MINERAL SPA
Dr Liane Weber: an alternative approach
D
r Liane Weber, a doctor from Germany, has been in the medical profession for
25 years – and up until 12 years ago focused on the western approach to treating patients. “You mainly pre- scribe drugs but after a while you have to treat their side-eff ects and it’s a vicious circle and I had a feeling it wasn’t enough to do this” she says. In 2000, she joined the department
of rheumatic diseases at the Healing Caves in Gastein Austria, which used a mix of physiotherapy and radon therapy to alleviate the condition. “Every year I saw the improvement when patients returned and I was surprised that people could just stop taking pain killers,” says Dr Weber who focuses on treating people with the chronic pain syndrome fi bromyal- gia as well as those with rheumatism. “It really opened my eyes.” Holding qualifi cations in tui na,
acupuncture and other aspects of Chi- nese medicine, Weber has also created a seven-night TCM Retreat for Grand Park Hotel where she works as a TCM specialist in addition to seeing patients in the caves. T e retreat combines ini- tial and closing medical examinations along with nutritional advice, tui na massage and acupuncture to restore the body’s balance, energy and blood fl ow, strengthen the immune system and promote emotional wellbeing. “In a lot of medical cases, it’s the com- bination of western and TCM that is most successful. I support a pre- ventative approach for individuals and this is where TCM really diff ers from western medicine.”
Head chef Franz Huick (and his team) cook up healthy, well-balanced spa meals
cal-focused programmes (see further on). However, there’s certainly something for everyone and around 35 per cent of hotel guests have at least one treatment as well as using the spa facilities. T is is good news considering the spa really only serves those staying at the hotel as locals and day visi- tors are more likely to visit Bad Hofgastein’s nearby public thermal baths. “Our spa is more intimate, quiet, relaxing
and luxurious,” says Wachter. “T e public baths are usually more crowded, with up to 3,000 people a day and I heard they did 24,000 treatments in August alone! Our guests may come here for a leisure holiday and just want a beauty treatment, or there is the health side such as the wellness [TCM
therapies] or the radon therapy and that’s why the percentage is high.”
AHEAD OF THE CURVE T e health of guests is defi nitely high on the agenda. Wachter, who’s worked in hospital- ity for 30 years across all hotel departments, has a hands-on approach and makes a point of talking to every guest at dinner if not in the day. “It’s really important to know how they’re feeling, I ask them how they are and I’m genuinely interested – it’s not just a polite question,” she says. “It’s this special atmosphere and personal service that makes the big diff erence.” She explains that everything the hotel does is geared towards not just making a
General manager Claudia Wachter makes a point of talking to guests at dinner daily
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Covering 2,000sq m, the Grand Spa has a wide range of facilities
SPA BUSINESS 4 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
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