Dr. Wendy Davis
North of the City
May 05, 2008 10:02 AM
By: Leslie Plant
It has long been a generally accepted business principle, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. For the proprietors of the Millcroft Inn & Spa, the principle applies as well to health as it does to enterprise. In fact, by introducing a new specially supervised detoxification getaway package to the spa’s roster of rejuvenating wraps and therapies, the Millcroft has found a natural and harmonious balance between the two.
Millcroft Inn marketing manager Charles Banfield explains the four-day naturopathic detox getaway, introduced late last year, is Ontario’s first and only program to be developed and monitored by a doctor of naturopathic medicine.
“It makes a lot of sense to have immediate feedback and instruction from a professional because otherwise, if you’re not being supervised and not being given some instruction or guidance, the chances of deriving some real benefit from it are highly diminished,” Mr. Banfield says.
Included in the package, in addition to selections from a special gourmet detoxification menu and spa treatments, are one-on-one consultations and before-and-after health assessments from Dr. Wendy Davis, a naturopathic doctor.
The Millcroft Inn & Spa, nestled in a bucolic setting on 100 acres of rolling Caledon Hills outside the village of Alton, enjoys a reputation as a centre for well-being and gourmet cuisine. Built in the late 1880s as a knitting mill, the property has been operating as an inn for more than 25 years.
The renovation of existing buildings and the architecture of new facilities, including the 9,000-square-foot spa
and chalet-style accommodation units, pay homage to these historic roots. The facility has been recognized with a National Award of Honour for Heritage Preservation for the restoration work on the original buildings and has retained both a CAA/AAA Four Diamond Award for accommodation and hospitality for 20 years and the same designation for cuisine for the past 13.
The addition of the unique four-day detox package will go even further toward establishing the Millcroft as a centre for well-being, as well as a destination for fine dining and accommodation, Mr. Banfield says. The Inn has offered other detox spa packages since 2006, he says. “The main difference is there was no interaction with a professional. They’re more for people who just want to have a relaxing getaway, but want to derive some benefit from it at the same time.”
Clients who enrol in the four-day package, however, follow a prescribed itinerary of physical activities, treatments and a meal plan all developed under consultation with Dr. Davis.
That consultation began, initially, with Dr. Davis applying principles from her practice in nearby Orangeville. “Basically, I looked at it from the perspective of ‘What would I want if I were doing a detox? What do I usually talk to my patients about?’ So, the first and biggest thing was the menu. Millcroft has a light detox program based only on spa treatments. Theoretically, you could do all these detox therapies, but then go and have a bottle of wine and a steak dinner. The diet is integral, so I worked with the chef, giving him basic guidelines of what is and isn’t to be included and letting him have free rein to make it into gourmet.”
The result is a menu that uses, for the most part, locally grown, organic or natural ingredients to create dinner selections such as oven roasted lamb loin with tomato braised beluga lentils, caramelized onions and roasted pear compote and a dessert such as tapioca and mango tian with passion fruit and lemongrass ice.
Dr. Davis also worked with spa manager Jennifer Stemmler on other aspects of the itinerary, ensuring the spa treatments, nature hikes and other physical activities are supported with snacks and health shakes to keep guests nourished throughout the day. Ms Stemmler oversees a staff of 30 spa therapists who offer a full service menu from body polishes, wraps, hydrotherapy, massage and other body treatments such as reflexology or Reiki. “The more aggressive spa treatments are at the beginning of the four-day program to engage the guest, to get circulation moving and to motivate the guest, as they’ll be a bit hungry.
Yoga and nature walks are spread throughout to involve them in exercise. We finish with a manicure and pedicure as a ‘congratulations’ at the end,” Ms Stemmler explains.
Many of the spa’s signature treatments, such as the swiss shower with a powerful 12-jet spray or traditional Japanese bath ritual called ofuro, already use the basic naturopathic principles of alternating hot and cold water or massage to increase circulation and stimulate those organs important to detoxification such as the kidneys, liver and skin, Dr. Davis says.
The wraps Millcroft currently offer, such as the organic chocolate body wrap, are also naturally beneficial to the detoxification process and don’t require modification. At Dr. Davis’ recommendation, however, Millcroft added an infrared sauna treatment to the itinerary.
Unlike traditional saunas that use wet or dry air to increase body temperature and promote the elimination of toxins, infrared saunas use light to penetrate and heat the body’s cells. People can’t spend long periods of time in traditional saunas because the high temperatures make it hard to breathe. The temperature in an infrared sauna remains comfortable and “it’s incredibly therapeutic because it’s very calming.”
“Literally there are people who can spend hours in there quite comfortably,” Dr. Davis says.
Some guests, however, have found the sauna somewhat claustrophobic and, as a result, their itineraries have been modified, which is another advantage to the medical supervision of Millcroft’s program. It can be customized to accommodate a guest’s preference, food allergy, pre-existing chronic condition or medications. Each client must complete a health questionnaire in advance, which Dr. Davis reviews. “That gives me a lot of information about stresses in their lives, daily diet, any medications, what their job is, so I have a good overview.” Shortly after arrival, each client spends close to an hour with Dr. Davis, reviewing the information and ensuring the itinerary fits their needs.
At that time, Dr. Davis also conducts a bioimpedance analysis test, which provides a number of health indicators such as fat mass, muscle mass and hydration levels. It also provides a measure of the health of the body’s cells, called the phase angle, which indicates the efficiency of the cell’s ability to get nutrients in and to eliminate toxins. “That’s truly where health begins, so we want to make sure we’re focusing on that,” Dr. Davis says.
The same analysis is conducted at the end of the program, so participants can see areas where they have improved. At that final meeting with Dr. Davis, clients also receive additional information on things to do at home to continue their health benefits and, in some cases, a referral to a local naturopathic doctor if they want future help.
To date, only a handful of guests have done the program, but Mr. Banfield says its appeal is that anyone can benefit from it. “That could range from one extreme — someone who has gone through chemotherapy — to someone who feels they’re getting a little soft around the edges and wants to get back on track.”
With prices starting at $550 per night, it is a significant investment, but Mr. Banfield believes it is competitively priced compared to other detox programs that don’t offer either hands-on supervision or gourmet cuisine. Numbers of guests in the program are restricted to no more than four to ensure individualized attention and care.
Feedback indicates the program is a hit. “We have one guest who has already returned and we now consider her part of our family here at the spa,” Ms Stemmler says. “We work so closely together for days that we trust each other and have become friends. Her results were incredible and she used all the recommendations that were given and she looks and feels fantastic.”
For more information on the Millcroft Inn & Spa, visit www.millcroft.com