What GAYA Truly Means: Designing from Within

Like most Filipino dreamers, I started with a business plan.

A conventional one — food, coffee, something that “makes sense.” Because that’s what we’re taught, right? To build something practical. Something safe. Something that works on Excel.

But somewhere between pitch decks and too many Spanish lattes, I found myself asking — is this really it?

The day before GAYA’s soft opening — organizing our supplies, labeling every basket, preparing the space and making sure every space is intentional.

At that time, I was unemployed, fresh from leaving yet another corporate job that reminded me, for the nth time, that the 9-to-5 world just wasn’t built for me. I’m a licensed architect from the University of Santo Tomas, and for years I thought I’d design cities and towers. Instead, I found myself designing coping mechanisms.

See, I’ve always been sensitive — not the iyakin kind (well, sometimes), but the kind who feels everything. Ever since I was young, I’ve been sensitive — the kind of sensitive that feels everything in a room even before anyone speaks.

At 17, I started noticing my intuitive side — what others might call a “psychic gift.” By then, it wasn’t spooky anymore. It was familiar. I could feel energies, moods, emotions — even pain that wasn’t mine. That sensitivity became both my curse and my compass.

And so, one day, without realizing it, I built a routine that saved me.I started combining skin pampering, working out, mindfulness, life coaching, and energy healing. It wasn’t for content. It wasn’t aesthetic. It was survival. As someone living with bipolar, I was tired of feeling like I had to “fix” myself. I wanted to understand myself instead.

That daily rhythm — of caring for my body, quieting my mind, and tuning in to something higher — became the foundation of what would eventually become GAYA.

At first, it didn’t feel revolutionary. It felt... human. But over time, I realized: this is what we Filipinos are missing. We hustle, we give, we survive — but we forget to return home to ourselves.

I dreamed of a Philippines where self-awareness was normal.Where energy healing wasn’t taboo. Where we talked about wellness not as a luxury, but as a lifestyle. Where compassion, consciousness, and community weren’t buzzwords, but baselines.

That’s the heartbeat of GAYA — a system of holistic nurturing for mind, body, and soul, right in the middle of the city. It’s the place I wished existed when I was lost. It’s the reminder I needed when I forgot who I was.

We opened quietly in May 2024, with a grand opening that July. But truthfully, GAYA’s grand opening didn’t happen in a building — it happened in every person who decided to heal consciously.

GAYA’s Grand Opening — sharing our story and vision with friends, family, and guests who believed in us from the start.

This is more than a business. It’s a blueprint — for a new era of Filipinos learning to live in high frequency, authenticity, and love. Because being high vibrational isn’t about crystals or perfection. It’s about remembering who you really are, to glow as you are.

Welcome to GAYA — a space designed not just for your skin, but for your soul. Welcome home. 🌿

— Hariette Nuestro

Founder & Architect of GAYA