Karan Sehgal
Sometime back, Vyankatesh Shete faced the problem of frozen shoulder. Unlike most people, who would simply go to a physiotherapist, Shete went to a doctor, who was dealing in sports injuries. The doctor started the treatment, but he didn’t have the facility to provide massages meant for an ailment like this. As a result, he had to send his patients to other centres for getting a massage.
Shete said, “That’s when this idea occurred to me that why don’t I start a place, which combines both physiotherapy and massages. This is how I started Bellamo Sports and Wellness Spa.”
Shete hails from Pune but chose to set up his first spa in Panaji. The reason was he got an ideal place in Miramar (posh part of the capital city) to start a facility like this.
He said, “Our business model is to set up a spa only in clubs because there is an advantage of having in-house members as potential clientele. When we approached the management of Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias, they showed prompt response and that is how we started our first spa here.”
The major focus area of Bellamo Sports and Wellness Spa is to help sportspersons across all age groups in healing from injuries. This is where the spa’s location of Miramar helps because Panaji is the centre for a lot of sports activity in Goa.
A number of budding young sportsmen and women come to Panaji everyday to play cricket, tennis, football and other sports. They are potential target audience for Bellamo Sports and Wellness Spa. In fact, recently, the spa provided support to people participating in a tennis tournament organized by Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias.
Dr Priya Parab, one of the doctors at the spa, said, “At the tournament, the participants had come from places like Kolhapur and Nagpur. There were some cases of strains and muscle soreness. I was there on the field and I suggested them targeted massages like back or shoulder massages to get relief from pain.”
The participants had come from the clubs affiliated with Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias. Since Bellamo Sports and Wellness Spa, which is in the club itself, has physiotherapists to help in dealing with sports injuries, the participants had help and support at the club itself.
So how is going to Bellamo Sports and Wellness Spa different from going to a physiotherapist? Shete said, “A physio identifies the exact muscles, which have become weak over the years. He can go a step further by suggesting to you a routine for your muscle to get strength. At our spa, we do oil and lubricant massages around a muscle, which helps people in recovering a lot faster.”
Dr Priya added, “A lot of people get knee pain as they age, which is mostly a degenerative disorder. Once such disorders set in, we can’t reverse them. But, we can strengthen the muscles around a joint, which helps people in recovering faster.”
This being the reason Bellamo also focuses on people, who are grappling with knee pain or any kind of joint pain or need post-operative care. In modern day and age, people can’t afford to remain inactive for months due to knee pain.
The team of physios and massage specialists at Bellamo ensures that people get the support of cold oil massage, deep tissue massage and hot oil massage alongwith physio’s support, which helps patients in recovering faster than they would have if they had just gone to any other physio.
Alongwith that, the spa also has a lot of options for massage for those who need it just for relaxation. A lot of members of Club Gaspar go there to play tennis or for swimming. Often, they need a massage to just relax after playing a sport, which is where Bellamo fits in.
Another key feature of Bellamo Spa is its Oxygen Bar, which is first such facility in the whole of Goa. Shete said, “Today, in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, only 40% pure oxygen reaches brain. This severely hampers the overall health of people, as they feel inactive and sometimes even suffer from ailments like sinus.”
He continued, “At our Oxygen Bar, we supply fresh oxygen to your brain, which is much needed. It improves the functioning of your brain thereby increasing even your immunity. We suggest young players, who complain of less stamina, to take oxygen therapy before a match, which can increase their capacity to play by around 50% thereby helping them in winning tough matches.”
Bellamo has a team of doctors and massage therapists, who help people in dealing with several kinds of injuries and ailments. Dr Ajit Mapari, who deals in sports medicine, has designed the treatments at the spa. Then, there is Dr Jyotsna Gundecha, who is a homeopathic consultant and a trained yoga instructor. And Dr Priya Parab, who is a physiotherapist, is also part of the team.
By opening its centre at Miramar, Panaji, Bellamo Sports and Wellness Spa has given an option to a number of sportspersons and other people battling with injuries to heal faster. The spa has hit the right note in the first month of its operation and it seems all set for a long journey.
