UK Edition
Victoria Beckham’s £5k detox: mountain biking, full moon water... and wine
For most of us, indulging in a sheet mask from Boots or taking a long soak in the bath, camomile tea in hand, might suffice to wash away the blues.
But not for 45-year-old Victoria Beckham, who has recently shared a number of snaps on Instagram documenting a week-long retreat at the Lanserhof Tegernsee health resort near Munich.
As well as facials and hilltop cycling, she also enjoyed a more bemusing curative remedy in the form of “full moon water” – which is, quite simply, good old H20 (except that it’s bottled directly at source, during the fullest phase of the moon). The vibe of this bizarre trend is all very pagan goddess: google how to make your own in the requisite Kilner jar, and you’ll see what I mean.
Lanserhof Tegernsee, to the unitiated, is a renowned medical wellness centre belonging to a group of spas in Austria and Germany (and soon, England: Lanserhof at The Arts Club in Mayfair is set to open in June).
Their LANS Med Concept has long been favoured by the rich and famous for its combination of modern medicine and naturopathic treatments: the Delevingne sisters, Roman Abramovich, Carolina Herrera and Karlie Kloss are also fans.
The roots of the concept are in F.X. Mayr therapy, founded by Dr. Franz Xaver Mayr (1875-1965). Mayr was ahead of his time in his emphasis on the importance of gut health and maintaining a healthy digestive tract. However, he was also a proponent of a fast known in German as Milch Semmel Kur, a treatment consisting of chewing stale bread and sipping milk.
Mayr-inspired detox programmes are sought-after to this day, and are offered by the popular Viva Mayr clinics (from Vienna to Harley Street) as well as by Lanserhof.
On her arrival at the Lanserhof Tegernsee, Victoria Beckham updated her Instagram followers with a photo of a travel sachet of Skinade, an anti-ageing collagen drink, and a sachet of Omni-Biotic supplements for gut health – as well as a picture of herself in a pair of monogrammed green pin-striped pyjamas. The restrictive meals documented during her stay included a plate of spinach and salmon, and an omelette with a very lonely looking orange vine tomato.
Broadcasting a video on social media featuring a Louis Vuitton toiletry bag, she said: “I was expecting something much more hospital-y, so this is a real pleasant surprise and I'm really excited to get some rest, to get some great treatments and go out tomorrow and explore." The next day, she enthused about the Bavarian mountain views, noting the “incredible landscape on my morning bike ride!”.
The fashion designer and former Spice Girl is already known to have a liking for alternative remedies, giving Gwyneth Paltrow a run for her money in the natural healing stakes (in March, she also posted a picture of a herbal tonic, Sun Potion’s ‘Activated Yin Power”, which promises to support everything from creative energy and mental clarity, to healthy circulation, cellular regeneration and libido).
She is also fascinated by the supposed healing powers of crystals, and has even designed trousers with secret in-built pockets for storing crystals. “So you can carry charms wherever you go,” she told Elle magazine. She also created a necklace with crystal quartz, white howlite and rose quartz, which she explained are “good for positive, mental and feminine energy”.
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that as well as popping vitamins and supplements during her no-expense-spared £5,000 detox, Beckham also enjoyed a refreshing glass of “full moon water”.
The holistic beverage is Stories of Mondquelle, which comes from German water brand St. Leonhards Quellen. According to the brand’s website, the beverage is “bottled on full moon day directly at the source of Bad Leonhardspfunzen, Stephanskirchen.”
It claims that “the biophysical water quality changes depending on the moon phase,” and that the frequencies of the water are measured in order to align with the organs, mental and emotional states of the human body.
However, a disclaimer caveats that “the views presented here go far beyond the current state of science...classical medicine has neither accepted nor recognized the effect of bioenergetic oscillation.” The company also sells “sun water” (sonnenquelle) and “light water” (lichtquelle).
If Victoria’s penchant for full moon water sounds ridiculous to you (the episode of Only Fools and Horses in which the mercurial Del and Rodney proceed to bottle and then sell “Peckham Springs” tap water springs to mind), and you’d rather enjoy a medicinal glass of Sancerre, fear not: on her return, Beckham also admitted that her idea of balance also involves the occasional glass of wine.
“Thank u @healingholidays and everyone who sent me their top tips on staying balanced. Seems I need to be listening to true crime podcasts and having a glass of wine every now and then. And if all else fails, keep wearing some good shoes. @davidbeckham you’re just jealous you didn’t come,” she captioned her post. Thank goodness for that.