Simply Abu Dhabi XXIV

2 2 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I I t was during lunch on the third day of my visit to the world-renowned SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain that I saw evidence of how dramatic the effects of entrusting your health to SHA can be. I was chatting with a fellow guest, Mr. Scala – a citizen of the world who counts Africa and New York City amongst the formative places in his life, and who now resides in London. Mr. Scala showed me a selfie taken a few days earlier on the runway at Heathrow. As I looked at the image and back at his face, the difference was remarkable. In place of the blanched pallor and the weary dishevelment was this glowing gentleman in rude health who was as ebullient as the happy Buddha. He smiled broadly as he slipped the phone back into his fluffy white robe. “I know,” he said, “it’s like I’m a different person, right?” Whilst the transformation was extreme, the more time I spent at SHA the less surprising it was. I had already been noticing the differences that take place in new guest arrivals. After just one night people’s shoulders start to drop and tension begins to unclench in their bodies. The way people walk changes, brows unfurl and firm facial expressions gently relax into smiles, totally altering how they look. It must offer a great deal of job satisfaction for the 300 staff at SHA, to see how their work helps people so swiftly and surely. The first things that makes stress dissipate at SHA is the environment and the weather. The setting in the Sierra Helada National Park is spectacular and on the open air fourth level of SHA, from the terraces with Balinese beds, hammocks and sun loungers, or from the azure blue pool, the view of the mountain range is magnetic. All the interiors and each of the 93 suites at SHA have been designed and carefully curated to exude the comfort and sophistication of a five-star destination hotel. With the beautiful 17th-century Spanish town of Altea and attractions such as the nearby lighthouse, SHA has a perfect setting.