Clinique La Prairie Celebrates 80th Anniversary with NYC Luncheon

Clinique La Prairie, an award-winning health spa and medical center based in Montreux, Switzerland, celebrated its 80^th anniversary in NYC last week with a luncheon, courtesy of the clinic’s Executive Chef Jean-Bernard Muraro.

There, the clinic, which has made significant discoveries in cell therapy and anti-aging, introduced its new initiatives for 2011, which include:

• An intensified medical check-up program which includes four nights from Sunday through Thursday, including full board, lab analyses, an X-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), dental checkup and cleaning, skin screening, stress test and consultation with a cardiologist, personalized advice from the Center for Esthetic Medicine and from the Beautymed Center, fitness sessions, and more.
• An improved beauty program for men and women, which includes six nights from Sunday to Saturday, including full board, a medical check-up including lab analyses, chest X-ray, ECG, and abdominal ultrasound, skin screenings, dietician and attending physician consultations, personalized advice from the Center for Esthetic Medicine and from the Beautymed Center, fitness sessions, and more.
• A new Rebalancing Program, which includes six nights from Sunday to Saturday, including full board, medical check-up including lab analyses, chest X-ray, ECG, and abdominal ultrasound, skin screenings, interview with the psychologist or three one-hour sessions of yoga, sophrology, psychology, etc., four 50-minute massages, one full-body exfoliation, two wraps, facial treatments, dietician and attending physician consultations, personalized advice from the Center for Esthetic Medicine and from the Beautymed Center, fitness sessions, and more.
• Two weight management programs, with one focusing on medical and behavioral therapy, and the other focusing on medical and spa therapy. The main difference between the two is that the medical and behavioral therapy includes two sessions each week with the psychologist.

Inspired by the clinic’s French-, Mediterranean-, and Swiss-influenced gastronomic dietetic restaurant, the four-course luncheon featured scallop tartare with dried tomato and rocket pesto; pan-fried langoustines and spring morels with fresh and cooked asparagus and light egg yolk-free sabayon; a baked John Dory fillet with cumin, carrot juice, orange-flavored fennel and broad beans; and a light chocolate mousse with organic soy milk.

You can see from the menu that Clinique La Prairie operates under the philosophy that you don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight. At CLP, nothing is completely prohibited, healthy means tasty, and the pleasure in eating is preserved, Dr. Adrian Heini, the clinic’s medical director, said at the luncheon. Also, extremely low-calorie diets are not offered at the clinic.

“We try to make reasonable suggestions and educate people on why something is healthy,” Dr. Heini said.

Unlike many weight-loss or clinical retreats, wine also falls into that category, with the belief that it is healthy in moderation.

“Our mission is to educate through practical demonstration of what people are eating and through daily counseling with dieticians,” Dr. Heini said. “This education strives for the long term goal to have guests leaving with practical and simple ideas.”