Where abundance is part of everyday life, fasting and detoxing become a precious time-out. But that doesn't always mean doing without - and certainly not without luxury. Modern wellness resorts manage to resolve this apparent contradiction.
Humans have always sought pleasure and comfort—from firelit caves to penthouse suites, from raw mammoth meat to multi-course tasting menus. Our love of good food and convenience has carried us from horseback to first class. Against this backdrop, the ancient practice of fasting, documented as far back as 5000 BCE in Mesopotamia, may seem paradoxical.
So why do we voluntarily forgo food, something so essential to survival? The answer lies deep within our cultural history. Early civilizations interpreted natural disasters and disease as the gods’ response to human behavior. Fasting was seen as a form of spiritual cleansing, a sacrifice to appease higher powers. Ahead of festivals and rituals, people fasted deliberately to purify body and mind. They withdrew from daily life, donned garments of penance, and avoided all forms of comfort—fasting as an intentional renunciation, deeply rooted in tradition, faith, and spiritual well-being.
Fortunately, people today take a different, more relaxed view of fasting. The term itself has also been given a contemporary upgrade; it is now called "detox", which sounds more like body tuning than deprivation - and is, of course, an entirely secular affair. Those who fast no longer have to do without anything in modern hotels with detox offers, and certainly not without luxury. Fasting without renunciation? A contradiction that becomes reality in modern wellness concepts.
One example is the world-renowned "SHA Wellness Clinic" in Alicante, Spain. With breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, guests can dedicate themselves to their physical and health goals in luxurious surroundings. The elegant retreat offers spacious rooms to unwind, detox cuisine with haute cuisine aspirations and refined simplicity. Design suites are available as personal retreats for guests who will not feel like patients here.
Fasting without renunciation?
This contradiction is resolved in modern wellness concepts.
The German doctor Otto Buchinger paved the way for sophisticated fasting programs in the last century. In 1920, he founded the first fasting clinic (which was still quite simply equipped at the time). He had observed in himself that his rheumatic complaints were significantly alleviated by fasting. These experiences, supplemented by his holistic philosophy and observations of patients, led him to the conviction that fasting was a comprehensive remedy for body, mind and soul; a decade before science began to systematically research metabolism and 40 years before the first studies on cellular processes.
Buchinger's Austrian colleague Franz Xaver Mayr (1878-1965) held similar views, and both are regarded as key figures in the development of modern fasting methods. However, while Buchinger also focused on spiritual renewal and the importance of abstaining from food for the regeneration of the body, Mayr was interested in specifically relieving and cleansing the digestive system. He focused on the recovery of the intestines through special massage techniques and his legendary bread roll diet, in which those fasting soaked stale bread rolls in milk and chewed them slowly.
Although abstaining from food is not a pleasure in itself, fasting clinics have sprung up all over the world. In the 1970s at the latest, with the emergence of the wellness movement, the practice made it out of the private and religious environment and into the wider public sphere. While juice cures were initially popular, intermittent fasting - where you only go without food for a certain period of time, but every day - replaced them in terms of popularity. Today there are numerous variants of fasting, including the modern form of the F. X. Mayr cure. But how did the rather unhip-sounding word "fasting" suddenly become "detox"?
Detox is much more than just giving up. Studies show how beneficial it
on diseases.
The term "detox", an abbreviation of "detoxification", was originally used in medicine for drug withdrawal and referred to the removal of toxic substances from the body. Today, however, detox is increasingly synonymous with giving up habits that are not good for the body or mind - be it the consumption of alcohol, luxury foods or digital media. The latter in particular seems to be developing more and more into a national scourge.
Around ten years after the trend began, a new form of renunciation is gaining popularity: digital detox. It is based on a conscious decision to step out of the digital world for a certain period of time. Ironically, the fact that everyone is talking about it today and that remote hotels can now sell a lack of telephone reception as an asset has to do with the spread of the trend on social media. In fact, however, this is not just hashtag hype, but has a legitimate scientific basis; research into problematic effects on users has been conducted ever since cell phones became accessible to larger sections of the population.
Initially, this had little to do with mental health, but rather with distraction caused by mobile devices, for example in connection with traffic accidents. With the advent of smartphones and the rise of social media, the focus shifted - in 2011, the first studies investigated the links between smartphone use and sleep problems, particularly through the effect of blue light on the circadian rhythm. Just a few years later, it was discovered that excessive use can lead to increased susceptibility to anxiety and depression; there was also evidence of increased suicidal thoughts. There are now long-term studies that confirm numerous other negative consequences. Everyone has probably noticed most of them themselves at some point, without any study.
Depending on your personal usage behavior, even a short period of abstinence can have positive effects, such as a reduction in stress and sensory overload, better sleep and increased productivity. After just one digital detox weekend, people experience deeper relaxation, more mindfulness andstronger personal relationships. People who manage to greatly reduce their screen and cell phone usage time for four to six weeks report increased alertness, improved problem-solving skills, more restful sleep and a sense of calm and balance.
The amount of the stress hormone cortisol released decreases measurably. This in turn is associated with many diseases of civilization, including a negative effect on the metabolism. It is assumed that the elimination of constant comparison increases satisfaction. A recent study also found that abstaining from social media can also lead to a remarkable reduction in depressive moods or genuine depression.
Can more happiness, satisfaction, productivity, mindfulness and better sleep really be just a click away? Is it enough to "pull the plug"? Basically, yes. However, a digital detox phase, regardless of whether it is carried out in a hotel or at home, requires a little preparation: it makes sense to inform family and friends about the planned unavailability and to communicate a fixed time at which you will answer emails and messages or take phone calls. During the rest of the time, you completely disconnect from digital devices.
Regular abstinence is a common practice in all cultures. But nobody has to suffer with modern fasting today.
To make detoxing a success, it is advisable to ban all other distractions such as streaming services or social media from your reach. As the time gained needs to be put to good use, new activities are needed - also to reduce the temptation to reach for the cell phone. Sporting activities, reading, creative hobbies or spending time with friends are good alternatives. Hotels with a control function are ideal for a phone-fasting phase; here you hand in your devices at check-in and only get them back at check-out - so you won't be tempted to check your emails "just for a quick moment".
The change of scenery, the vacation setting, professional support and varied activities make digital detox in a hotel much easier than at home. The greatest gift of such a stay is perhaps not just the digital break, but the realization that life can be wonderful even without constant accessibility. Renunciation means freedom - and there are plenty of suitable offers.
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