Within the space of a few hours, I’ve been plunged into a bathtub of ice, had some unflattering headgear with electrodes attached to my head and had my blood removed, mixed with oxygen, and put back into my body. It’s been quite the experience and certainly not your average spa break. Welcome to SHA Wellness, a new-age clinic with locations in Spain, Mexico, and the UAE, that mixes science with the holistic to offer next-level treatments for the rich, the famous (Demi Moore, Kylie Minogue and Naomi Campbell have all been guests) and the tech bros signed up to their 7-day £5,000 ‘optimal health’ Leaders Progamme.
Want a simple massage or a yoga lesson? Easily sorted. Fancy a full-on plasma transfusion or stem cell therapy? They can do that too. Would you try this £5,000-a-week celebrity health spa? Our Deputy Editor Claie took the trip to Alicante to find out if it was worth it. The results? Well, she only went and found the simple secret to longer life… 📖 Link in bio for full article 📲 Follow us for popular travel content! #Travel #Health #Spa #Celebrity #SHA #SHAWellnessClinic #Wellness #WellnessTips.
Our SHA was set in the mountains of Alicante and just 40 minutes from the airport, it’s hard to miss the futuristic white building that spans 60,000 square metres and is home to an array of treatment areas, along with a gym, boutique and a hydrotherapy pool, plus a cinema, art gallery and 92 guest rooms. Here, the rooftop tranquility pool offers breathtaking views of the Spanish landscape, while everyone is given the A-list treatment, no matter what your budget or what you’ve come for, as Metro soon discovered on a three-day Rebalance and Energise taster programme.
Included in my package, which starts from around £1,900 for four days, is a batch of consultations and tests from nutrition, brain and wellbeing experts, along with a raft of treatments including massage and acupuncture, cryotherapy and intravenous ozone therapy — that last one I had to Google, despite the extensive description on SHA’s website. To be fair, you certainly get bang for your buck, though I did opt for some extras (at a cost), such as an ice bath (£125), Thai massage (£140) and brain-boosting transcranial electrical stimulation (£330). It was busy, to say the least.
At each of my consultations, whether it was with a personal trainer, nutritionist or GP, a friendly face would ask: ‘Why are you here?’. And the answer – apart from writing a piece for Metro – was that I wanted to feel healthier, have more energy, and, most importantly, learn the secret to a longer life. As this place also has a 7-day programme called Well-ageing & Prevention, I felt confident I would find out.
My nutritionist explained there were three menus guests could follow during their stay: all were dairy, meat and sugar-free, but the ingredients and calorie intake varied depended on the goal. For those after good old R&R, there’s the SHA menu; for anyone looking to clean up their diet, there’s Biolight; and for people intent on shedding a few pounds, there’s the Kushi menu, a restrictive plan designed for weight loss and detoxification.
As I wasn’t that fussed about losing weight and already quite hungry having spent three days prior to my trip weaning myself of meat, caffeine, sugar and dairy as advised by the clinic, I was told I could mix and match the menus, which felt like a real treat. And despite the food being health-conscious, it was bloody delicious thanks to the brilliantly creative SHAmadi Restaurant chefs. Each morning started with miso soup and juice (beetroot and apple or carrot and apple), before our chosen menu choices. Porridges were made from millet and rice, and come with two side plates: a snack, such as a protein ball or sesame crackers, and crudites with dip. The first day I was served hummus, which I don’t usually like, but dutifully swallowed as if I was at military bootcamp. After mentioning this to my nutritionist, the following day I was given guacamole, and I never saw hummus again.
Lunch and dinners were hearty three-course affairs, unless you were on the Kushi diet, which offered two courses. If you load up at mealtimes with slow-release foods, you’re less likely to snack, or so I was told. Each meal would start with a shot of apple cider vinegar and end with a herbal tea. Lunch consisted of sweet potato gnocchi and octopus gyoza in ramen, while dinners were sea bass, kale and roasted pumpkin and tofu ravioli with porcini mushrooms. Puddings were hit-and-miss in terms of hitting the sweet spot, but anything with berries and dark chocolate was divine.
With each consultation, I learned a bit more. Sometimes, especially if I’m eating more seeds and pulses, I get quite bloated, so I was advised to go for a short walk every hour to help my digestive system rather than sitting at my desk all day. Another thing I was keen to get assessed was my cognitive ability. Having been in the grip of perimenopause for a good eight years, I sometimes feel like my memory is my enemy and can really let me down. It also worries me that forgetfulness might be permanent.
