© Manolo Yllera

"A miso soup a day keeps the doctor away" advises a humorous X post by the "SHA Wellness Clinic" - but you get the impression that the five-star hotel means that quite literally. At breakfast, every guest at the Health & Wellbeing Resort on Spain's Costa Blanca is served a steaming bowl of miso soup. However, far from keeping the doctors away, it seems to attract them: Preventive healthcare is the foundation of the SHA Wellness Clinic, and white coats are very much a cornerstone of this approach. The resort pledges a "360-degree focus on your health" – and an expert team of doctors, coaches, therapists and beauticians is on hand to do just that. Far Eastern practices like Traditional Chinese Medicine are fused with western medicine. One of the options available is "Well-Aging and Prevention," which focuses on slowing down cell degeneration and rebooting your innate health potential. 

Jan Bartelsman

The goal is clear: Who doesn't want to be able to play golf, swim and hike to a ripe old age, live an active and self-determined life and relish every day anew? What was once a dream has become a realistic option, thanks to medical progress and improved living quality. We all have it in our hands to stay fit for a long life – perhaps by embracing the latest buzzword in wellness and wellbeing: longevity, a new objective where scientific concepts act as the key switches. The point is not to live as long as possible, but to enjoy a long life while remaining fit and healthy. It's well worth it to spend at least a week on a bespoke wellness break in a medical spa resort that specializes in longevity - like the lovely "Palazzo Fiuggi" in Italy.

Three-Star Meal Plans in Latium

LIXI-LINEAS © beigestellt

At this elegant resort in Latium in west-central Italy, diet, fitness, and lifestyle are the main players that help cells regenerate, thereby doing their bit to prevent and alleviate pain and age-related ailments. The hotel boasts a whole slew of experts, from chef Heinz Beck who heads the resort's restaurant (three Michelin stars), to the highly skilled therapists and physicians at the medical spa. "Longevity and Rejuvenation" is the name of a one- to three-week program designed to mitigate the effects of physical, emotional, and visible aging – and thanks to their chef's skills, this is quite possible without forgoing culinary pleasures.

© Tyson Sadlo 

In addition to a wide range of treatments at Palazzo Fiuggi, guests receive a personalized fitness program with lifestyle and diet tips. For long-term results, you are encouraged to take the consultation recommendations back into your everyday life. Thalassotherapy, wellness treatments, massages, relaxation therapy, anti-aging and rejuvenating cryogenic treatments ensure comprehensive regeneration. Individual fitness training, coaching and dietary advice create the basis for a long and healthy future.

Feast yourself fit in Switzerland

© Alex Teuscher Photography

There's a reason Weggis has been referred to as the "Nice of central Switzerland" – the numerous sunny days and location on the shores of Lake Lucerne are the stuff of dreams. It's the kind of backdrop that makes you look forward to living for many more satisfying years - and the "Chenot Palace" wellness retreat is the ideal spot to limber up for longevity. Your stay here starts with a lifestyle analysis using the latest diagnostics to identify your potential and determine the treatment you receive. For decades, Chenot has been a leader in medical wellness and is at the cutting edge when it comes to longevity. The "Prevention & Aging Well" program aims to strengthen the body and its immune response, whatever your age. The in-house experts know that the right signals can boost physical and mental performance in all stages of life.

© Alex Teuscher Photography

Over the course of seven days, you receive 53 diagnostic procedures and treatments, plus three plant-based meals a day. The patented Chenot diet is specially composed to trigger a fasting response in the body and deliver all the essential nutrients to the cells. Medical consultations, nutrition advice, cryogenic and light therapy as well as numerous other treatments are included in the program.

Vitality through energy cuisine

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The health resort "Lanserhof" at Lake Tegernsee in Bavaria, which scooped the title of "Best Medical Spa in the World" at the World Spa Awards 2023, is also one of the top addresses for longevity. Naturopathy, psychology, immunology and medicine are all mobilized here to enduringly strengthen the body's ability to heal itself. In the 21,000-square-meter spa the focus is on health and wellbeing into old age. Innovation is a common driver in all the group's hotels, and the Lake Tegernsee resort will soon be offering a Brain Health Center for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Vital Aging here includes a strong focus on nutrition, and the tailored Energy Cuisine uses carefully prepared regional organic products to deliver a delicious array of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. As well as fruits and vegetables, the menu also includes meat that has been sourced exclusively from ethically reared, free-ranging animals. A fundamental step in the nutrition plan is instruction on how to chew properly to ensure that all nutrients are optimally processed and absorbed.

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The healthy aging concept at "MAYRLIFE Medical Health Resort Altaussee", a resort flanked by the Austrian Alps, revolves around slowing down the aging process, preventing age-related physical complaints and taking your zest for life to heights that match the surrounding mountain panorama. The focus is on strengthening the immune system, cleansing, renewing cells and reducing inflammation. Proven naturopathy and conventional medicine work hand in hand. An individual therapy plan, daily consultations with doctors and a personalized nutrition plan are the keystones in the program. And, as the figurative cherry on top, the MAYRLIFE Cuisine, which is based on organic products and planned specifically for each guest's individual metabolism and intolerances, more than lives up to the description of fine dining. 

Read more: Are these the best addresses for health and longevity?