Conduct a random survey at the St Francis Health Centre, overlooking the beautiful Kleinemonde Valley, near Port Alfred, and you'll discover it attracts people from all walks of life from throughout the world - and for vastly differing reasons.
Some are there simply to unwind in a relaxing environment, wanting a holiday that doesn't leave them feeling more exhausted than when they started, while others need to kick the smoking habit, stop bingeing, learn to eat properly or take time out to reinvent themselves.
The regulars endorse the St Francis philosophy that: "Health isn't just an absence of disease, it's an embracing of life."
Others admit they are kinder to their cars, servicing them at regular intervals and yet often failing to pay proper attention to the engine that powers them through life, expecting their bodies to keep functioning at peak efficiency on a diet of dodgy food, alcohol, cigarettes, inadequate exercise and too little rest.
Invariably we only respond adequately to our own needs when the red warning lights start flashing.
I first heard about St Francis during a booze cruise in Hong Kong more than a decade ago but was warned: "It has none of the glitz and glamour of the latest five-star hydros, but the lady who runs it has something special - a healing touch."
She's Austrian-born Anneliese Cowley who surveys life through penetrating eyes set in an unlined and ageless face that personifies love, kindness and compassion.
Those eyes seem to look right through people, and at first I felt as vulnerable as a butterfly beneath a pin until I realised that her laser-like focus is necessary to zero-in on the issues relevant to my physical and psychological well-being.
Now, like a boomerang, I return to St Francis each year to relax, unwind and detox with like-minded souls who treasure good health.
Her invitation is to reconnect mind and body and discover the real you.
"And to make a life, rather than a living, the cornerstones including a healthy and nutritious diet, exercise and daily relaxation.
"Healthy living is a way of life," she says. "By learning how to incorporate and balance a healthy, nutritious diet with exercise and relaxation each day, our lives become much less stressful, our relationships improve, and we gain a greater sense of control over our life and health. We function more effectively in our individual environments."
She adds: "We are what we digest. The detoxification diet during your stay is a healthy vegetarian diet that allows the gastro-intestinal system to have a rest, rejuvenate and start functioning in a better way, producing the right enzymes for digestion.
"Your first day is a liquid day which is not a starvation day as most people get more nutrition absorbed out of the vegetable broth, herbal teas and fruit juices than from a three-course meal which takes a lot of energy to chew and digest.
"Around 80 percent of energy produced by the food we eat goes back into digestion, so the better prepared the food is the more goes back into our cells," she explains.
We all joke about how incredibly modest the portions are, although most agree that we aren't actually hungry, even if we do occasionally fantasise about chocolate or a seared tuna steak. My taste buds come alive: everything tastes good to me and a lingering cough induced by sulphides in wine disappears almost immediately.
We're also comfy and feeling pampered, our routine including full-body massages, aromatherapy oils, reflexology, a daily steam bath, aqua-aerobics classes and machines that gently tone muscles and assist with the detox.
There are also optional beauty treatments, shiatsu, colour therapy, acupuncture and a 'stop-smoking' programme.
Guests are invited to make full use of a labyrinth on their personal pilgrimage, the circuitous paths having been likened to our journey through life.
Unlike a maze, which can be confusing and frustrating with its barriers and dead-ends, the labyrinth is an ancient tool of meditation that has no tricks or pitfalls, gently guiding the walker to its centre and then out into the world again.
I like to walk it often, enjoying the calm and clarity it gives me to make well-considered career and relationship decisions while enjoying new perspectives.
By now you've probably gathered that St Francis differs from many other health centres - some more luxurious and fashionable - in that it doesn't just confine itself to the physical treatment of guests; it operates on a deeper and spiritual healing level.
It also continues to evolve, and during my latest visit I discover a number of welcome upgrades which made a serene place even more perfect.
If you go...
- GETTING THERE: St Francis is 11km from Port Alfred.
- ACCOMMODATION: Single and double en-suite bedrooms.
- COSTS: From R7 488 single, or R6 864 sharing, for six days.
- CONTACT: 046 625 0927, www.stfrancishealthcentre.co.za
- "It was the most amazing rejuvenation and spirit-lifting experience." - Hermanus restaurateur Francois Barnard
- "St Francis provides an ideal balance between physical and mental well-being. Everyone should give themselves this wonderful gift - a truly invigorating experience." - Joburg executives Royden and Naomi Vice
- "The best gift I could have received ... total cleansing and relaxation." - Dubai home executive Tracey Flynn
- "The most incredible journey mentally, physically and spiritually. It is a very special place that all should visit." - PR executive Taryne Smith
- "A very good place to unwind and take stock of yourself. One learns to eat healthy, rejuvenate and live longer in this stressful country." - East London company director Vino Naidoo
- 'If you crave a respite from a hectic world and bad habits, look no further. It is a womb-garden of tranquillity, spirituality and laughter, sending guests off rejuvenated and with a sense of purpose to fulfil their life's ambitions." - China-based corporate social responsibility strategist Hamish Jacobs
WHAT GUESTS SAY:
