The European plan

I float to my next appointment — a 30-minute bioenergetic medical treatment. A calm and friendly therapist greets me in the waiting room and brings me to her office where I am weighed and instructed to lie down on a table. Here I am told that, having viewed the results of my Mattech test, she’ll be focusing on my kidneys, lower intestine and nervous system. “Your body is pretty stressed out,” she says, adding that she will also be testing my body composition — in other words, my fat, muscle and fluid mass. All of this is done with two pencil-sized wands that are connected to a machine by thin wires and designed to act much as acupuncture needles, though noninvasive and allegedly more effective. The therapist spends a lot of time on my feet in a sort of high-tech reflexology session; sometimes it’s painful, other times I don’t feel a thing. At the end of the treatment, she seconds Chenot’s suggestion that I get a blood test. “You won’t get the results for another two weeks, but we’ll call you with a report,” she promises. For the next two hours I read, relax and steam in an attempt to distract myself from my growling stomach.

DAY THREE
Although the third day of a detox is typically difficult, I just feel a bit tired. I repeat yesterday morning’s regimen: a liquid breakfast followed by the signature water-and-mud-therapy treatment. Then I have my final meeting with Chenot. As at our first meeting, Dominique sits next to me to translate. They each look at least 10 years younger than they are; something here must be working right. Chenot looks over both my Mattech and body mass tests and gets serious. These tests are one of the most important elements of his technique, a window for diagnosing systemic weaknesses before they manifest physically.

“Your muscle mass is very low compared to your fat mass and your metabolism is slow. Your small intestine and descending colon are not working as well as they should,” he says. “You are too young for this.” He continues, “Maybe we need to focus on your thyroid to work on your metabolism. Maybe it has something to do with a high intolerance to something in your diet. We can tell you exactly what to avoid when the blood test results are in.” I am also told that I am not including enough fish protein in my diet and that whenever possible I should exercise outdoors in fresh air rather than in a gym. I sit across from him feeling chastised and thinking that for someone who had no discernable health problems, this is pretty bad. He reads my mind: “You may feel OK now, but I can tell you that if things don’t change, in 10 years when you are 43, you will have problems with your posture and more fat deposits. In 15 years the toxins in your colon and intestines can become a real problem and could develop into a disease. Here we are concerned with anti-aging, and anti-aging is prevention. I give people who come to me the information and diet that they need. Those who follow the program get very good results.” I don’t doubt him in the least. Although I wish I had the time to complete the full week, after only three days I am feeling healthier than I have in months.

TWO WEEKS LATER
While working at my desk one day, there is a phone call from the Grand Hotel Palace. “May I pass you through to Henri Chenot?” asks a woman on the other end of the line. A few seconds later we are connected, using our same mixture of English and French. The results of my blood test are in and have confirmed that I have a strong intolerance to both dairy and eggs. “Avoid milk and eggs as much as possible,” he advises. “And try not to eat any cheese for the next six months. After that you can occasionally have some goat cheese.” I mention that I have always had some trouble with dairy and that after my three days at his clinic I had already made the switch to rice milk with good results. I laughingly complain about the cheese restriction, but he makes me feel better by reminding me that I can still have an occasional glass of red wine. In practice, I find that’s plenty of compensation for feeling so good.

Spa Magazine  portrays the full-depth of the spa experience and ways to live it every day. Dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to pursue health of body and mind, Spa Magazine  presents a contemporary view of spas worldwide. © 2006 World Publications, LLC

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