Fondues and Facials in Switzerland

 

It was the first time I had ever been to a museum where I could eat the entry ticket! Then again I had never been to Gruyère in Switzerland before – to learn about cheese. I was actually meant to be on a trip visiting spas, thermal waters and medical facilities – but they seemed to be heavenly interspersed with cheese fondues and chocolate and even a chocolate train ride to the Cailler factory.

Just a few minutes away from the cheese museum is the medieval village of Gruyères. It hardly seems real, with its old houses and cobbled streets, all in the shadow of a magnificent fairy-tale castle perched on a hill. It is beautifully kept and a perfect illustration of a way of life, until a busload of tourists using selfie sticks broke the spell.

 

Charmey, my base for two days is a small nearby ski area, famous for its natural waters, rich in mineral salts. They are heated to 34ºC and known as the ‘Bains de la Gruyère.’ Attached are steam baths and a hamman. Despite the lovely modern facilities it is the beautiful views of the snow-capped mountains that makes the thermal baths special, particularly when the sun is shining and the snow glistening.

Sadly, there was no time to hike in the unspoilt landscape surrounding Charmey or to witness Desalpe – the festival celebrated in September and October when after four months of grazing in the Alpine pastures, the cows make their way down to the plain. The locals celebrate this seasonal change by donning national dress and decking the cows with bells and flowers as they descend the mountain. It is no wonder the animals are treated so well, their pure milk has bought prosperity to the region for hundreds of years.

Although travelling on Swiss trains is a great activity in itself, this time I was keen to get to my second destination, Leukerbad, the largest area devoted to wellness in the Alps. David our guide explained that now the economy is not as strong as it used to be, Swiss national health insurance no longer covers use of the spa waters and consequently the baths are trying to attract a wider more international market.

 

The little village of Leukerbad has four large public baths as well as many smaller ones, fed daily by 65 thermal springs supplying 3.9 million litres of water at temperatures up to 51°C. The waters are rich in calcium sulphate and also contain sodium, strontium and iron. Measurements have revealed that the waters travel along subterranean channels for over 40 years, before finally emerging in the village.

Appreciation of this natural advantage is not new. The Romans were here and more recent famous visitors included, Lenin, Mark Twain and Picasso. The Victorians believed that the longer you were immersed in a thermal bath the more beneficial it was and the tradition of having a meal while taking the waters has been kept alive. We even tested the theory out at the Leukerbad Therme, where our smoked salmon and champagne breakfast came served on specially made, floating trays.

At the Walliser Alpentherme and Spa I tried out the Roman-Irish bath, so called because an Irish doctor worked out an ideal treatment circuit. It’s a natural, nude, two-hour bathing experience, consisting of eleven stations, including saunas, steam baths and thermal pools, all heated to different temperatures. This gradually brings the body up to healthy level of perspiration and then cools it down again. I enjoyed it all until the ice bath, which took me ages to get into and just one second to leave. After a final cleansing, the ritual concludes with a soap-brush massage, after which I made use of the comfortable relaxation area.

On another occasion I had a facial at our hotel, the luxurious Sources des Alpes, where they use Swiss Dr Burgener products and bath therapies with Swiss alpine salts. My facial included peeling, steam extraction, a massage and finally a gold and collagen face mask. I have never had one of these before and was curious as to whether it would work. I was told that it contained natural bio-ingredients that slow down collagen depletion while stimulating cellular regrowth and fight damaging free radicals. All this improves the elasticity of the skin and reduces the appearance of premature aging. It was cold and very gold but afterwards I have to admit my skin felt really soft and tingly. This was backed up on my return to England when friends complimented me on ‘looking good.’

For those wanting more medical interventions, Leukerbad has a large newly renovated Clinic offering a number of personalised programmes to improve performance and wellbeing. These include treating stress and burn-out; menopausal women; arthritis and other joint conditions and – one of its most popular – an eight day anti-aging programme for all round detoxification and strengthening of the immune system. On arrival, clients have medical imaging, tests analyses and a full health check-up including blood tests and an electrocardiogram. Another regime is for weight loss but personally I pity anyone undergoing that that at the Clinic, as the lunch we were offered in the large dining area was not only delicious but looked stunning too.

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Lucy travelled with Swiss International Air Lines who offers flights from Heathrow, London City, Birmingham and Manchester to Zurich, from £63 one-way www.swiss.com

 

Lucy stayed at the Hotel Cailler in Charmey http://www.hotel-cailler.ch/uk/index.php and at

Hotel Les Sources Des Alpes in Leukerbad http://www.sourcesdesalpes.ch/?lang=en

Other details: La Gruyère and Charney http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/charmey.html;

Leukerbad http://www.leukerbad-therme.ch/en/index.php;Walliser Alpentherme http://www.alpentherme.ch/en; Leukerbad Clinic http://www.leukerbadclinic.ch/en/.

 

For more information on Switzerland visit www.MySwitzerland.com or call our Switzerland Travel Centre on the international freephone 00800 100 200 30 or e-mail, for information info.uk@myswitzerland.com