Alice Dogruyol shares her week at Mount Med, and gets a metabolic reset wrapped in alpine luxury.
There are spas, retreats, and wellness getaways – and then there’s Mount Med. A place so quietly revolutionary, so meticulously conceived, that it’s created a whole new category: the clinical sanctuary. Tucked away in the snow-glazed Tyrolean Alps, Mount Med combines the rigour of a high-end medical clinic with the design sensibility of a boutique hotel and the soul-soothing comfort of a true healing retreat. I stayed for six nights. I left changed.
A space that speaks to the soul
Getting there from London was seamless: a short flight to Innsbruck, followed by a winding, cinematic drive through pine forested mountains. Walking into Mount Med, I was greeted by a striking blend of historic and modern architecture – centuries-old stone meeting sleek, contemporary lines. But it was the interior design that truly set the tone for the week to come: inviting, inspiring, and deeply considered, with every detail curated to make you feel both at ease and elevated.
Thick beams, soft, handmade wall hangings, sculptural lighting, artisan glass and quirky, playful artwork gave the space a creative warmth rarely found in clinical settings. It was elegant without being cold, luxurious without ever feeling showy – a visual expression of the balance Mount Med strikes between medical precision and soulful care.
From the moment I walked in, I was cocooned in care. My bags were whisked away, and I was gently escorted to my first medical consultation. No forms, no tick boxes. Just a warm, intelligent conversation about my health history, my goals and what I hoped to gain.
It was instantly clear: this wasn’t a standard spa retreat, this was medicine with meaning. At 7am the following morning, the deep dive began. First, an ECG to assess my heart health, followed by a highly confronting but strangely motivating 3D body scan – offering not just weight, but a full rotating model of my muscle and fat distribution, every lump and bump on display.
Then came a breath test to measure my basal metabolic rate, which had dropped to 1,750 (from 2,000), no doubt due to the 25kg I’ve lost this past year. By mid-afternoon, I was sitting with Dr Alexander Papp, a renowned doctor of emergency medicine and a plastic surgeon who now focuses on cellular longevity and metabolic health, reviewing four pages of blood results.
Dr Papp brings more than clinical expertise – he brings personal insight. Having been through his own weight loss journey, he speaks from experience. There’s empathy in his delivery, but also purpose. He walked me through Mount Med’s signature Mylife Changer programme, explaining how it tackles everything from insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction to inflammation and hormonal imbalance.
What impressed me most, though, was his intellectual openness. Dr Papp has moved beyond the boundaries of conventional medicine – embracing orthomolecular nutrition, IV vitamin therapy, gut health, and the science of longevity with a curiosity that’s infectious. This isn’t protocol for protocol’s sake. This is personalised, proactive medicine – and it makes you feel seen.
I was placed on a precisely calibrated, ultra-low-fat, high-protein, zero-sugar diet. A few carefully chosen vegetables including courgette, broccoli and leafy greens were my only carbs. It may sound restrictive, but the food was nothing short of exquisite. Breakfast arrived like a wellness bento box: smoked salmon, cured meats, avocado, sprouts, and Mount Med’s dense, chewy, homemade keto bread – the kind I usually have to make myself. Always with a strong, aromatic black coffee.
It was elegant and satisfying, without the usual blood sugar spike. The food at Mount Med was, quite honestly, the best I’ve had at any health retreat in the world. It was nourishing, creative, and executed with the precision of fine dining – all while adhering to a strict therapeutic framework.
Lunch usually began with a vegetable broth – how they managed to conjure such depth of flavour without butter or cream is still a mystery – followed by a visit to the green salad bar, a glorious display of fresh steamed, grilled and raw vegetables. Six types of sprouts, apple cider vinegar, cold-pressed olive oil, toasted nuts and seeds – each ingredient chosen with intention.
No tomatoes, of course – too sugary for the protocol. It was both beautiful and functional, and I found myself genuinely looking forward to every plate. Dinner brought a perfectly cooked piece of protein – veal, beef, fish, prawns or chicken – paired with non-starchy vegetables and finished with a delicately spiced jus or sauce.
No dairy, no grains, and yet every mouthful felt indulgent, thoughtful and satisfying. It wasn’t just food as medicine – it was food elevated to art. Snacks were offered – a morning protein shake, and a dry keto crostini in the afternoon – but I passed. As a type 1 diabetic, I’ve learned that snacking throws me off both mentally and metabolically.
Every bite requires insulin, even protein. So I opted for the three main meals, and despite eating more frequently than I had while on GLP-1, my blood sugar stayed beautifully stable. Mount Med’s spa is something to behold – not just its facilities, but its intention. There’s a stunning indoor-to-outdoor pool overlooking the mountains, where I swam as snowflakes fell, cheeks tingling in the cold air.
There’s an ambient Fire Healing Room lit with flickering faux flames, designed to soften the nervous system. There are multiple saunas – Finnish, infrared, herbal – each offering a different kind of detox and quiet. My favourite was the herb sauna, a warm, fragrant cocoon. Every day followed a gentle rhythm of diagnostics, movement, treatment, and deep rest.
I received vitamin C and oxygen infusions, facials, full-body fascia release massages, cryotherapy, lymphatic drainage with the Body Balancer, and sessions on a hypnotic vibration bed that delivered meditations on self-love and body image while gently pulsing the lymphatic system. I also had one-on-one personal training in the state-of-the-art gym, which would put any high-end London facility to shame.
It’s kitted out with elite-level machines, and the physiotherapy wing next door offers postural assessments and movement correction as standard. Another figure who made a lasting impression was Horst Untermoser, one of the key visionaries behind the Mylife Changer programme. Horst checked in on me daily – not just with polite small talk, but with real attentiveness.
He monitored my blood sugar and ketone balance with the kind of precision and care that’s rarely found outside of a specialist clinic. His presence was steady, reassuring, and quietly meticulous. It’s the kind of detail that sums up Mount Med as a whole: nothing is too much trouble, and no part of your health is treated as an afterthought. The level of care and attention was truly outstanding.
Midweek, I met with Dr Rossella Spinelli, who had reviewed my file and spotted something subtle but significant: a marker related to blood clotting. I’ve long known I carry a genetic predisposition, but her attention to it – and her gentle insistence that I take it seriously – really struck a chord. She reminded me of the importance of circulation, movement, and compression socks when flying.
It wasn’t fear-mongering – it was empowering. A reminder that true preventative care lies in noticing the small signs, asking the right questions, and taking thoughtful action before problems arise. There’s a glass-walled yoga shala overlooking the mountains – serene, breathtaking. But I never made it to a class.
My mornings were for slow starts under the duvet, snow falling outside, laptop balanced on my knees. And for once, I didn’t feel guilty for not pushing myself. Rest was what my body wanted. Rest is what I gave it. Mount Med is social if you want it to be – I enjoyed conversations over coffee, but it also lets you slip into silence without awkwardness.
That balance of connection and solitude is rare, and precious. Mount Med has only just opened, but it already feels like the future of wellness. There’s no fluff, no gimmicks, and no delay.
If something serious is suspected, you’re in an MRI machine within the hour, with results returned the next morning. It’s health care as it should be – responsive, rigorous, and deeply human.
I didn’t lose weight during my stay – I was in a Mounjaro plateau phase – but I came home with the best HbA1c reading of my diabetic life: 40. That, for me, is gold. By the time I left, my skin was glowing, my energy was abundant, and I realised – with a mix of surprise and gratitude – that I hadn’t felt this good in a decade.
Clear-headed, steady, and deeply nourished, I returned home not just with data and insights, but with a renewed sense of vitality I’d almost forgotten was possible. And yes, I’ll be going back. Because once you’ve experienced this level of care – rooted in truth, backed by science, and delivered with real heart – nothing else quite compares.
Alice stayed as a guest of the Mount Med Resort on a 6-day Mylife Changer programme. For more, visit mountmedresort.com.
Connect with Alice Dogruyol at instagram.com/Alice_Dogruyol, and read her past columns weight loss columns here!
