SPA TIME
The latest pampering places, products and treatments
Spa of the month
Gräflicher Park Grand Resort,
Bad Driburg, GermanyA few weeks ago, I was invited
to ‘take the waters’ in Bad
Driburg, Germany, a region
renowned for its healing
springs. Not only did I drink the
mineral waters, I immersed myself in
peat mud and experienced the famous
FX Mayr Cure. All of this took place at
the Gräflicher Park Grand Hotel, a beautiful
spa complex, owned by the family of the
Count and Countess of Oeynhausen-
Sierstorpff since 1782.THE HOTEL
Gräflicher Park Grand Hotel is a go-to
location for spa seekers looking for
health and wellbeing. Set in a stunning
64-hectare country park with its own
mineral springs and mud ponds, the
beautifully kept grounds and themed
gardens provide tranquility unrivalled by
other resorts. Within the grounds lie ahotel, six guesthouses, a spa, medical
centre and conference venues.
Inside the hotel are 135 guest
rooms, several restaurants, a stylish
bar, swimming pool and beauty salon.
However, if you’re taking the FX Mayr
Cure, you stay in The Hölderlin House,
with FX Mayr treatment rooms and
charismatic naturopath and Mayr
physician Dr Henk Hietkamp’s practice.THE PHILOSOPHY
The FX Mayr cure, famous for treating
everything from digestive ailments to
chronic disease, was developed by
naturopath Franz Xaver Mayr at the
beginning of the 20th century, based upon
rest, detoxification and regeneration of the
gastrointestinal tract. Mayr believed that
intermittent fasting was the key to good
health. ‘If the gut is healthy, the person is
healthy,’ was his philosophy. The physician
claimed that a healthful diet is not so
much about what we eat but how we eat
it. Thorough mastication (chewing) is key
and, ideally, you should eat in silence to be
aware of your satiation and aid digestion.THE DIET
Mealtimes on the Mayr cure are something
of an experience. Breakfast at 8am is two
spelt rolls and a small amount of cottage
cheese and chives along with some herbal
tea of your choice, which you sip with a
teaspoon. The crucial factor is that every
single bite of the bread roll must be
chewed at least 40 times, until a mixture
of saliva and carbohydrates has been
produced, before taking a teaspoonful of
cottage cheese. It tastes a bit like eating
baby food by the time you swallow. In
between meals, you drink at least two
to three litres of the spa’s mineral water.
Lunch consists of vegetable soup, eaten
with a teaspoon and a plate of steamed
vegetables, followed by tea. Dinner at
6pm is a repeat of breakfast.THE PROGRAMME
On arrival, I had a consultation with
Dr Hietkamp who creates a tailored detox
programme for your stay. Every morning,
my day began with a cleansing glass of
bittersalts with a base powder (calcium
potassium, bicarbonate and magnesium)MAYR
SPA