GUT FEELINGS

At one of Europe's most renowned medi-spas, Cara Schacter gets serious about her digestive health

- Cara Schacter

Fresh-pressed juice at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz Opposite page: Looking out at the Alps from Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in eastern Switzerland

AT GRAND RESORT BAD RAGAZ, a five-star Alpine spa, guests can book something called My Microbiome. This bespoke gut-focused retreat starts with a breakfast that is lactose-, fructose-, fructans-, galactans-, and polyols-free and is selected based on each guest's lab results. For me, that meant two eggs, 140 grams of papaya, two rice crackers, and a glass of 97.7-degree water.

The historic resort, 60 miles southeast of Zurich, is famous for its thermal baths fed by a spring that was discovered by medieval hunters. But it also has restaurants with six collective Michelin stars, $11,000-a-night penthouses, doctors who service the Swiss Olympic team, and the Newyou Method, a patented program of ambitious wellness offerings, including the one promising to refresh guests' intestinal flora.

Gut health is a trendy topic. Last year, digestive aids grossed $51 billion. Podcasts with names like Butts & Guts (hosted by a Cleveland Clinic colorectal surgeon) and Take a Stool (by an at-home gut-health supplement company) have proliferated. "Hot girls have IBS" was a viral tweet, a Tik Tok trend, and a billboard campaign for BelliWelli, makers of "zero-bloat" oat brownie bars.