The Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence at Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne (Switzerland) has partnered with acclaimed fertility expert Zita West to create the Fit for Fertility retreats for guests wishing to prepare for pregnancy. Unique in Europe, the first five-night retreat for women will take place from March 12-16.
West is one of the world’s leading fertility and pregnancy specialists, renowned for her whole-body approach and her promotion of the powerful role of the mind-body connection. A midwife for 40 years, a mother of two, and a grandmother of two, West has spent her life surrounded by women and babies. In the past 20 years, she has trained as an acupuncturist, established a world-renowned fertility clinic in London, developed a range of supplements to support fertility and pregnancy, written nine books, and recently launched a new range of baby and child vitamins in partnership with lifestyle entrepreneur Leo Bamford.
Kate Winslet, who consulted with West during her own pregnancy, called her a fertility and pregnancy guru, saying, “Zita’s approach is calm, sensible, down-to-earth, and often inspirational.”
Almost 40 percent of women report high stress levels, anxiety, and depression when struggling with fertility and IVF issues. The planned schedule of fertility retreats with West at the Waldhotel will present guests with an individual program to enhance fertility. In a bespoke, dynamic approach to fertility, access to medical care and advice, tests and investigations in this accredited medical hospital are combined with holistic approaches to help guests reconnect with themselves.
Each guest will work with West and her proven four-step module to create a measured plan of action, taking charge of their fertility and conception. Guidance will be provided on health and mindset to manage the uncertainty of fertility and understand their bodies. Each person has mind and body blocks caused by past-life experiences, upbringing, and family history. West’s program will teach exercises to encourage calm and meditative mindsets. Following the ethos of her innovative HUG program (heart, uterus, gut), women will be taught how to connect their brains, the head, heart, and gut, and also what West calls the uterus/pelvic brain for optimal health and fertility. In addition, guests will undergo a medical consultation with professor Briner of the Waldhotel and testing to develop a personal health profile.
The Waldhotel is the ideal setting in which to undertake this retreat, nestled in a mountain-top setting among the forest. The revolutionary medical wellness center offers physical and mental wellbeing through a Healthy by Nature concept. It features an elite team of multidisciplinary physicians, ranging from cardiology, internal medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, psychosomatics, and dentistry to nutrition and gastroenterology, all with a depth of knowledge and expertise to treat and prevent health concerns using treatments at the highest level.
Guests of the program will have full access to the Waldhotel Spa for the duration of their stay. The spa’s incredible facilities include an indoor and outdoor pool, a salt grotto, a Finnish sauna heated to 176 F, aroma sauna at 140 F, hammam, relaxation area indoors and outdoors, water beds for pure relaxation, and secluded massage cabins. The outdoor pool water is refreshed daily with water drawn directly from Lake Lucerne.
Nutrition is also important for fertility, and each guest will follow the Waldhotel’s Color Cuisine concept for dining to support their wellbeing through tailored nutrition to fit individual needs.
“When I ask what a patient wants from a consultation from me, they ask for a plan of action and expert direction, as they are looking everywhere for the answers,” says West. “It can be bewildering, like a maze of paths to choose to follow. The Fit for Fertility Retreats are designed to support women on these journeys. We are living through a time of tremendous change both socially and digitally, and as a result, women have become disconnected from their bodies. They rely on apps, gadgets, and gizmos to seek knowledge about fertility. This retreat will combine the medical excellence found at the Waldhotel with holistic expertise to show women how to look inside themselves, rather than outside, and to trust in the wisdom of their own bodies to reduce stress and anxiety, let go of fear, and help their overall wellbeing. Never has our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing been so important.”
The Fit for Fertility Retreat at the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence costs $6,180 per person for a four-night program. This includes accommodation in an Alpine Deluxe Room with Balcony (solo occupancy), full-board with the Waldhotel Color Cuisine concept, services of Zita West, one medical consultation by professor Briner, a 20-minute abdominal massage daily, one DEXA scan, two Ice Lab sessions, access to the Waldhotel Spa for the duration of the stay, and half-day access to the Alpine Spa.
