APRIL 2020 businesstraveller.comWELLBEING
SHAUNFISHERCLOCKWISEFROMTOP
LEFT:Exercisingon
thesands;breakfast
at PureCafé;hotel
exterior;guestroom;
tealounge46
and anti-ageing expert. This warm, engaging woman
dispelled my preconceptions about the maleficence of
medical practitioners involved in cosmetic surgery.
Another piece of kit took a photo of me and then, using
facial recognition technolog y, scanned it for uneven skin
tone, lines, large pores and age spots. The images I was
shown were reasonably depressing, although I was assured
that my skin was in pretty good condition (with the caveat
“for my age”). Dr Santos did pick out some areas I should
attend to. Wearing sunscreen year round was essential, and
I should use clay facemasks twice a week for my gaping
pores (who knew pores sagged?). I had been suspicious
that I would be told I needed an immediate course of
botox and an emergency facelift. However, there was none
of that. She recommended a specific type of facial and
suggested what I should look for in a moisturiser. And
perhaps I could consider laser treatment in the future.HIGH-TECH THERAPY
After a tasty lunch, I headed off for a Flor de Sal (aka sea
salt) and matcha body scrub, followed by a detox massage.
Both were wonderful and I left in a kind of daze. While
in my zonked state, I took a look at some of the other
treatments on offer. Several space-age machines caught my
eye, including a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, which
uses higher pressure to reduce free radicals, and something
called an Iyashi Dome, which is a type of sauna that youlie in while infrared technolog y “detoxifies the body and
treats skin ageing”.
At a more basic level, nutrition and diet are key parts of
the hotel’s strateg y. Guests can take part in a monitored
juice fast – I did it for a day and found 24 hours on the
shakes and soups was nowhere near as gruelling as I
thought it would be. The hotel’s two restaurants – the
Pure Café, which is on the top floor next to the rooftop
pool, and Mediterranico – both use local produce that is
designed to reduce inflammation. Despite its worthiness,
everything I ate was delicious, even if the portions were
small. Breakfast in the Pure Café was a particular highlight
and comprised an extensive buffet and a hot menu.
The next day I attended a juice and soup workshop
with nutritionist Ana Rita Ferro – good fun and filled
with useful tips for making nourishing blends (apparently
you should always add protein to avoid high blood sugar
levels). That was followed by a facial, which left my skin
looking better. Then I opted to laze by the pool rather than
try one of the many organised activities on offer, from
Tibetan Bowls relaxation to dance and guided walks.
At the end of my stay, I felt relaxed and in fine fettle, and
better informed about how to stay well. There was a sense
thatguestswerenotjustcomingfora breakbuttolearn
howtopractisebetterself-careina hecticworld.BT
Standard room rates in May start from €180 (without
wellness programme). longevityalvor.com