Buchinger Wilhelmi may be the granddaddy of hard-core vacation clinics, but it doesn’t have a monopoly on punishing protocols. Here, Ahmed Zambarakji finds a few others worth checking out.
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VivaMayr, Austria
Image Credit: Courtesy of VivaMayr To describe VivaMayr as regimented would be a gross understatement. The prototype for all European medical resorts, VivaMayr is squarely focused on gut rehabilitation and alkalizing powders that purportedly regulate the acid/base balance in our bodies, therefore bolstering immunity. You can distract yourself from hunger pangs with a host of detoxifying rituals that range from daily oil pulling—an Indian folk remedy that involves swishing oil around in your mouth in the hope of eliminating toxins—to colonic irrigation at its high-tech spa. The inevitable weight loss, we are assured, is merely a bonus.
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Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
Image Credit: Courtesy of Bad Ragaz Not a hospital but not exactly a spa, the medical center at Bad Ragaz has become a destination for everything from sleep disorders and weight loss to in-depth exams. The “Business Health Check-Up” leaves no stone unturned, with on-site testing for liver, kidney, lung and thyroid function, blood sugar levels and blood lipids. The setting, a hot spring near a cluster of world-class hotels, makes the ordeal of a medical exam considerably more appealing than a visit to a traditional clinic. And if you need a little extra persuasion, know that you can always let off some steam in St. Mortiz afterward.
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We Care Spa, California
Image Credit: Courtesy of We Care Spa In a world of impersonal medical centers and wellness clinics, We Care offers an intimate 20-room facility. The liquid diet and detoxification rituals are popular among Hollywood’s A-list, who come to purge in peace and make full use of educational classes (cooking, yoga, transitioning back to solids) and “healing installations” with a shamanic vibe, such as the Floating Bed, where you can meditate privately atop a gently rocking outdoor bed, as well as fire ceremonies. There is a strong spiritual bent to the program at We Care but one that doesn’t seem entirely out of place in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.
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SHA, Spain
Image Credit: Courtesy of SHA Wellness Clinic The most unusual offering at SHA has to be the personalized “cognitive empowerment” program. The brain-training course employs EEG technology, neuro-feedback video games and transcranial direct-current stimulation to fire up the sleepier areas of your gray matter to boost professional performance. The Alicante-based clinic also offers a curious but effective blend of Eastern and Western therapies—acupuncture, genetic testing, Watsu aquatic bodywork—and a gourmet Japanese-Mediterranean macrobiotic diet that’s designed to strengthen the immune system.
