This is how it must feel to be back in the comforting, nurturing environment of the womb. I had stepped down into a warm water indoor pool to float into the arms of Ursula, a strong and caring lady, and discover the soothing pleasures of Watsu, a form of Japanese shiatsu (massage). Ursula gently cradled me in her arms, my head nestling snugly on her shoulders, before moving me across the water while gently stretching and massaging me. An extraordinarily pleasurable treatment, one of the most intimate and unusual I’ve ever experienced.
It took place during my stay at the world renowned Mayrlife medical health resort in Austria, on the shores of Lake Altaussee. This beautiful clear stretch of water - so pure that it is served in the clinic’s restaurant - is surrounded by breathtaking mountains and a glacier. It’s a stunning setting in which to relax and take the ‘Mayr Cure’, the programme which teaches that the key to our health and wellbeing starts in our guts.
The ethos of Mayrlife is driven by the legacy Dr Franz Xaver Mayr, an Austrian who opened his first clinic in the spa resort of Karlovy Vary in Czechoslovakia in 1906. His pioneering work and research helped him to understand the vital importance of good nutrition in developing a sound digestive system. Dr Mayr’s principles for a healthy life endure, but over the years the organisation that takes his name has adapted them for a modern age and continues to improve diagnoses and develop even better treatments to enable its guests to lead healthier lives. It’s a stunning setting and as Mayrlife’s chief executive Dr Dieter Resch told me: ‘The beauty of our surroundings is so important to our guests and are as important as our treatments and regime – we want people to unwind, relax and enjoy the natural beauty of nature.’
I stayed at Mayrlife for one week and was put on their detox programme. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds as we were allowed to eat some delicious food for breakfast and lunch, albeit in small portions; dinner however did consist only of vegetable broth. Thankfully the broth was also on offer all day, which was vital because other than that all that was on the menu was still water.
I was surprised how quickly I adapted to such a limited diet. I also underwent tests to find out what food intolerances I might have that were affecting my gut and overall health – and discovered I was intolerant to eggs, tomatoes and gluten, the latter two a great surprise to me.
Guests are assigned a personal doctor for the week and mine – a lovely lady called Ingrid - was a delight to work with, gentle, calm reassuring and always cheerful. Each day she gave my tummy a massage to determine how things were developing with my digestion. She advised me on the basic principles of exercise and a healthy diet, urging me to eat smaller portions and to chew very slowly, as much as 40 times per mouthful – tough for a hasty eater who loves her food. All the while she instilled in me the resort’s mantra of the digestive system, detoxification and regeneration.
I took advantage of 7am classes in yoga and pilates, but my favourite exercise activities were swimming in the crystal clear lake, and taking the long 4.5km walk around it, enjoying the beautiful forest, flowers and fauna, and the abundant bird life. I relished the chance to read prolifically, and enjoyed the company of the resident house cat!
During my stay I had a range of different treatments – most of them pleasant, some not so. The former included a delightful 50-minute detox massage which was deep and strong but left me feeling relaxed and full of energy. The hilarious experience of ariel yoga – yoga movements and poses performed in a hammock hanging down from the ceiling - was something in which I didn’t excel, but it did make me laugh!
I enjoyed regular electrolysis footbaths, and a couple of times I had nasal reflex therapy which consisted of having deliciously scented cotton buds stuck up my nose. Not a great experience but my breathing did seem clearer afterwards.
The Mayr attracts many high profile people – you could quite easily bump into politicians, captains of industry, an oligarch or two, and according to media reports quite a few Hollywood actors and the likes of Kate Moss and Elizabeth Hurley are apparently return visitors. All are attracted to the discreet atmosphere of the place, where they are looked after like anyone else and left alone to relax and unwind.
Guests come from all over the world, and I had some really interesting chats with a couple of students, couples there to support each other in their efforts, a father and son who only lived a short drive away from me back home in Suffolk, a retired hedge financier from Dallas, and a fashion photographer and his charming mother
Now that I am back home I am trying hard to keep to the regime, and although I find myself rushing my food and forgetting chewing I pull myself up pretty quickly. On the weight front I have lost a couple more pounds in addition to the 4.5lbs I lost after my stay, which I put down to everything I learned at Mayrlife and my determination to make some of the healthy lifestyle changes Dr Ingrid suggested.
Whether you want to relax, lose weight, de-stress, recover after an illness or merely rest you would be hard pressed to find somewhere more special than this magical place on a glittering lake amidst the beautiful Austrian mountains.
For more information visit mayrlife.com
