YOLO Journal Issue 12 - Flipbook - Page 87
Through my work, I’ve been fortunate to visit many beautiful spas, from
Amangiri in Utah to Villa d’Este in
Italy. Still, I find myself drawn home to
Switzerland when I want to experience
a deeper—or more authentic—level of
wellness.
I grew up in a small village at the
base of the Alps where my family and I
would visit our local thermal bath on a
weekly basis, one of countless across the
country—the first one, in Baden, dates
to 84 AD. In the early 20th century,
visitors from all over the world flocked
here for spa therapies, drawn by the
clean mountain air, pioneering medical
treatments, and healing powers of the
thermal waters, which gush from the
source at 115 degrees. Today, it is the
fusion of tradition and modernity, as
well as the polished yet reserved Swiss
hospitality, that continues to pull seekers to the heart of Europe.
No two spas are the same, but they
all take their cues from majestic natural
surroundings. I’ve gazed at tiny Lake
Lucerne from the vertiginous infinity
pool at the Bürgenstock, 500 meters
above it. At Peter Zumthor’s minimalist
masterpiece, the 7132 Hotel in Vals, I
swam through a cavernous pool bobbing
with fragrant mountain flowers. I took
a sunset soak in the outdoor woodfired tub at the intimate Guarda Val in
Graubünden while watching the sun
inch behind snow-covered peaks, then
sweated my brains out in a former ski
gondola repurposed as a sauna. After
the holidays, I usually spend a week at
Chenot Palace Weggis detoxing on 850
vegan calories a day (no coffee or alcohol),
and submitting to the most cutting-edge
analyses—vascular age, minerals and
heavy metals intoxication—the stunning
Alpine peaks easing my transition and
feeding my peace of mind.
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