By Gisela Williams

updated 6:01 p.m. ET Sept. 12, 2006

In the lap of Italian luxury, Henri Chenot’s customized anti-aging programs send clients home renewed and energized. Gisela Williams checks in for a dose of his detoxifying treatments.

Soon after relocating from New York City to Europe three years ago, I began to notice that not only do European women not get fat, they seem to age more gracefully than we Americans. While they have nothing against getting a few nips and tucks here and there, for the most part, European women keep their looks naturally through ingrained habits that focus more on preventive measures, lessening the urge for extreme and invasive surgeries. This winning formula of integrating internal and external care is also contingent upon the most classical aspects of a European lifestyle: Meals are supremely healthy, prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients and savored with good wine and conversation. Flawless complexions stay that way with skincare lines that frequently include nutritional supplements. And then there are the spa treatments: French and Italian beauties would rather fight cellulite over the years with creams and massage than sign up for liposuction later in life.

About a year ago, I starting hearing talk of Henri Chenot, an anti-aging and preventive medicine guru based in northern Italy. His method of maintaining beauty through health was attracting a diverse, high-profile crowd, from fashion designers to sports stars, all seeking his weeklong detoxification treatments. Although well-known today in Italy thanks to his weekly radio show, Chenot’s current headquarters opened quietly in the early ’80s at the Grand Hotel Palace in Merano, a charming spa town at the foot of the Italian Alps. Now, 20 years later, with the momentum of a flourishing practice and a string of successful health books behind him, Chenot has recently introduced an additional outpost, Espace Vitalité, a sleek modern spa in the L’Albereta hotel, less than an hour’s drive from Milan.

Chenot’s method is based on diagnosing, treating and reducing toxin levels in the body using “biontology,” a term he coined to describe his concept of health. “It’s the study of the evolution of life through time,” he explained to me. “It incorporates the ancient knowledge of Chinese medicine as well as the latest scientific technology and teaches people to understand and be able to test themselves for toxins.” According to his research, an excess of  toxins, the by-products of our body’s functions, can be the result of anything ranging from genetic disposition, stress or diet to environmental factors. He believes that to fight aging one must fight toxins, and to do so he prescribes an arsenal of signature treatments, medical tests, fresh air, exercise and a weeklong detox diet.

This spring, with three days to spare at the end of a trip to the nearby city of Bolzano, and after a month of too many rich meals, stressful traveling and deadlines, I decided to find out for myself the secret behind aging well — Italian style.

DAY ONE
There is an Easter procession going on when I arrive in Merano. I drive by women and men in traditional Tyrolean dress riding horses through the main street to the beat of drums and blowing of horns. A minute later I pull into the arched driveway of the Grand Hotel Palace, which, like Merano itself, seems from another era. Two proudly uniformed doormen, briefly leaving their post in front of the imposing Belle Epoque building, quickly collect my bags and lead me to reception. The marble-columned lobby is bustling with a well-polished, silver-haired crowd here for a formal Easter luncheon taking place on the terrace. I briefly fantasize about having one last plate of pasta before submitting to my three days of detox but choose to avoid temptation and immediately take the elevator down to the spa instead.

Here I find yet another world: Therapists make their way quietly over Persian rugs to collect guests lounging comfortably in their robes on silk-upholstered chaises. At the spa’s reception desk, I receive a thick folder. Along with my schedule and information about Henri Chenot, there are 17 intimidating pages of health questions to respond to before my first checkup at 12:30. (Typically, this procedure is done in advance over the phone as part of a preliminary consultation, but I had signed up too late for this to happen.) A quick scan of the material reveals that, beyond my own status, the health history of my entire family going back to my grandparents is taken into consideration. There are also several pages of multiple-choice questions concerning my diet, physical activity and symptoms of “intoxication.” (From what I can understand, this is a way to measure my exposure to toxins.) These latter questions make me nervous. Is my urine cloudy with a strong odor? I think not. Do I feel a burning sensation or bloating after meals? Sometimes. Do I have a “furred” or sour tasting mouth? Absolutely not! Excessively cold hands or feet with sweating particularly in situations of stress? Um, that seems to be happening right now.

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