Germany is a country of spas. As bold as that claim sounds, just think of all the spas that thousands have been going to for centuries. You could even say that recuperation through relaxing treatments is integrated into our culture. That would explain the 5.15 million people who still visit a wellness facility every month, according to Statista, or the more than 1200 wellness hotels spread across the country. It is therefore not surprising that one of them was voted one of the fifteen best in the world.
However, there is a huge variety of treatments and cleanses, almost as many as there are philosophies in the world. And that is precisely the surprise. The spa, which is one of the best in the world, is an Ayurvedic retreat. In other words, it is a wellness hotel that puts the Indian philosophy of self-purification of body and mind into practice.
This is what the best Ayurveda retreat looks like
The Ayurveda Parkschlösschen, as the wellness hotel is called, is located on the outskirts of Traben-Trarbach in Rhineland-Palatinate. The location in the small town is no coincidence: Traben-Trarbach is idyllically situated on the Moselle and is a state-approved spa town in its own right.
However, with a 4.5-hectare park, the retreat is quite isolated from the town. At the center of these grounds stands a rustic castle, built in the style of a half-timbered house and crowned by a small tower. This rustic appearance is limited to the façade of the main building, as the interior is sparse and elegant – from the rooms to the pools.
In this ambience, guests are treated with the “oldest medicine in the world“: Ayurveda. This Indian philosophy influenced entrepreneur Wolfgang Preuß so much that he founded his wellness facility in the Parkschlösschen in 1993. One facet of this medicine is Panchakarma, a 9-, 13-, 20- or 34-night cure in which toxins are removed from the metabolism using clinical enemas. As intensive as this sounds – and it is – it is said to be just as helpful in getting rid of the stress of modern life as it is in shedding excess kilos.
Not to mention the strict discipline that patients have to follow during this treatment. For example, they only have to get up before seven o’clock before breakfast, rinse their mouth with oil, scrape out their tongue (as it is an organ that favors infections), drink lots of hot water and detox drinks, practice yoga and meditation… But Panchakarma is not only an intensive cleansing, it is also an expensive one. Just 9 nights of treatment – the shortest time available – cost more than 3,000 euros.
If that’s not enough, the wellness hotel offers individual therapies as well as Ayurvedic cuisine. This consists of vegetarian or vegan dishes prepared with fresh and easily digestible ingredients.
However, the treatment is not limited to body cleansing and a healthy diet. In order to truly find peace and relaxation, guests are asked to leave their cell phones aside. What’s more, there isn ‘t even Wi-Fi throughout the resort – and the signal can’t be very good under the many trees.
All in all, this is what prompted Condé Nast Traveler magazine to select this as one of the fifteen best wellness hotels in the world and the best Ayurveda wellness facility. Condé Nast is a global media company that includes magazines such as Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ and, more recently, a magazine specializing in travel.
The fifteen best spas in the world were selected based on criteria such as luxury, the best treatments and the best health outcomes. And as we have seen, these three terms more than apply to the Ayurveda Parkschlösschen.
You might also be interested in this: The 5 most beautiful wellness hotels in Germany
Adapted from an article written by Max Hailer for Secret Munich.