FOR EVER YOUNG

REVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH, NUTRIENT-PACKED CUISINE AND MINDSET MANAGEMENT AT CLINIQUE LA PRAIRIE

- HANNAH BRANDLER

I'M STANDING IN A CLOUD OF FREEZING MIST, watching the timer count down from 180 seconds as the temperature correspondingly plunges to -180 degrees Celsius. It sounds torturous, but the cryotherapy chamber offers a cold therapy treatment that promises anti-inflammatory returns (it’s not, as my friends thought, a place for sobbing). Minutes later (three, to be exact), I'm wrapped in a fluffy robe and whisked to a neighbouring room for a warming dose of infrared rays.

This was my introduction to the Longevity Method at Clinique La Prairie (CLP), a world-renowned health resort (and skincare brand) in the Swiss town of Montreux, with a magical mountainous setting on Lake Geneva.

The concept of ‘longevity’, aimed at extending our lifespan, has become a marketing buzzword in recent years, with every spa and wellbeing centre jumping on the bandwagon - making it hard to discern what's legitimate and what's wellness-washing.

CLP, however, has a reputable history. The clinic was set up in 1931 by Dr Paul Niehans, a physician famous for cellular therapy, and today the facility boasts medical maestros and cutting-edge therapies – such as the new ‘epigenetic stress test’, which measures the effect of chronic stress on the body.

The clinic takes a holistic approach to longevity, leveraging four pillars (medical care, nutrition, wellbeing and movement) to boost immunity, slow ageing and leave guests feeling fulfilled. Wealthy travellers head here for seven-day stints, booking onto programmes including Revitalisation, Detox and the new Brain Potential, which was launched in response to demands for brain training strategies to delay early degenerative problems.