“Listen to your gut. What is it telling you?” said Hattie Garlick in The Telegraph. If you’ve over-indulged during the festive period, chances are it’s “begging you for a break”.
Imbalances between the “good and bad bacteria” in the gut have been tied to an array of health issues, from irritable bowel syndrome and bloating to low mood and anxiety. It’s little wonder the market for gut-friendly products is booming, with kefirs and kombuchas flying off supermarket shelves.
But the travel industry has also cottoned on and there are now plenty of hotels offering specially tailored wellness retreats claiming to help you reset your digestive system. Here are some of the best.
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The Goodwood Estate, West Sussex
I checked in at this “grand property” in West Sussex to try out the five-day gut health retreat, said Giulia Crouch in The Independent.
On arrival I was “immediately whisked off for my body composition analysis”, before attending an “engaging” talk from clinical nutritionist and co-founder Stephanie Moore. Each of the “delicious” meals kicked off with a “tiny shot of a bitter drink to prime the digestive system” and “a few mouthfuls of kimchi or sauerkraut”.
The quality of the treatments, which spanned everything from abdominal massages to body brushing, “really did wow me”. But the highlight was the cranial osteopathy session, carried out by the estate’s other co-founder, Elaine Williams. This was no ordinary head massage but “a series of tiny but powerful movements across my neck and the base of my skull that somehow released years of tension”.
Amchara Gozo, Malta
Something of an “insider’s secret”, Amchara’s Gozo retreats take place in a “magnificent” setting with “towering palms” and a “glittering pool”, said Garlick. Expect “personalised” health checks along with “daily raw food demos” and nutrition talks. There are plenty of treatments too, incorporating reflexology (pressure massages) and reiki (a Japanese healing technique).
If you can’t get to Malta, Amchara also holds regular retreats in Somerset, where you can opt to share a room with a friend to bring down the price.
Park Igls, Austria
Gut health is the “overarching focus” at Park Igls, said Susan d’Arcy in The Times, where guests’ digestive systems are carefully retrained through “mindful nutrition”.
The “cheerful” retreat is in the Tyrolean Alps: the “fresh mountain air” will help to sort out any problems you have sleeping, while doctors are on hand to assist with medical worries and carry out comprehensive health checks.
Nourishing dishes are made with “organic, fresh, seasonal and local” ingredients, and they stress the importance of “eating slowly and chewing thoroughly”.
Lanserhof Sylt, Germany
Set amid “sand dunes blanketed in wind-swept grasses” on the island of Sylt, off the north coast of Germany, Lanserhof Sylt adheres to the philosophy developed at the original property in Austria. This says that once the gut has been rebalanced, it has the “astounding ability to kick-start the body’s path back to health and vitality”, said Vassi Chamberlain in Vogue.
Guests undergo “extensive analysis” on arrival, with checks carried out measuring everything from glucose levels to kidney function, and are given a tailored diet. There are a range of sessions on offer, including “interval hypoxia hyperoxia training”, during which you inhale “varying levels of oxygen through a specialised breathing mask to increase energy”.
A word of warning: “the portions are small” and “guests are (famously) instructed to chew each bite 30 and 40 times, which can make for some quiet mealtimes”.
