A fine Balance

By Heather Greenwood Davis

In Switzerland, wellness is an appropriately indulgent practice.

I’m sitting on a floating dock in Lake Lauenen and wondering if life can get any better than this. The weather is warm, the breeze is gentle, and the sounds are simple: dragonfly wings, soft chatter from a nearby restaurant and sheep bleating on the hills in the distance.

WRITER ENJOYING THE VIEW OF LAKE LAUENEN ©HEATHER GREENWOOD DAVIS

It’s the Zen-like reward for a beautiful, winding bike ride through the mountains of Switzerland. A ride that was made all the easier thanks to the electric bike I rode. When the day trip is over, I’ll enjoy a glass of wine (or two) and not think twice before nibbling the sweet treat left for me in my room. There is no contradiction in that decision: Wellness in Switzerland means taking advantage of both the incredible outdoors and the indulgent pampering services.

Devoid of both the sterile environments and brusque personalities of some other European spas, the Swiss seem to lean so far in the other direction that I almost feel a little guilty. Forget starvation regimes and wrinkle-shaming; the unapologetic loyalty to chocolate and cheese, that has long been a feature of a Swiss lifestyle, has made its way into the spa. They aren’t peddling excess. There is just an unspoken assumption that after a beautiful six-course meal, you’ll also make use of the pool or the spa, walk after dinner or hike in the morning.

And while their assumption isn’t always correct, there is something refreshing about a wellness approach that isn’t fixated on how many times I allow the waiter to refill my wine glass and beauty treatments that eschew words like “anti-ageing,” and focus instead on helping me “age well.” It’s an approach that seems to be winning over visitors.

WRITER WITH GUIDE KAREN BACH ENJOYING CHEESEY FONDUE HIGH ABOVE GSTAAD ©HEATHER GREENWOOD DAVIS

According to the Swiss Tourism Board, about 20 percent of visitors enjoy some sort of spa and vitality offering when in the country even though less than two percent say it was the reason for their trip.

That doesn’t mean you can’t still get some of the traditional European-style medical wellness treatments you’re after. It just means that you’ll be encouraged to enjoy your life while you do. “No restrictions, just recommendations,” explains one spa director after I emerge in a dopey, spa happiness haze. “We want you to leave with the idea that what you do here can carry forward into your real life.”

Switzerland also continues to do a good job of overtly pairing wellness with its number one attraction: Nature. People have been heading to the mountains and valleys of this country to relax for centuries. It was nearly 800 years ago that the healing thermal waters in the Tamina Gorge near Bad Pfäfers were discovered. And it was less than 200 years ago that the first Grand Resort came on the scene offering bathhouses and accommodations that showed the perfect way to enjoy them. While larger spas and more lavish treatments are now the norm, most spas offer some option that will connect you with the country’s mountains and valleys.

GSTAAD’S MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT LEONARD’S ©NICK CLIPPER

But it’s in Gstaad that I happen across a philosophy I can truly connect with. Their “come up, slow down” tagline speaks to what I’ve dreamed a Swiss experience would be.

The indulgence starts with a meal in Gstaad’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Leonard’s. Locally sourced offerings bring a bounty of dishes to my table including a terrine de foie gras and a hazelnut-encrusted deer entrecote dinner that leaves me grinning long after it has been cleared from the table. I commit to both desserts and a hike the following day.

My guide Karin Bach arrives just after breakfast in the morning. She shares that our morning will include a ride on the Wispile gondola before a hike along the top. And then she says the words that could’ve made me a hiker years ago, “…but first we’ll need to make a stop for cheese.”

SWISS DAIRY COW

Gstaad is home to more than 200 dairy farms and literally as many cows as people (7,500 of each). It means that the local Molkerei (dairy), where farmers deposit their milk each morning, is a popular stop in the centre of town. Cheeses, yogurts, ice creams and more line the display cases. There is even a dairy vending machine out front if you’d prefer. I happily browse, but we’re here for something specific. Our “fondue rucksack” – literally a backpack filled with cheese, bread, a fondue pot and long forks – is packed as we wait.

The ride up the mountain is gorgeous, and I feel my mood lift as soon as we step out of the Gondola 1,911 metres up. What was a “nice” day below is breathtakingly beautiful from this height. Our walk, through cow-nibbled grass, provides 360-degree views across the Lauenen Alps and the chalets of the Saanen valley. Sheep can be spotted in the distance; blonde cows look upon occasion.

Aside from our intermittent conversation, there is little by way of noise. The chimes of the cowbells – chosen in varying sizes and tones so that farmers know their collective tune when out walking and can tell if a cow is missing – accompany our hike. Only the sound of the wind as it pops against the material of hang gliders before lifting them high above us gives us pause. It is such a mellow experience that by the time we reach the giant wooden fondue pot-shaped picnic table for our snack, everything but the beauty of this place has been forgotten.

DAIRY VENDING MACHINE ©HEATHER GREENWOD DAVIS

We light the flame under our pot and began to indulge in the gooey goodness. It’s not long before curious passersby stop to chat and sample. The combination of good food, new friends, fresh air and incredible views is undeniable. It’s a spa without the spa.

And as I toast this approach to wellness by dipping the bread tower on my long fork into the melted cheese for yet another time, I sense not an iota of judgment…even if my pants feel a tad bit snug.