When my colleague and I were invited to visit a luxury rehab center in South Africa, I was intrigued. I had been to the continent of Africa once before, but never to South Africa. I knew it would be a fun place to visit, but what I quickly discovered upon arrival is that it is an ideal place for recovery.
Getting There
Although a long flight across the Atlantic, there are 2 U.S. airports (JFK and Atlanta) and numerous other major European and Asian cities offering direct flights to Johannesburg, South Africa. The airport in Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International) is the busiest African airport and was completely renovated and expanded for the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa. It was nicer and had more shops and restaurants than most U.S. airports I’ve been to!
Once we arrived in Johannesburg we had two options to get to White River Manor. One option is a pick up by White River Manor directly at the airport in a luxury van for about a 2.5 hour drive to the center. Or, the second option, which we chose, is to take a 45 minute connecting flight to the Kruger/Mpumalanga airport and White River Manor will pick you up for the 15 minute ride to the center. With connecting flights basically on the hour, we were able to pick the perfect time for the connection and found that option to be extremely convenient.
First Impressions
We arrived at the Kruger airport and I knew right away we were in a special place. Since this airport is the gateway to the world famous Kruger National Park, the terminal is built to look like an African lodge, and the interior and exterior are African themed, with lots of information about the “Big Five.”
Within minutes, we were met by a White River Manor staff member who helped us with our bags and loaded them into a luxury Mercedes van. On the quick ride to the centre, we were able to take in the surrounding beauty of this part of South Africa. A lot of rolling hills and farmland. The climate and scenery reminded us of time spent in Napa Valley, California.
We turned off the main road and after a few more minutes saw the entrance to White River Manor. Once past the main gate, the driveway runs through a grove of tall trees, and then leads to the main building. The main building’s front room is where clients first check in and has a welcoming, yet modern style.
As we began to tour the grounds and surrounding buildings, I was immediately struck by the perfect serenity that is offered in this place. Thousands of miles away from home, I felt completely comfortable and immediately refreshed. As we sat and talked on the patio with the owner, Jerry Hartless, and other members of the team, I recognized another element that is sometimes missing from luxury centers: excellent service. Staff checked in with us frequently to make sure that our needs were met, bringing us lattes, and giving us a menu to choose which course we preferred for the upcoming meal.
The Story Behind White River Manor
The location of the center was formerly a 5-star boutique lodge that was well regarded in the area. Jerry, a successful American businessman who had his own struggles with addiction in the past was looking to start a luxury rehab centre in South Africa. So when the property came up for sale, he purchased the property and transformed it into the world-class centre it is today. While there we were able to hear his and his team’s vision for offering luxury treatment that has better accommodations and better customer service at a fraction of the price of U.S. luxury centers.
A Personalized Program
White River Manor provides a highly personalized program, and is a great fit for executives who might need more flexibility from a treatment program than others. While 28 days is a very short time for rehab, White River Manor has structured a program that makes full use of that time and when there is buy in and drive from the client they have seen great success.
Enjoying an African Experience
A key piece of the program is the excursions clients go on to enjoy being in Africa. Whether it’s a safari in Kruger National Park, white water rafting, traditional African dancing, mountain biking, the team helps clients make the most of being in South Africa! While we were there we had the opportunity to enjoy a safari in the neighboring Kruger National Park. So cool!
Check It Out for Yourself!
After having spent a few days at White River Manor myself, I highly recommend it to people who are open to traveling for rehab. If you are, the benefits are well worth the trip!
Frequently Asked Questions About Luxury Rehab in South Africa
Is there luxury rehab in South Africa?
There are a number of luxury rehabs in South Africa. They’re known to offer the benefits of a premium center, like high-quality programming and upscale accommodation, at a more affordable price point than Europe or the U.S.
Is there rehab for CEOs in South Africa?
South Africa has several luxury rehabs. Some are geared toward CEOs and offer specialized executive programs that accommodate their clients’ work needs, including flexibility around schedule and tech use.
How do I get to White River Manor?
Support staff will pick you up from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport and drive you to their center 2.5 hours away. Or, you can take a connecting flight to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, 15 minutes from the center.
We reached out to a number of luxury rehab centers around the world and asked them “Why luxury rehab?” Responses from 10 luxury centers from around the world are reflected in this post.
Every so often you may read in the tabloids and newspapers that a celebrity has gone to rehab, but judging by the pictures that accompany the story, you question whether the celeb has simply gone on vacation. Shouldn’t a good rehab program strip you of material possessions and luxuries so that you can get to know your true self? Is it possible to overcome a debilitating addiction while hanging out poolside and enjoying gourmet food?
Beautiful scenery and a relaxing environment are hallmarks of a luxury treatment center. The Dawn Rehab in Chiang Mai, Thailand is pictured.
“Luxury denotes an all-pervasive quality standard that extends beyond infrastructure to the quality of the staff, programming, meals services, and the care and attention provided to each individual.”
In other words, luxury rehab is more than just a counseling service run out of a 4-star hotel. It is the highest quality addiction treatment option available. Luxury rehabs offer complete personalization, with the goal of complete recovery. And as you’ll find out, that’s just the beginning.
Fewer Obstacles and Distractions
If you want to beat your addiction, it’s necessary to devote 100% of your time and energy to recovery. A luxury rehab program is designed to do away with anything that might be an obstacle or distraction for someone who is used to a specific level of accommodation and lifestyle.
As Darren Lockie, CEO of Lanna Rehab points out, “rehab does not have to be spartan, or have poor quality food, or force you do your own laundry, for example. These are distractions to why [our clients] came to rehab. They came to focus on recovery, and if we can take care of them and let them focus ONLY on recovery, then we find that our clients’ success rate is far greater.”
Jan Gerber, Managing Director at Paracelsus Recovery in Switzerland, speaks of “meeting clients where they are instead of pretending they are people who they are not.” There are certainly legitimate treatment facilities that use the work of chores, cooking, cleaning, and living in an uncomfortable setting to very successfully help clients recovery. However, when clients are used to a high level of comfort and luxury in their lives, and have been highly successful in their careers, forcing them to share a room, do their own laundry, and give up access to their cell phone is often more of a barrier to treatment success than a help.
The Dawn Rehab like many luxury centers, offers massage to help clients focus on their recovery.
To help clients recover spiritually, physically and mentally, luxury rehabs tend to offer a variety of healthy activities and alternative therapies. You might swim in the pool, get a massage, practice yoga, try a ropes course or meditate in the garden. Certain facilities may limit the amount of time you spend with technology so that you can focus completely on your mind, body and spirit.
When you check in at such a facility, unpacking your mental baggage, learning to be kind to yourself and living a healthy lifestyle are your main tasks for the next 30 or more days.
Greater Anonymity and Privacy
Although we dream of a world where there’s no shame associated with getting help for addiction, the reality is that stigma exists. “The threat of stigma and social judgement is a very real issue, and wealthy or prominent people in treatment have many valid reasons to insist on privacy and anonymity,” says Barbara Ellan, with The Sanctuary Byron Bay in Australia. She cites, “fear of loss of social standing, reputation and respect” as causes for concern among clients.
The Sanctuary, in Byron Bay Australia, prides itself in an unmatched degree of privacy, utilizing a range of properties that have no connection to a treatment center.
Luxury rehab centers are focused on providing the level of privacy that is appropriate for business executives and celebrities of all kinds and are often located in remote areas with strict security measures.
Centers that are located abroad have an added benefit: “When you choose a destination rehab, no one in your home community has to know you’re in treatment—you can simply tell them you’re on holiday” says Kayla Gill of The Cabin in Chiang Mai, Thailand. At a luxury rehab you can still answer emails and phone calls, not unlike when you are on vacation. And the poolside selfies you’d take at a luxury rehab rival those of 4-star hotels and resorts. In short, clients can keep up appearances while still getting the treatment they need.
But privacy does not stop there. Within the facility itself, prominent clients can maintain their privacy with single rooms or suites, and they can choose to only participate in one-on-one therapy.
“Many people with a public profile are unable to participate in group therapy, or prefer to spend the time with a focused therapy experience rather than sharing the practitioner’s time with 10 other people,” says Ruth Limkin, CEO of The Banyans in Brisbane, Australia.
An Understanding of the Executive or Celebrity Lifestyle
Would you want to go to rehab if you felt like the staff did not understand you or, even worse, seemed to resent you? Of course not! Luxury rehabs offer executives and celebrities the assurance that their lifestyles will be understood and accommodated during the recovery process.
“Luxury rehabs are a very necessary response to the treatment needs of high net worth individuals who will only consider treatment if they can have it delivered in a manner customized to their specifications,” Ellan explains.
“You lead an uncommon lifestyle—so you need a custom-tailored approach that standard rehabs aren’t equipped to offer.”
Addiction is intimately intertwined with the circumstances of one’s life. Money, responsibility, relationships and public scrutiny are all stressors that can influence how an addiction develops. “Our counsellors know the importance of contextualising addiction in the individual’s life […] and therefore our clinical team are always seeking to understand certain lifestyles comprehensively,” says Niall Campbell of DARA Thailand. “[Our counsellors] are well versed in how the wealth, fame, notoriety and power can relate to addiction.”
As Derry adds, “This speaks to the capacity for effective empathy which is critical to the therapeutic and hence healing processes.”
Although you don’t need to be famous or exceedingly wealthy to attend a luxury rehab, the counsellors at such facilities “have dealt with rock stars, Hollywood actors, elite athletes, high profile executives and royalty,” says Lockie. “[Our counsellors] know that each client is unique and creates programs that fit in with their needs, time at rehab and lifestyle.”
True Personalization for Successful Recovery
“It is vital to understand the client in order to treat the client,” says Ameet Braich of Camino Recovery in Spain. Those suffering from addiction can’t be placed in categories or expected to benefit from a one-size-fits-all program. At luxury rehabs, personalization guides every detail.
To ensure you get the level of attention and care you need, when you need it, luxury rehabs employ plenty of skilled counselors and staff to keep your addiction treatment moving forward.
Ellan explains, “standard rehabs have to accommodate more people at once and with less staff and more clients, requiring standardized rules applying to all.” The low client/staff ratio that luxury rehabs are known for allows the entire experience to be personalized and flexible, not just the treatment plan itself.
Paracelsus Recovery in Switzerland takes personalization to the extreme, treating only one client at a time.
Most luxury rehabs limit the number of clients they take on at any given time. On one hand, there is Paracelsus Recovery, which according to Gerber, “treats only one client at a time, very privately, in a spacious, luxurious environment, and tailoring the treatment program fully to their individual needs.”
A slightly larger facility, Lanna Rehab still keeps its client count low in order to provide deep personalization and custom treatment plans. “We only accept 15 clients at any one time,” says Lockie, “[which] gives us the ability to really focus on individual needs, and when you have busy executives and people in the public eye, you have to be flexible and accommodating for these clients.”
“Some clients require 3 one-on-one sessions per week, others need daily sessions,” Lockie adds. “Personalized treatment is at the core of what we do, and because each client is unique, so is their treatment plan.”
Work or Travel Can Be Accommodated at a Luxury Rehab
While limiting cell phone and internet use can be an effective way to help clients focus on their recovery, luxury rehabs often have clientele who are simply unable to “unplug” from their responsibilities for a month or more.
“Our clients have life responsibilities that they may not be able to put on hold for 30 days or more while they attend treatment.”
To help executives handle any home or work responsibilities, some luxury facilities have dedicated workspaces in each suite, while others are willing to relax rules about phones or Internet access in order to give time to conduct business.
Allowing executives to keep up with things at home and the office is a hallmark of luxury centers, like the environment pictured here at White River Manor in South Africa.
Celebrities often have events scheduled well in advance that they can’t afford to miss. Travel is typically restricted at residential facilities, but a luxury rehab is often willing to offer some flexible time off-campus with an accompanying sober companion or therapist to ensure a safe return to treatment.
Luxury Rehab: The Embodiment of Focus and Quality
Clients shouldn’t expect to be able to go to a luxury rehab and treat it like a holiday resort. Staff at a quality luxury rehab facility will still hold clients—no matter who they are—accountable to their treatment goals. Even the most premium luxury centers in the world recognize that treatment is going to be uncomfortable in some ways. “Treatment, by its very nature, should be challenging and uncomfortable,” says Gerber of the uber-luxury center Paracelcus. But a true luxury rehab center removes as many of the physical challenges as possible in a highly personalized way, while providing accountability through partnership and collaboration, keeping the focus on you and your goals.
With the deep personalization, soothing location, and intense focus on recovery without distractions, clients at luxury rehabs often see a great deal of success.
“If the willingness, drive and dedication is there, you can really make a life change in 28 days.”
While most luxury rehabs are priced well above what a middle class client may be able to afford, there are many international options that are offering luxury rehab at a much more affordable rate. Regardless of the cost of treatment, the cost of addiction is most certainly higher.
White River Manor is an example of an affordable luxury center. Their luxury program costs around one-tenth of centers in the U.S.
We’ll leave you with these inspiring words from Campbell: “Your addiction doesn’t respect any of the good things in your life. Can you afford NOT to go?”
Contributors to this post
We received a number of well thought out responses to the topic of this post from treatment professionals at some of the top luxury rehab centers in the world, including:
Jeanine Fourie, Therapeutic Director, White River Manor, South Africa
Cover photo credit:White River Manor, a luxury rehab center in South Africa.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luxury Rehabs
What is luxury rehab like?
Luxury rehabs combine core aspects of addiction treatment—like talk therapy—with personalized services, upscale amenities, and unique activities.
Is luxury rehab worth the money?
For people used to a certain lifestyle, the comfort of a luxury treatment setting lets them focus on recovery. Healing from addiction is a life-changing experience that can save on total healthcare costs over time.
What’s the difference between a luxury rehab and a regular rehab?
Luxury rehab centers share some common traits:
• Personalization • High-quality programming • Specialized staff • Upscale amenities • Privacy and confidentiality • Experience treating high-profile clientele like celebrities or executives
