to do your massage.’ I just ignored that.
“But everything that Travertine offers was explained to me. Still, I insisted on trying the machines. Now, I get to enjoy working at Travertine. One good thing is I’m learning a lot about health. Every now and then, you get to study and learn.”
Travertine is a brand inspired by the enduring beauty of travertine stone, reminiscent of the timeless elegance found in Roman baths.
In Bangayan’s closing remark during Travertine’s recent opening last January, she reiterated, “Travertine is more than a space for relaxation. It’s a commitment to modern wellness and the timeless pursuit of a fulfilling life.”
Bangayan emphasized the pursuit of a fulfilling life and commitment to redefine luxury wellness experiences. She invited everyone to make time for Travertine, a timeless embrace of modern wellness and transformative revitalization.
At my age, I don’t just have to think about my future, but also my health. It’s more of a health thing that was why I got to like it.”
Travertine Longevity and Wellness offers a wide range of avant-garde wellness and longevity services, including personalized longevity programs, cutting-edge therapies and comprehensive well-being solutions.
Experience bespoke, result-driven and hyperpersonalized treatments that include lymphastim pressotherapy, shockwave therapy, body scanning and spa journeys like the popular lymphatic massage, stress escape and Travertine’s version of the Filipino’s hilot (massage therapy).
Bangayan took up Interior Design at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). She previously worked with pioneer architects of their respective companies and joined them before embarking in private practice.
However, when she got to join Travertine, she blamed herself for not going into wellness earlier on.
She learned how to deal with attitudes of patients, customers or clients. She also has to give time to her new job. “I have to teach people about wellness,” she asserted.
“That was not me before, but the people under me and I, we study and learn new things together. The disadvantage I encountered is stress.” (Laughed).
Surprisingly, Bangayan earlier dreamed of becoming a TV news presenter when she was younger. She also dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She took the college entrance exam at De La Salle University for a Liberal Arts and Commerce but she later realized her course was far from what she dreamed of.
“When I got to college, I realized being on TV was not for me, that’s why I took up Interior Design,” she said.
“I told myself, I would pursue Interior Design because I passed the exam at UST, and the school was near our house. That was the only reason I attended UST. Very shallow reason.”
In her first year at UST, Bangayan had a failing grade, so she readily had to take up summer classes.
“I told myself, I would give up enrolling at UST because I was disappointed with my failing grade,” she said. “Then I opened my Bible and read, ‘Go on, I’ll help you with your right hand.’ Then I literally took that message to heart.”
On certain days that she’s not busy with her work at Travertine, Bangayan focuses on her interior design profession. She unwinds by cooking her specialties in her kitchen.
“Sometimes, I just bake or cook even in the middle of the night, especially when I’m stressed,” she admitted. “I cook a lot. Then I would call up the guards and give the food to them. When I call, they would just ask, ‘Ma’am, aakyat ba ho kami?’ (Should we go up?) They already knew.”
The last destination Bangayan went to before the pandemic started was Istanbul, Turkey, in 2019. Since that time, she has yet to do a long-haul trip again. “I might go to Germany this April,” she smiled. She juggles her time between the longevity center and her interior design clients. Usually, I’m at Travertine, not every day, but I try to be here every other day,” she said. “On days when I’m not at Travertine, I attend to my interior design work and clients.”
Bangayan hardly goes out that much. Part of her unwinding, too, is simply sitting down inside her condominium unit and looking out the window, staring outside.
“I’m lazy to go out,” she said. “I’m not a night person. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. So if I have the time to be alone, I am just in my condo unit, sitting on a couch and looking out the window.”
Before she assumed her position, she read books about health and wellness. Her normal day starts as early as 5:30 a.m. when she rises, reads the Bible and eats her breakfast.
“Then I will attend my meetings on the site. Then by late afternoon, I’ll drop by here, take a look around, talk to people and attend to clients. Every now and then, I ask our therapists around every other day what are the common problems in the clinic. I know I have to do that because the clinic is very new. I have to get updates.”
The middle child in a brood of three, Bangayan gets constant support even if she lives away from her family. “Every day, we have a group chat where we update each other.”
Her mom passed away in January last year and Bangayan is still apparently reeling from the loss. A mere mention of how her mom is would easily bring Bangayan to tears.
“I was so strict with anyone entering our house because of Covid,” Bangayan said. “But she slipped inside the house.”
Although she’s single, Bangayan hardly dwells on her life as a single person.
“I don’t think about it because of my work,” she said.