Perched on the Spanish coast near the charming village of Altea, SHA Wellness Clinic is an immersive wellness retreat designed to help curb bad habits, reinvigorate the mind and body and take a restorative break—all in a luxurious setting. The five-star resort focuses on holistic-driven wellness goals personalised for each individual with popular retreats like the fitness, intensive detox and anti-stress programmes. Vice President of SHA Wellness Clinic’s Alejandro Bataller wasn’t always on the path to wellness before his father founded the award-winning property. He graduated from the Pontifical University of Comillas in Spain (ICADE) before completing his degree in Business Management at Harvard Business School. In 2007, he joined his family at SHA Wellness Clinic and found a new passion for self-care and holistic healing. We speak with Alejandro on healthy holidays, how to reboot and why SHA is the ultimate wellness destination.
What was your first healthy holiday experience? To be completely honest, I never enjoyed a healthy holiday before we opened SHA in 2008. Since then, I have visited many wellness properties, usually accompanied by my brother. It has become like our annual retreat.
How do you reboot after a hectic week? When I return home after a week of meetings and events, I focus on taking care of myself. Meditation and healthy nutrition (full of fruits and greens) are the best remedy, as well as recovering time with my family.
See also: SHA Wellness Clinic: The Luxury Retreat To Curb Your Bad Habits
Who do you admire professionally, and why? Of course, I admire my father for his courage in starting this amazing project that is SHA at a time of economic uncertainty in Spain. He had a vision and went forward despite having no previous experience in the wellness and health sector.
Who would this healthy holiday destination suit? We have five health programmes focusing on the most demanding health issues, from weight loss, to stress management, or healthy ageing… that can work for many people who want to achieve an optimal state of physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.
What do you hope guests will take away from their stay? We hope that guests will take away the knowledge to become managers of their own health and wellbeing.
What sets this resort and the retreats you offer apart from the rest? One of the many aspects that make SHA unique is our comprehensive method that integrates the most effective and proven natural therapies, highlighting therapeutic nutrition, without neglecting the latest advances in Western medicine, particularly genetic and anti-ageing medicine. Also we focus ono the re-education of habits in the short and medium-term that have a significant impact on long-term health. And, of course, the excellence of our service that characterises us.
What are your travel essentials? I never forget to pack SHA’s unique teas, which are designed to increase energy levels and improve digestion.
See also: The Next-Gen Leaders Shaping the Business of Wellness
What is an interesting routine that you do daily that sets you up for success? I’m a big believer in habits. I usually go to bed early and try to get up early, around 6:00am. This is followed by a routine of physical exercise and meditation. Following this standard, every morning helps me to stay focused on what’s important for the day and balance my energy throughout the day.
The most powerful transformations can come through difficult times or a crisis because people are forced to have a breakthrough. How have you changed a crisis into an opportunity? Of course, I firmly believe that crisis can strengthen us and allow us to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually. This is something I learned even before we founded SHA. To begin with, my father had his vision while being cured of an illness with a disastrous diagnosis. Later, SHA opened its doors during one of the biggest international economic crises under an innovative concept that took several years to position itself in Spain. And since then, our greatest value which is health is booming right now. Here we are, 13 years later, and after a year of a global pandemic, we continue to innovate and grow with two new openings in the next two years.
Contact bookings@compareretreats.com to book your luxury wellness retreat
