A look inside the ritzy health club where celebrities like Rebel Wilson and Karlie Kloss eat 600 calories a day and get belly rubs to boost digestion

Rebel Wilson

  • Rebel Wilson recently revealed she lost weight for her 2020 "Year of Health" using the Mayr Method, the signature program from a high-end European health spa.
  • The diet is a key feature of the Viva Mayr wellness center, which has hosted celebs like Karlie Kloss and Elizabeth Hurley, but is known for rigorous one to two-week cleanse programs. 
  • Guests seldom eat more than 600 calories a day, get frequent medical belly rubs for digestion, and can add-on treatments such as singing bowl therapy. 
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Actress and comedian Rebel Wilson recently told fans she kicked off her "Year of Health" in 2020 with a stay at an exclusive European wellness center, and has since been using the facility's diet to lose weight and improve her health. 

The luxury health spa, Viva Mayr, is located in Austria, with a day-spa location in London. It's known for its one- to two-week cleanses, costing between $2,600 to over $8,000. That's not including hotel rooms at $180 to $1,350 per night.

While the spa is open to the public, it's a known favorite of celebrities like Karlie Kloss, Suki Waterhouse, and Elizabeth Hurley.

The health center's programs have a reputation for being intimidating in their rigor, asceticism, and eccentricity, with restrictive diet, an intensive regimen digestive of treatment, and an expansive menu of other dubious wellness therapies. 

The programs are devoted to improving your digestion with regular belly rubs and a list of prohibited foods

To prepare for their stay, Viva Mayr encourages guests to start skipping dinners, avoid raw foods, and cut out caffeine, alcohol, and beans prior to showing up at the resort.

Once there, you can look forward to regular "daily manual abdominal treatments," in which a doctor will massage your stomach area for 15 minutes, three to five times a week (at a cost of about $100 total, part of the mandatory treatment prescribed to all guests). 

These are intended to stimulate digestion by helping "remove blockages in the abdomen and lymphatic system," according to the website. 

The Viva Mayr program also prohibits drinking water with meals (to, they say, avoid diluting digestive enzymes) and eating raw food after 4 p.m. Dietitians previously told Insider that neither of these strategies appear to be based in any evidence. 

Guests eat 300 to 600 calories a day, and chew each bite 40 times

One of the core elements of the Viva Mayr program is an incredibly specific menu plan. While they're custom-made for each guest, the amount of food rarely exceeds 600 calories per day, according to reviews, and is often closer to 300. 

This is far below the number of calories typically recommended even for weight loss, although very low calorie or fasting diets are sometimes prescribed to treat specific conditions like diabetes in a medical setting like Viva Mayr. 

Many reviewers describe struggling with the sparse menu, tiny portions, and broth for dinner. Despite the small meals, guests are encouraged to take their time with meals, chewing each bite at least 40 times. 

Add-on therapies include an emotional detox, bloodletting, and singing bowl therapy

Detoxification is a common theme throughout many of the treatment offerings, such as hydrotherapy and cryotherapy to "remove toxins", as well as colon cleanses and lymph drainage. 

Viva Mayr even offers an "emotional detoxification," an hour-long psychological counseling session for $280. 

There's also plenty of optional additions to the wellness experience. In addition to typical spa treatments like massage, facial, and man-pedi, the dozen-plus pages of offerings include "singing bowl therapy" ($120 for 50 minutes) and "bloodletting" ($60). 

It's not clear what these therapies entail — Viva Mayr did not respond to a request for a comment. 

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