The first time I have heard this quotation, years ago, that was from a guest doctor giving a seminar when I was at the most popular fasting clinic in Germany. And I always remember this saying.
I also remember, the classic music concerts they organize twice a week for detox guests and their outdoor pool in a beautiful garden where you can swim even when it is snowing around. I liked these details.
But what I didn’t like is; when I heard a sound and wanted to go out of my room, realizing they locked the door on me! And the answer I’ve got: “Here is not a hotel but a clinic, drug addicts, people try to quit smoking and alcohol, and people with eating disorders also come here. This is why we lock the door at nights. If you want to get out, you need permission from the Head Doctor.” I don’t have any of these problems but what I felt at that moment is a strong urge to run away! I also don’t want to remember that day when they put us on a scale; they put us all in lines with our bathrobes on and checked our weight and did other measurements. That was the moment I decided “In our centers, we too should have doctors, nurses and blood tests etc. as a good quality clinic but not such a discipline like this that prevents relaxation. Everybody should have his/her own responsibility and follow the program because he/she wants to do so!”
When we went to Thailand’s detox centers and spas we experienced different services and treatments. For instance, the “Hippy” detox center in Koh Samui where I did my first detox ever, was the best. But it is not that good experience if the detoxer before you didn’t clean the colema room properly or trying to figure out the first colema experience from a video. I never forget my friend said to me “I can not do this colema, and if you do, stay away from me this week, this place doesn’t really look hygienic!”
Next to the colema rooms, there is an open air juice bar where you can drink freshly squeezed juices. And those heavy incense sticks, mixing with moist, sometimes too much for me. But still that center was full and they were having incredible results! People from all over Europe, so friendly and ready to share their amazing experiences on how they regulate their sugar levels, how they decrease cholesterol levels or how they gave 6-12 kg in a week. Also the massage price was so cheap that everybody had 2-3 massages a day. Again I had the idea in mind thinking “if the hygiene and attention are that bad, no one will come to us. We should do the program just like this but should be extra careful on hygiene and training”.
After a while I again went to Thailand, this time I was welcomed with a limousine at the Bangkok airport. After 2 hours drive, the general manager Paul invited me in with a smile on his face saying “Hello Miss Kaynak, you are so lucky, tonight is our open buffet and champagne night!” I am sure the expression on my face has worth seen! First I convinced our investor saying “we should see all the popular detox centers in world, including this one, owned by a former Thai minister, nightly price 850 USD even in off season, and then I was worried about how will explain him doing detox with open buffet and Champaign! This center, also very popular among Turkish people, I think was a waste of money!
I understood later that my new friends, an Arab Sheikh who feels happy when he looses 2 kg monthly, a British Countess and an Australian owns countless lands would need these open buffets occasionally to stay at this center for 4-8 weeks (and I remind again, 850$ nightly, exc. massages). The longest juice detox was for 3 days, and only 1 day you drink pure liquid. Of course no one wants to scare guests so the other days include low calorie open buffets. But on the other hand, the spa treatments were perfect! Especially when you get out of the sauna and walk in the cold shallow pool full with rose petals, you definitely feel like a princess that moment, your body is covered with roses! So I knew what to do: In our center there have to be good quality massages and little personal touches that make our guests feel special.
In USA, in such centers, almost everyone treated as a health couch student. Education was wonderful. When you return home, you start to grow wheat grass, specialized on sprouting and juicing and give lecture to everyone about healthy life! But the massage, it was terrible! They taught me how to stimulate lymph system with massage and how different massages are good for health, but for the first time in my life, I found myself looking to ceiling and counting the seconds and wishing this massage to be over. I decided not to cheat Far East with US ever again in my life! Yes, we do need education in our centers, and a shot of wheatgrass miracle was incredible. No matter what it takes, all the wheatgrass equipment has to be taken to Turkey.
In the light of all these researches, courses and experiences, what we add to our centers is “Human Touch” and “Turkish Hospitality”. What I mean is listening and learning the program, colema etc. from real, positive people not from a video, at the shake time, instead of coming to juice bar, enjoying the comfort of a staff who can find you and be sure you are drinking even if you hide behind a tree, doing your program with the help of people who cover you with blanket compassionately when you fell asleep on a couch, understand you with a great empathy, answer all your questions with patience, these things should be the major difference. For years, every morning we start the program and we are always happy to say that “our centers are not luxurious but we have only one luxury – our staff”.
We went pretty far from the real subject of this article! My first intention was to explain why every season has a reason to detox.
At the winter time, hibernation which many animals do is actually a kind of detox. With hibernation internal organs and the 2nd greatest energy consumer digestive system stop and get rest. So body can release and get rid of toxins, burn unwanted fat.
And there comes the season of recreation, spring; the best time to do the “spring cleaning”. Cells are rejuvenated easily, with the accelerated speed of metabolism after winter, detox is faster. The magnificent scent of spring in the air, singing birds and awakening nature give us energy to clean ourselves. These are the best months to take off thick winter clothes, renew our skin and feel close to nature, do detox in a detox center bare foot walking on the grass, release all the negative energy and get lighter. And also I am sure no one would say no to loose some weight before the sea season.
In the summer time, luckily many detox centers are in hot climates, with the increased heat, the need for water also increases. The more you drink water, the more you sweat and release toxins from skin. This is why at detox centers sauna, steam are one of the essentials of the program. But in the summer time, this naturally happens.
Aaand autumn; perfect time for detox, all the excuses, all the dinners you ate late at night, alcohol, sleepless summer nights. Autumn is good to boost immune system and cure the body after summer exhaustion. If you don’t want to have flu or cold in the winter time, you should do detox in autumn.
Before the New Year comes, autumn can also be your “rebirth” month as spring.
Don’t forget “Every season has another reason to detox”.
The most important thing is to decide and find 7 days in your busy life and give a break, live those days for you and you only, the most precious person in the universe.
I wish you all a happy season and a nice holiday with loved ones.
Love
Gül
