ABSOLU TELY
HEALTH & BEAUTY
Les Sources de Caudalie Bordeaux, France
By Ursula Van der Vorm
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Ti Sana
Detox Retreat & Spa, Lombardy, Italy By Gabriel O’Rorke
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typical day at Ti Sana starts with power walking at 8.30am along the Adda River, juice for breakfast – think courgette, apple, carrot and ginger – and an hour-long fitness session. Lunch is served at the ‘Food Lab’ from 12.30 and consists of a large bowl of salad and dehydrated flax seed crackers, followed by (yes, thanks be to the detox gods, there’s a second course) a faux carb dish like courgette ‘spaghetti’ in a cashew nut sauce (no added spaghetti, of course, just cleverly cut vegetables). Five meals a day doesn’t sound too bad – breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner – but when three of these ‘meals’ are juices, and one day a week is liquid only, things become a little more Spartan. Minimal food and gentle exercise are combined with a medical assessment, blood tests, a doctor’s appointment and a colonic – this is the only spa in Italy with the ‘Angel of Water’ machine which you operate yourself, keeping your dignity intact. The spa is well equipped, stocked with organic products (like the Anika range) and kitted out with
an infrared sauna, normal sauna, steam room and several jets and rain showers. Spa treatments, however, are limited to one or two per visit depending on your regime – Raw Food, Juicing or Energising. The focus is very much on what you are (or are not) eating, and the aim is to regulate cortisol levels by exercising in the morning, eating in the middle of the day and practicing Chinese Qi Gong meditation in the evening. This takes place in a large, light studio in one of the restored 18th century terracotta-roofed buildings – the hotel is made up of a cluster of these stone houses and the 22 bedrooms are scattered between buildings. You’ll leave enlightened – the emphasis at Ti Sana is on educating guests, with daily lectures on well-being so that you can continue the good work after. Ti Sana has three Active Life Programmes: Juicing Detox fasting; Fresh Lifestyle raw food and Energy Lifestyle with raw and healthy cooked foods. Prices start from EUR 170 per person per day. For reservations: +39 039 992 0963/79 or 1711.it
et amidst the vineyards of the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte estate in Bordeaux, Les Sources de Caudalie is a rural retreat with a twist. Inspired by the concept of the ‘French Paradox’, whereby the diet and lifestyle of Southwest France is seen as conducive to good health, the hotel has taken the concept to heart, playing host the original and now worldfamous Vinothérapie spa. Here, treatments are winecentric, incorporating the benefits of the grapes from the Graves Grand Cru Classé vines which the spa overlooks. During my visit, I sampled the 100% Grape Cure, which involves three oenophilic treatments a day, including the signature Crushed Cabernet Scrub, the merlot wrap, the Fleur de Vigne wrap and the red vine bath. I loved the Wine Maker’s Massage, which involved a smooth, wooden stick usually used for crushing grapes being rolled over my back to relieve the tension. However, Les Sources de Caudalie is not for dieters – the food is too good. Choose from Michelin-starred fine dining at La Grand’Vigne, Chef Nicolas Masse’s restaurant overlooking the lake, or bistro-style food in La Table du Lavoir, in a 19th-century wash house formerly used by winegrower’s wives – both too delicious for words. The 3 day Grape Cure costs EUR 525. Stays from EUR 250 per room per night; sources-caudalie.com
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