Travel can, if we want it to, be more about the why than the where. By ticking off destination after destination, hotel after hotel, we don't really get anywhere. So I want to challenge you to find your why, and in the meantime, I'll tell you about mine.

TRAINING IS another important ingredient and here the days always begin with an activity in the form of yoga, a walk or a jog along the beach

Perhaps not entirely unexpectedly, my trip is to a luxurious spa resort. I've had this focus in my writing career for a long time, and I would say I have extensive experience and breadth in the field. SHA Wellness, outside of Alicante, is my destination, and also the place I am now returning to. There are actually things here I strongly dislike, but it's not about the details here; it's the overall experience that makes me feel good.
SHA Wellness grundades 2010 av Alfredo Bataller Parietti, a man who himself sought the solution to his own illness. Along the way, he recovered and wanted to share the solution he had found. The microclimate here in L'Albir, outside Alicante, became the place where he has since offered a holistic concept for well-being. Food is the foundation – and here, macrobiotic nutrition is at the centre. Think vegetarian, but add fish and seafood, and choose the best carbohydrates, and you're there. Exercise is another important ingredient, and here the days always begin with an activity such as yoga, a walk, or a jog along the beach. Then it's up to you to train in the gym or participate in one of the many classes on the agenda here.

East meets West

To this we add treatments, both Eastern and Western. Think everything from a Shirodhara – where a stream of oil slowly trickles down into the third eye, to a Botox injection or two. While looking back in time and capturing classic concepts, you also look forward and stay at the cutting edge of the latest research. Here you can vitamin-boost your blood through a so-called ozone therapy while learning to cook so that you can continue to take care of yourself and your family at home too.
Till SHA Wellness can be both a vitamin injection and offer a life-changing concept. During my visit, I meet an American woman who is here to get her life back on track after post-Covid. She had been hospitalised and was happy to be back. Since arriving here a few weeks ago, neither a Coca Cola nor a cup of coffee has passed her lips.
– I really needed to break out of my routine, I've been given a second chance. I never thought I'd survive. Now I'm going to spend a few months in Europe and I'm starting and ending my trip here, she tells me.

A personal avatar

My agenda is on the simpler side and goes under the heading Rebalance, where a number of activities and treatments are included, all based on the initial consultations. One of the latest innovations here is the initial consultation that takes me into the digital world. Here my body is weighed and scanned and my own avatar takes shape. Height and weight are the basis, adding the distribution of water and fat, as well as the deviations between the right and left sides. Here you cannot lie or make things up – it is purely black and white. During a longer visit or upon a new check-in, it is then possible to compare which path you have chosen to take care of yourself and your health. I myself realise that I am a little unbalanced between the right and left side and that I could probably have a slightly lower percentage of fat in my body.
Using my avatar as a basis, I will then be helped to choose a diet: it is offered here in three different concepts: Kushi, Bio Light or SHA. My one will be a mix of Kushi or SHA, where the first is a bit more on the detox theme. The food here is truly magical, on the very first evening it feels as if my system is slowing down. We don't drink with our meals, but in between. Three meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, with afternoon tea chosen on recommendation and often a fruit compote with it. Never hungry. And not even craving sweets!

How much does it cost? 
A four-day rebalancing programme costs from 1,800 Euros and is actually cheaper than a handbag from a slightly more luxurious brand…

Effective shivering

It's been a little over two years since I was last here. And my biggest takeaway from that visit was that I started exercising, a couple of times a week ever since. Now the goal is different – I'm exhausted and stressed. Calm is what I'm looking for. My private yoga lesson instead becomes a stress therapy session where I end up with my legs in the air. They quickly start to shake, and I'm already feeling that this is exactly as it should be.

Normally, I always make sure to opt for the firmer type of massage. This time, the theme is soft and methodical instead. If I weren't quite so afraid of needles, I would have also added a course of ozone treatments, a treatment which involves drawing blood, which is then vitamin-enriched and reinjected. The treatment is popular, and many people praise its effectiveness.

The SHA method is what they call their concept, and they describe the purpose as:’A way of adding years to life, and quality of life to the years.

Time for food

During the days, treatments, baths, cooking lessons, workouts and long conversations now await. It is safe here, and every day I learn new things – things that should actually be obvious. For example, that we need to eat slowly if we want our bodies to keep up, and please let the meal take an hour. It is challenging and unfortunately many here also get sucked into our mobile phones instead of allowing our minds some slower stimulation.
The days pass quickly and include both activities and treatments according to the programme, to which you add and subtract. We meet at mealtimes and exchange experiences. Stillness and change, challenges to face the unfamiliar and to listen inwards.
They call their concept the SHA method and describe its purpose as follows: ’A way of adding years to life, and quality of life to the years.’ I myself don't really believe we can influence how long we live, however, I am convinced that we can influence how we feel until our days are all – and for me, SHA Wellness is a pit stop in life that I will return to for new energy and new life knowledge. One bite at a time...