Body treatment at the Shangri-La - Shangri-La Historic Inn Resort and Spa, Bonita Springs, FL owned by Deborah and Leo Dahlmanns - Travel

Using the principles of mind, body and spirit, Deborah Dahlmanns has found a perfect way to achieve physical health and well-being. She eats well, exercises right and meditates. She believes that people shouldn't feel guilty if they didn't do 10 things on a given day; it's the quality of what they did accomplish that should satisfy them. Not only is this her personal philosophy, but it's also the one that attracts like-minded health enthusiasts to the Shangri-La Historic Inn, Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla. Situated between Fort Myers and Naples, Bonita Springs is only 10 minutes from the beach, and the temperature seldom dips below 75 degrees. Deborah and her business partner -- her husband of eight years. Leo -- have taken a serene tropical setting and turned it into utopia.

Well, almost. Promoting a diet of wholesome foods fresh from the garden and a regimen that encourages guests to work that body and then lie down for it to be worked on, this resort is an idyllic getaway. "We like to cater to holistic health practitioners -- people who are concerned with taking the proper care of themselves and their bodies -- but not nuts." Deborah says.

Women and men (but mostly women), black and nonblack (but mostly nonblack), age 40 and up. from America and abroad -- that's the makeup of the Shangri-La's guests, who usually stay from one to three weeks at a time. Although the Shangri-La caters to both men and women, women still make up over 90 percent of all spa-goers. However, there is a growing trend among men to partake in spa and fitness vacations. Likewise, African Americans are a growing minority at the Shangri-La. Many of the blacks who visit are professional working women, including athletes' wives, TV writers, movie producers, celebrities and singers. An actress who frequents the Shangri-La is Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. "She comes for rest, relaxation and stress reduction," Deborah says. "She enjoys the ability to be able to focus on herself and take time for her health and well-being."

Even as Deborah thinks up ways to attract more men and more blacks to the resort, she emphasizes that the Shangri-La and the peace that it offers are open to -- -and needed by -- everyone. "A spa isn't just a luxury," she says. "It's a necessity. Our guests come here to get away, relax and improve themselves."

The 8 1/2-acre tract of land in Southwest Florida has provided a therapeutic atmosphere for years. As far back as the 1500s and Lip until the early 19th century, Calusa Indians traded water from the natural sulfur spring for which Bonita Springs is named, calling it "magic water." Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Franklin D. Roosevelt came here to benefit from the spring's mineral-rich water. But what is now the Shangri-La Historic Inn, Resort and Spa opened in 1924 for the sole purpose of housing prospective land buyers. In the ensuing years, it changed names and hands several times. The first mention of it as a spa is credited to a physician from India, Dr. Gnau, who acquired the property in the 1950s but never opened its doors to the general public. In 1964 it was bought again and given the name Shangri-La. The Dahlmannses purchased it in 1993.

"Leo and I always envisioned owning our own personal Shangri-La, a place where the weather would be warm, filled with tropical vegetation and off the beaten path," says Deborah. "When we found a business with our code name, it seemed like an omen, so we purchased it." The property was badly deteriorated, and the couple has since invested some $2 million restoring the main building landscaping the grounds to make it an oasis where clients are treated to the good life.

State-of-the-art exercise equipment, tennis and shuffleboard courts, and pingpong tables -- as well as personal fitness trainers and classes in yoga, meditation, tai chi, aerobics, aquacize. Reiki and stress reduction -- are available, but so are other ways of invigorating the body. The focus of massage therapy at the Shangri-La is not merely on pampering, but also on restoring beneficial vitamins and minerals that help the body function better. The spa uses aromatherapy, herbal action massages and a technique called massotherapy (Swedish neuromascular acupressure).

The Shangri-La's most exciting new treatment is body contouring. Endermologie, a technique developed in France, reduces the appearance of cellulite, reduces weight and redefines the body's shape. It can be used effectively on stubborn body parts. treating areas that liposuction can't. It's a noninvasive procedure performed by a massage therapist. After t session, usually performed once it week and lasting 35 minutes, clients go about their normal routines. "This new massage technique is so incredible," Leo says. "It will spread like wildfire, and we are one of the first spas to have it."

To supplement its body treatments which also include facials, manicures, pedicures, sea-salt scrubs and herbal body wraps, the Shangri-La offers a line of products from France and Germany that comprises a naturally balanced skin and body care program designed to penetrate the skin and trigger the body to correct its own deficiencies. Natural ingredients from the earth and the sea go into facial masks, bath and body products, herbal teas, and vitamins.