SHA WELLNESS CLINIC
HEALTH SPA REVIEWS
Introduction
For the last decade or so I have had many friends who frequently go to spas and come back raving about all the new things they learnt regarding health and fitness and of course most importantly loosing weight. I know what your thinking I must have some pretty ott friends and as a matter of fact you would be right in thinking that. Many people I know seem to spend a crazy amount of money on food and private trainers each year to only spend an even more obscene amount of money on trying to get rid of all the weight they gain from their indulgences. I never thought I would ever go to a health spa just because I would rather spend the money on a fabulous beach holiday just chilling on a sun bed in picturesque surroundings de stressing and relaxing to come back refreshed and hopefully less anxious and more fit and healthy.
Booking
As it happened this year I had been feeling very stressed and was unable to manage my usual schedule of mentally and physically detoxing so things accumulated and I felt maybe I should give this a go and see what the fuss is all about.
I booked last minute and I decided to try the SHA Wellness Clinic. I wanted somewhere picturesque and beautiful not too clinical and where I can get some exercise,hikes have some healthy-ish food plus a place to do treatments to help me release the stress that I had built over the last few months. After speaking to many friends and doing a lot of research online I settled for the Sha Wellness Clinic in Alicante. It ticked all the boxes and It seemed to cater for the super hard core Spa-goers to the in-between-ers.
We flew from london to Alicante which is almost a two hour flight on BA. It was very short and civilized and got us in at a decent time in the afternoon. I had signed up in advance for the treatments and was scheduled to see a Specialist on arrival that would figure out my needs are and prepare a holistic that include treatments, food and exercise.
Arrival
We arrived at the SHA and immediately you can feel the super posh vibe and the tranquility of the space. It is all white without feeling clinical and it feels super bright and airy. The rooms were really beautiful and overlooking the sea.
From this beautiful start it went to not so beautiful. I had to wait and there was no consultant to see me or discuss my program and why I was coming to the SHA. I wasted the first afternoon doing pretty much nothing and not knowing what kind of program I should be on. I did a cooking class and I ate whatever I felt like eating and what was on offer.
They have two menus one to choose from at every meal. One very light and one that is a normal calorie intake but still in the macrobiotic philosophy. You also have to choose which time you would like to have your meals. There is two seatings for every meal and you cant really change. This I found annoying as I would like to be more flexible. They are accommodating if you decide to change but I always felt that I was messing things up for them when I did that.
I wasn’t crazy about the menu on offer as the light one was too extreme and the normal one had soy wheat and grains which I prefer not to eat soy or wheat. The next day it took until after lunch until we were able to see our consultant and when I saw her, it was super disappointing. Her command of the English language was very weak and she didn’t understand what my needs were and she also couldn’t offer any treatments as most things were already booked up. I also didn’t get to see the dietician until after 24hrs from getting to the spa so the meals I had were not what I should have eaten. Needless to say after I saw the dietician and he put me on vegetables grains and fish diet with no soy or wheat and no sugar. This was more like it and things began to look up and make more sense.
After I complained several times that I wasn’t able to make any appts for some of the treatments the manager intervened and I was able to get a few bookings. So for the first 24 hours it was a struggle to get a schedule going and I felt very stressed and frustrated that I didn’t have a proper schedule and that i was waiting. It took around a day and half to get a proper schedule tailored to my needs going but after that things became more routine and I began to enjoy my time and feel like i was benefiting.
I recommend for anyone coming to the SHA to organize their time there before they get there and make sure that the minute they arrive they have the dietician booked, their main consultation and even book some treatments so that they can hit the ground running without wasting any time.
The Food
The food concept at the SHA is based on a macrobiotic diet that is a vegetarian diet centered around grains and soya and no animal products. Asian philosophy This is a very popular diet that had gained a lot of notoriety within the health industry and the SHA is one place where they have embraced this concept. I personally don’t think it works for me and I prefer to have no wheat or soy in my diet but the idea of other grains and and vegetable and only sea food as a source of animal protein works better for me. When I saw the dietiacian we discussed this and for the rest of my time at the SHA I had grains, vegetables and sea food and I felt great.
Fitness
There are many fitness routines on offer at the SHA and many things to choose from all day. Many things are complementary and if you are organised you can pepper them throughout your day while in between treatments. So you should look at the schedule on offer and try and book your treatments before you get to the SHA and make sure that you leave time for all the great yoga classes, pilates the hikes and walks on the beach. I loved the hikes and the beach walks so I highly recommend that you start your day every morning with these two activities.
The hike is quite strenuous but you don’t need to go all the way to the top of the mountain but if you do, the views are stunning. The walks on the beach are great, not too strenuous and the sea is beautiful. On both the hikes and walks on the beach, you go at your own pace and you do as much as you can. As for the yoga classes they were great. They had all levels and all kinds of yoga. I tried a few and really enjoyed them all especially the ones that you stretched and meditated and really let go. I also loved going to the Hydrotherapy Circuit, they have a sauna, Roman baths, Turkish baths, cold plunge pool, hydrotherapy pool, lap lane, foot baths, bithermal showers, ice fountain, therapeutic water jets.
Treatments
At the SHA Clinic there is a whole entire book on the treatments that one can have while there. I was a spa virgin so I had no idea what I was looking at so it was hard to pick and choose how best to spend my time there. I was helped with a friend who happened to be visiting the spa at the same time, and she gave me a few recommendations.
My favourites were the cryotherapy, you go inside a freezing pod standing up, with your head outside of the pod. You stay for a few minutes…its gets super cold but bearable, and you come out refreshed and rejuvenated.
The Watsu massage was amazing. You go inside a warm large pool. The therapist holds you under your head and knees and pushes and pulls you super gently and makes you release all the tension from your body. I had my eyes closed and was gently rocked and swayed from side to side. By the time the hour was up i felt so relaxed that i started to cry by releasing all the tension that has built up over the past few months.
It was an incredibly powerful treatment and i highly recommend it. Another favorite was what was termed a Thai massage with a visiting therapist. It had nothing to do with a traditional Thai massage. It was more pressure points throughout the body.
He starts with the feet and moves his way up to cover all the different pressure points. Wherever he finds resistance he pushes and prods until there is some sort of release. He keeps doing that until he ends the session with the final point which is the heart. At times some pressure points made me laugh and some made me cry. And as he explained to me before the session to expect that. I still wasn’t ready for the way i felt after the session. All the tension and stress had left my body and i felt super light albeit a little drained.
Until Next Time SHA !
So after a rocky start I ended up having a great time at the Sha and really loved my time there. The trip achieved what was intended. I left the SHA feeling rejuvenated refreshed and ready for a new start. I decided to stay on my diet and kept to a vegan diet for four weeks. It was tough but it definitely doable. I had informed the receptionist at the clinic that i was going to leave the hotel around 11am so she organised to send me off with a small picnic basked full of goodies this way there is no temptation to cheat. It was a lovely gesture and a great way to end the week.
