More than two years ago, after a Master in Spa management that I had attended at LUISS University in Rome, I had the chance to work as an intern for few days at the Palace Hotel in Merano in the Espace Henry Chenot. I am going to disclose 5 secrets that I discovered during my staying there, for 5-star wellness. When you cross the sumptuousentrance of this ancient castle, you can already taste the splendour of the Hapsburg past, embedded in a pleasant and fresh scent of natural essences and essential oils. Wearing branded slippers and a bath robe, I examined all the areas and wings of the Espace Henry Chenot. This facility has been managed for dozens of years by Dominique, married to the French guru, who has developed, in forty-five years of experience, a successful methodology for Predictive and preventive medicine, foundedon a encounter between the concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Biology and Naturopathy and it’sa world-leading excellence that provides the best wellness treatments currently available. We could say that Chenot’s facility is like a Rolls Royce forglobal wellness. The French marine Biologist created a new “science”, Biontology. Bio= life and Ontology= Time; in other words, this is a modern scientific discipline relying on ancient healthy concepts, which investigates “life withintime” and analyses the evolution of the human organism’s vital resources across different age spans.

The 5 secrets of this effective formula are very easy: bio-light detox nutrition, regular physical exercise, psychophysical balance and oxygenation, rest (even from mobile phones) and high-quality medical care. Because, “A healthy style of life makes us live longer!” The body treatments are inspired by oriental traditions and Taoism, and include Ying e Yang mineral mud baths, Chinese massages, hydrotherapy with water jets, customised exclusive detoxifying techniques, and reactivation of Chinese energy channels and organic functions. Each treatment is attended by constant monitoring of specialised medicalstaff. According to Chenot, you cannot achieve wellness without using your own physical and mentalpotential, learning how to train your memory and how to get used to a mental balance. Meditation is an effective support to achieve good breathing and to learn how to oxygenate each cell’s core, minimum for 20 minutes a day, through the diaphragm. This enhances healthy ageing, by slowing processes. Henry is a genuine man, with a great attitude and sense of humour. He confided to me that he lives an ordinary typical day: he wakes up at 6.15, and reads Italian and French newspapers at 7. At 8.30 he meets the Sales Director to get a report of the previous day. During the morning and in the afternoon he visits the Spa’s medical area and participates into the examination of patients’ health conditions. During the day he is in touch with Lugano, where his two children and other personnel live. They take care of cosmetic, marketing and merchandising business. At 19.00 he participates as a moderator in an explanatory multilingual conference held at the hotel, aiming at educating and raising awareness on the Chenot method and Medical prevention.

Henry offered me a copy of each of his books he has written over these years, which is stored in his personal library, of about 3000 texts and which I devoured in a bio way, especially the latest one entitled “Health care and healthy livingwith the methodChenot.” Now Dominique also started writing, thanks to her passion for cooking, with the collection of her light recipes “Good, Nice and Healthy”, which can also be downloaded from the official website. The Espace Henry Chenot meets all the requirements for a starred award: it’s a true 5-star universe!