Could a health resort cure brain fog and scepticism?

Suffering from perimenopausal horrors, fatigue and stress, Frances Millar set aside her natural cynicism to try a wellbeing getaway for the first time

- EMMA JOHNSON

I'm a health spa sceptic. There, I said it. When friends or colleagues espoused the benefits of chic getaways to pricey spas or wellness resorts, I rolled my eyes.

I've always pushed health matters to the back of my mind until warning lights began to flash - shooting sciatic pain, muscle ache, brain fog, fatigue, bad sleep... I've had them all and suffered in silence. Then add endometriosis and perimenopause to the mix.

There are an estimated 13 million women who are peri or menopausal in Britain, roughly one third of the UK's female population. And about 1.5 million of us also suffer from crippling endometriosis.

So when the chance came up for a health-focused break in the rolling hills outside Bologna in Italy, I decided to put my misgivings to one side.

Wellness tourism is a booming industry, valued at £625billion in 2023 and set to rise to £1trillion in 2028. A study for booking.com last year found almost half of Brits would pay for a holiday with the sole purpose of extending their life.

My purpose for my trip stretched to a two-item to-do list: "relax and eat pasta". But Palazzo di Varignana, a sprawling wellness resort with an award-winning spa, had other ideas.

Not long after arriving, I did a quick sweep of my private villa: airy rooms, a snooker room with a balcony library, marble bathrooms, an infinity pool that melts into rolling vineyards and olive groves, and even a little orchard.