Reset and recharge your body, mind, and spirit at the picturesque Park Igls near Innsbruck in Austria.
About Park Igls
Perched atop the iconic alpine city of Innsbruck, the serene and sunny location of Park Igls is the perfect award-winning sanctuary for a wellness sojourn. The retreat’s holistic approach to health blends Modern Mayr Medicine principles with specialist medical support, as well as discreet and personalised service.
The Mayr Approach
“The gut is the root system of the human body.” According to the Austrian researcher and physician Dr. Franz Xaver Mayer, most of society’s common health ailments such as skin problems, chronic pain, and metabolic disorders originate from the gastrointestinal system. Therefore, by healing our digestive system, we can greatly improve our health and prevent the onset of disease.
Accommodation
The accommodation at Park Igls comprises 51 well-appointed rooms and suites that combine modern comforts with elegant and thoughtful design in equal measure. All accommodation offers pleasant and idyllic mountain vistas that enhance the feeling of rest and regeneration.
I stayed in room 406, a suite located on the top floor. This spacious suite spanning 64sqm with a private balcony and separate bedroom felt like a luxurious serviced residence. The interior décor features a calming palette of tasteful neutral hues blended with pistachio green and red decorative accents. In addition to premium in-room amenities, my suite was installed with an infrared sauna cabin for added convenience.
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Wellness
Park Igls offers a plethora of varied and wholesome therapies and treatments, from therapeutic massages and spa body wraps, to sound healing sessions. During my stay, I experienced the following treatments:
- Craniosacral Therapy: The 50-minute craniosacral massage performed by experienced therapist Christine Canestrini was one of the highlights of my stay. Starting from my feet and gradually working up towards my head, Christine’s intuitive and gentle touches and subtle manual manipulations on various areas of my body such as my knees, sacrum, and head immediately provided relief to areas of tension and soreness in my body. Additionally, throughout the treatment and for some time afterwards, I felt a sense of emotional release.
- Combination Heat Compress (Hay Flowers and Moor): This 25-minute treatment in the retreat’s Baths Department consisted of an anti-inflammatory warm moor mudpack applied to my lumbar and neck areas to promote metabolic and cellular activity, as well as a heated hay bag placed on my gallbladder, liver, and gut areas for detoxification. My body felt thoroughly relaxed and weightless during this treatment, as it was simultaneously enveloped and cradled in a state-of-the-art Thermo Spa. Moreover, the soothing music and calming aromas of the treatment room further enhanced the overall experience.
- Deep Relaxation with Gentle Harp Music: As a fan of sound healing meditations, I was very excited to attend Maria Ritter’s sound healing session with harp music. Relaxing on a yoga mat, the session began with us placing our hands on various areas of the body, following Maria’s instructions on the Jin Shin Jyutsu technique. Each position and hold from this Japanese technique corresponds to a specific purpose of balancing and restoring the body’s energy system. The latter part of the session was where we simply reposed on the yoga mat, and drifted off to a state of tranquility and parasympathetic relaxation, with the melodic and regenerative sound vibrations of the harp surrounding us.
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Nutrition
The Modern Mayr Diet lays the foundation for all the meals during my stay. After my initial consultation with one of the in-house doctors, Dr. Elias Hinteregger, I was prescribed a light diet menu from Diet Level 6, which consists of highly nutritious food combinations whereby neutral foods such as vegetables are combined with carbohydrate or protein-rich foods. The menus are graded from Level 0 (Fasting) to Level 7 (Mayr Energy Diet), respectively corresponding to a gradual increase in food intake. The purpose of this monotonous food menu is to support the digestive system in working efficiently, thus improving the body’s long-term digestive capability.
Additionally, a core principle of the Modern Mayr Diet is to limit the quantity of new toxins being formed, by ‘predigesting’ food while it is still in the mouth. Guests are therefore encouraged to practice mindfulness during mealtimes; by chewing each bite of food for 30 times, and to swallow only when each bite has been fully liquefied.
What Else I Loved
- The professional and attentive staff: I felt very well looked after throughout my stay; from a very warm welcome from Front Desk Manager Janine Holstein, to the knowledgeable medical, therapeutic, and dining room staff, who were all readily available to answer any questions.
- A tailored and personalised approach to health and healing: The retreat’s extensive treatment and wellness offerings ensure there is something suitable for every individual preference and health goal.
- The importance of hydration: To facilitate hydration and detoxification, a daily rotation of freshly brewed cold and hot herbal teas is available, alongside alkaline-rich vegetable broth in the morning, and easily accessible water stations.
- A sense of place: The retreat and its surrounding scenic grounds promote an ultimate sense of peace, relaxation and rejuvenation for the body, mind, and spirit. I especially loved resting in a quiet corner of the outdoor garden in between my treatments.
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Final Thoughts
I left Park Igls after three days feeling more grounded, and with a refreshed mindset, greater mind-body awareness, as well as an increased knowledge of my own health. My body felt lighter and my digestive system was already working more efficiently thanks to the Mayr nutrition plan and the mindfulness eating habits I developed. These positive habits have stayed with me so far, and I hope to maintain them on my ongoing health and wellness journey. For optimum results, the retreat recommends a minimum stay length of 10-14 days.
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