Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin For my recent birthday trip, I decided to treat myself to something a little different. While I spent the week at a beautiful 5-star beachside resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico, this vacation was about much more than relaxing and sipping celebratory drinks by the pool. It was about wellness – comprehensive, head to toe, inside and out.
After hearing for years about a wonderful wellness clinic in Alicante, Spain called SHA Wellness Clinic , and watching celebrities from Naomi Campbell to Kate Beckinsale tout their transformative experiences there, I finally took the plunge and spent a week at SHA’s new resort in Costa Mujeres, a quiet (and safe) area about half an hour from the tourists and temptations of Cancun. SHA Wellness Mexico, designed by Mexican architectural firm Sordo Madaleno. The curved shape of the .
.. [+] SHA building mimics the double helix shape associated with DNA molecules.
SHA Wellness The incredible architecture of SHA Wellness Mexico brings the outdoors in. SHA Wellness The curvature of the infinity pool and the details of the tiles in the overhang pay tribute to the ..
. [+] science and technology that SHA Wellness is known for. Erica Wertheim Zohar SHA is truly a passion project for the Madrid-based Bataller Family – three brothers and a cousin oversee the operations of the resort’s parent company, AB Living – and given the backstory behind the clinic, it is no wonder.
The family patriarch, real estate developer Alfredo Bataller Parietti, suffered 30 years of stomach pain and a cancer diagnosis before changes recommended by an integrative health expert turned his health and his life around. The miraculous results brought about by a focus on healthy and healing nutrition, augmented by lifestyle changes and various health therapies, inspired Bataller Parietti to create the original SHA Wellness Clinic in 2008 to share his tested knowledge with others – and those same practices are at the core of the SHA Method used at the resort today. Alejandro Bataller, Co-Founder & VP, SHA Wellness Clinic and AB Living Group speaks onstage at "The .
.. [+] Holistic Art and Science of Optimal Health" during the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2024 at Stanly Ranch on June 4, 2024 in Napa, California.
(Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for BoF) Getty Images for BoF MORE FOR YOU Hackers Force Chrome Users To Hand Over Google Passwords, Here’s How Google Chrome Deadline—You Have 72 Hours To Update Your Browser Musk Posts Then Deletes ‘No One Is Even Trying To Assassinate Biden/Kamala’ Despite the success of the Alicante clinic, winner of Conde Nast’s “Live Your Best Life” award at the 2024 Traveler Spa and Wellness Awards, it took more than 15 years for SHA to open its second location. “Over the years we’ve received countless proposals to open in different countries and we have always been very cautious in that we only want to expand when we consider we can maintain the concept and standards of excellence that characterizes SHA,” explains Alejandro Bataller, Co-Founder and Vice President of SHA Wellness Clinic. “The moment finally arrived.
” While the family’s original plan was to introduce the brand to the Americas with a resort in Palm Beach, an impromptu visit to Mexico led them to the pristine Costa Mujeres location, an ideal area for water sports with lovely views of Isla Mujeres and Cancun in the distance. AB Living not only developed SHA at the site, but is now also building a St. Regis Resort next door.
The St. Regis Costa Mujeres will be completed in 2025 and sits adjacent to SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness function loadConnatixScript(document) { if (!window.
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” - Alejandro Bataller __________________________________________________________ The interior lobby of SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness Interior designer Alejandro Escudero incorporates natural elements throughout the property such as ..
. [+] wood, stone, and glass. Erica Wertheim Zohar When viewed simply as a luxury beachfront resort, SHA certainly holds its own.
Designed by Mexican architectural firm Sordo Madaleno, the alluring curved shape of the SHA building mimics the double helix shape associated with DNA molecules. Interior designer Alejandro Escudero creates a minimalist, organic, but chic aesthetic with his use of neutral colors, beautiful woods, stone, and ceramics from the area, wicker, and abstract art. The 100 guestrooms and suites at the resort (there are also 35 residential apartments) are very large and well-appointed, and all come with private balconies offering views of the sea.
SHA’s oversized infinity pool is the focal point of the property, and its massive gym is incredible. There is also a stunning gift shop, a theater, and a beauty salon. And there are more facilities on the way, including tennis and padel courts and even a multi-purpose chapel and spiritual center.
The infinity pool at SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness The modern and spacious rooms at SHA Wellness Mexico have floor to ceiling windows with ocean views ..
. [+] and balconies. Erica Wertheim Zohar SHA Wellness Mexico SHA Wellness The massive gym at SHA Wellness Mexico is an important part of the program.
SHA Wellness But the beauty of SHA’s facilities only begins to tell the story. SHA is so much more than a luxury resort. It is an experience – one that aims to give its guests the tools to live longer and better, through a holistic and integrated approach to health, and an understanding, as Bataller explains, that “health is not only the absence of illness, but an optimal state of complete physical, mental, and spiritual well-being in harmony with the environment.
” Acupuncture is one of the many options for guests at SHA Wellness. SHA Wellness At the core of SHA’s wellness philosophy is the aforementioned “SHA Method” – nine key disciplines which are brought together to help guests achieve their ideal state of health: healthy nutrition, preventative and well-aging, holistic medicine, cognitive stimulation, advanced preventative diagnostics, well-being and inner balance, physical performance, and healthy living academy. These are the pillars on which SHA’s programs are built.
Modern indoor pool and heated loungers at SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness The SHA Integrated Method encompasses nine pillars of health. SHA Wellness First-time visitors to SHA must sign up in advance for one of four specific programs that impact health and well-being: Rebalance & Re-energize, Detox & Optimal Weight, Well-Aging & Prevention, and Optimal Performance.
A treatment and activity plan is then mapped out based on the choice and depending on the guest’s length of stay (from 4 to 21 days). On subsequent visits, treatments and activities can be enjoyed a la carte. High tech medical evaluation at SHA Wellness Mexico.
SHA Wellness When guests arrive to SHA they are given a general medical exam, and then an assessment that includes various cognitive tests, including memory tests. A doctor reviews the results with the guest, and then a more tailored treatment plan is crafted (which can be adjusted further throughout the stay). In addition, guests meet with a nutritionist that puts them on one of the clinic’s semi-personalized menu plans.
The menu for guests includes plant-based ingredients with no dairy or meat products and is ...
[+] custom-designed to meet guests' needs at SHA Wellness Mexico. Erica Wertheim Zohar Fish and root vegetables are beautifully presented at SHA Wellness Mexico. Erica Wertheim Zohar Meals at SHA are served at its restaurant, the beautifully spacious Shamadi, featuring both indoor and outdoor seating amidst lovely greenery (and a second restaurant, called Earthy, is soon on the way).
Truth be told, I initially felt some trepidation about eating for a week from SHA’s extremely healthy Biolight menu. There would be no meat, no sugar, no dairy products, not even coffee. Would I like the options offered? Would the food be bland? Would there be enough food so that I did not remain hungry? The beautiful Shamadi Restaurant at SHA Wellness Mexico.
SHA Wellness Special teas prescribed by the nutritionist are served to guests to help detox the body. Erica Wertheim Zohar As it turned out, the food at Shamadi was terrific, one of the highlights of my stay. Executive chef Lixi Lineas serves a gourmet menu focused on colorful vegetables, whole grains, alkaline foods, and seafood.
Breakfast each day started with hot bowl of miso soup – one of my big takeaways from the experience, as I have now incorporated this practice at home. Meals were followed by hot apple cider to aid with digestion, or an assortment of detoxifying teas. The food at SHA was flavorful, creative, varied – but always very healthy.
And no, despite what seemed like smaller portions, I did not find myself hungry throughout the day. I even managed the lack of caffeine with little issue. Beetroot juice and veggie soups such as shiitake combined with miso are a perfect example of highly .
.. [+] alkalising recipes that are offered every morning for breakfast at SHA Wellness Mexico.
Erica Wertheim Zohar Breakfast at SHA consists of a mixture of vegetables, fruit, and grains individually portioned to ...
[+] the specific needs of the guest. Erica Wertheim Zohar What truly sets SHA apart from other wellness resorts, however, are its expansive health facilities and cutting-edge, high tech medical and treatment offerings. SHA’s health clinic housed within the resort is no less than 6 stories tall, with roughly 100 treatment rooms – and the options are seemingly endless.
Among the highlights during my stay were cell regenerative therapy, transcranial electrical stimulation A soundbath experience at SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness The Icaros is an interactive virtual reality exercise machine that works with strengthening core and ..
. [+] coordination. Erica Wertheim Zohar therapy, cupping therapy, and my very first experience with acupuncture (which was mind blowing!).
I had a great shiatsu massage, fell asleep during my sunset sound bath meditation session, and watched my husband struggle through his Icaros virtual reality workout. And the list of treatment options goes on, from cryotherapy to ozone therapy to hydrojet therapy – with the activities all easily managed through SHA’s excellent mobile app. Many of the treatments at SHA are medically advanced, yet the vibe always felt comfortable and never overly medical.
There are many other wellness resorts broadly competing with SHA, but it may just be the only true wellness clinic in the Americas – equal parts resort hotel on the one hand and medical clinic on the other. Medical doctors work with guests at SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness Perhaps my favorite thing about SHA is that the experience there can be whatever the guest wants it to be.
It is by no means a one size fits all program. Some come to SHA wanting to focus on the more medical aspects of the clinic, the testing and the treatments. Others are more focused on losing weight, healthy eating (and cooking), and exercise.
Guests can learn how to bring their newly-found healthy lifestyle home through interactive cooking ...
[+] classes at SHA Wellness Mexico. SHA Wellness There is a segment of SHA visitors clearly focused on longevity and on pushing the limits of their bodies with new ways of working out and biohacking to enhance their energy and physical performance. And there are those that come to SHA simply to relax, rest, decompress, meditate, and work on their mental well-being.
Some visit with a significant other, but many choose to experience SHA alone. In short, SHA offers programs that can be tailored for anyone and everyone. The indoor pool at SHA Wellness Mexico.
SHA Wellness SHA Mexico is only the latest step of a planned global expansion by the pioneering wellness brand that hopes to put a SHA clinic on every continent. Next up is SHA Emirates , an ambitious project located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which is slated to open in 2026. But for now, a new destination awaits those looking to live longer and better – and for Americans, that trip to SHA is closer than ever.
The new SHA Wellness Emirates. SHA Wellness.
