Celebrity favorite SHA Spain is one of the world’s top wellness clinics

A 500-calorie dinner paired with a shot of apple cider vinegar transforms into a celebratory feast when served on a hilltop terrace overlooking the shimmering Mediterranean Bay of Altea. Such is the magic of SHA Spain, the award-winning wellness clinic so glamorous that diet meals, ice baths and fat-mass scans feel like an indulgence. 

Consider it the ultimate riviera-chic retreat. But it’s not just the breathtaking vista, gloriously sunny days and celeb fans like Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell and Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing that make SHA so utterly fabulous. Widely considered to be one of the top preventive medicine destinations in the world, the futuristic white compound located 45 minutes outside of Alicante combines the latest scientific research and technology with holistic therapies and a focus on nutrition.

The five-star medi-superspa was founded 15 years ago by Alfredo Bataller Parietti, a real estate developer who overcame decades of illness after changing his diet and embracing integrative health strategies. The massive seven-building compound stretches over 290,625 square feet, houses 93 suites and 10 residences, and is as gorgeous indoors as out.  

There’s a hydrotherapy circuit with saunas, a steam bath and pools of different temperatures, along with 90 treatment rooms, a gym, chapel, library, movie theater and even a kitchen for cooking demonstrations. The open-air amenities include a jaw-dropping infinity pool, jacuzzi, and paddle tennis court with panoramic views of the sea and mountains. As for accommodation, my Deluxe Suite with a dressing room and furnished terrace was beautifully appointed and immaculate.  

First-time guests choose between five programs designed to optimize physical and mental well-being, from the popular seven-day Leader’s Performance plan for execs to my own, the four-day Rebalance & Energize, which was supplemented with a number of à la carte therapies. 

My visit began with an intake by a nurse, followed by a series of non-invasive diagnostic tests and a consultation with a doctor to review the findings. I scored normal or close-to-normal readings on everything from vascular age to glyco-oxidation, but my love handles did me in. I blame them for my borderline high fat-mass percentage.

The doctor recommended a Mediterranean diet, more exercise, a daily vitamin and supplements. 

I also met with a nutritionist, who was unimpressed with my frozen Trader Joe’s lunches, frequent meat-and-potatoes dinners and four espressos a day. She recommended that I consume less meat and caffeine, more fruit and vegetables and move up my mealtimes, in line with sun cycles. 

She tried to ban me from coffee during my stay, but I politely refused and negotiated three cups a day. Had I been denied, I was fully prepared to sneak out in the mornings for caffeine. I wasn’t alone in my insubordination: A guest from Bahrain told me he had smuggled coffee-making supplies and was gleefully brewing espressos in his suite.

The results of my integrated bioenergy assessment were perplexing. I thought I had pep in my step, but the test measuring the voltage of my main meridians revealed I had low energy levels. The specialist assured me that people often don’t realize they are lacking in vitality.

When not in consultations or swanning around the building, I reported for therapies like acupuncture, shiatsu, an algae wrap and an infrared heat session. I wish I could describe the bliss, but the deeply relaxing treatments made me fall asleep. 

The ice bath, however, sent me into fight-or-flight mode. The practitioner taught me to hold his gaze while taking deep breaths, offered to hold my hand and reassured me that 98% of guests last two minutes in the frigid water. I leaped out after 15 seconds. He cheerfully coaxed me back in, but my second dip was even shorter. 

I couldn’t tell if the ozone therapy, said to improve many of the body’s physiological processes, had worked. I felt great before a cup of blood was extracted from my arm, mixed with ozone and reinfused, and wonderful afterward.

A lifelong gym avoider, I found myself looking forward to sessions with Marcos, my Argentine trainer. He seemed to know countless exercises that were exactly at my level, pushed me to my limit and made me want to get in shape. 

Although I could have happily spent the entire time on campus, I went on an early morning group walk to the lighthouse — spectacular — and taxied alone one afternoon to nearby Altea. The coastal town is famous for its cobbled streets, white-washed houses and picture-perfect main square dominated by the blue-domed Church of El Consuelo. 

I didn’t want to leave the bustling plaza, but wasn’t about to miss chef Andrés Morán’s delicious dinner at SHAmadi. The three meal plans — gluten-free Kushi is for dieters, Biolight is more substantial and signature SHA is the healthful gourmet option — are remarkably varied and flavorful (and featured in a cookbook, “The SHA Recipes to Live Longer and Better“). Beautifully plated fish, pasta, soups and colorful salads are served, while meat, processed sugar, dairy, eggs and alcohol are off the menu. 

But who needs cocktails when you have vinegar shots? In between newly instituted long walks around my neighborhood and my five-pound home weight-lifting regimen, I sometimes swig the sour stuff. I call it my SHA-mpagne.

From $2,600 for the four-day Rebalance & Energize Health Program, plus accommodation.