In Search of Healing

Weary urbanites are seeking restorative retreats that provide nutritious meals, scenic surroundings, and warm relationships, such as Austria's The Original FX Mayr.

- GRACE MA

I stared at my bouillon at dinner and the teaspoon I was supposed to drink it with. It was only the second day of my five-night stay at The Original FX Mayr and the reality of a 600-calorie-a-day meal plan was hitting me hard.

Opened in 1976 along the scenic Lake Wörthersee in southern Austria, The Original FX Mayr is the first health clinic in the world to use the Mayr cure method developed by Austrian gastroenterologist Franz Xaver Mayr. Based on medical diagnosis and restoring gut health through cleansing, fasting, and mindful eating, it has been adopted by several wellness resorts around the world.

I arrived on a Friday night, picturing delicious, clean three-course meals with soothing spa treatments and casual countryside hikes. The first hint that this would not be your typical wellness programme presented itself in the welcome pack of scientific-sounding supplements and the absence of a mini bar in my suite. There were no snacks anywhere, only colourful packs of herbal teas and big silver coolers of hot ginger water in the living room and the restaurant.

For the next few days, I dutifully swished coconut oil in my mouth upon waking up. To clear out my gut, I also popped potassium and magnesium tablets and drank alkaline powder solutions several times throughout the day. My frequent liquid bowel movements nearly pushed me over the edge, but Dr Ursula Muntean-Rock, head of The Original FX Mayr’s medical team, encouraged me to hold out. Whenever I felt uncomfortable, I could let her know, and she would adjust my dosage and diet accordingly.