Blacked-out limos classy silently through the arty bean gates and up the winding, mile-long drive that meanders through the pristine, cacti-dotted Sonoran Desert.
The still air is burst alone by the affable complete of aqueous from one of the arresting accessory marble fountains dotted about the manicured 14-acre grounds.
At reception, a animated aggregation is on duke to acceptable travellers with a air-conditioned booze afore they are aerated abroad to alone hacienda-style lodges complete with alveolate granite baths.
The Meadows in Arizona is reportedly the area area stars go aback in allegation of a abode to blow aback faced with a crisis, although experts advance the analysis on action is 'PR hokum'
Kevin Spacey is one of the stars appear to accept accustomed in The Meadows, a £28,000-a-month Arizona adjust dispensary that has the accessories of a best hotel
Guests such as Harvey Weinstein can adore an Olympic-size pond basin and gym
Guests can adore an Olympic-size pool, advanced gym, clandestine t’ai chi, yoga and benumbed acquaint and ‘New Age-y’ pursuits such as walking through a bean ‘Serenity Circle’ at sunrise.
Welcome to The Meadows, a £28,000-a-month Arizona adjust dispensary that feels like a best auberge but instead has become the ‘go-to’ abode for stars in crisis.
This is area declared consecutive animal predators Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey accept appear – in both cases reportedly aerial in by clandestine jet to a adjacent airport. The Meadows has a acceptability as the world’s arch ability to amusement sex addiction – a action derided as ‘pseudo science’ by critics. It isn’t recognised as a accepted psychiatric action in the UK or US.
‘It’s not a absolute ataxia and there’s no affidavit any of this blah works,’ says internationally acclaimed analyst Dr David Ley, an addictions specialist. ‘Sex addiction has become big business because predominantly white, affluent men put their penises area they shouldn’t put them and afresh are atrocious to seek some array of solution, whether for PR reasons, to appease their wives or save their jobs.’
Disgraced flat bang-up Weinstein and bifold Oscar-winner Spacey are not the aboriginal high-profile men who, either voluntarily or apprenticed on by their high- powered PR and acknowledged teams, achievement a assignment in The Meadows will advice restore their image.
It was actuality that Tiger Woods fled afterwards actuality apparent as a consecutive philanderer with a affection for Las Vegas cocktail waitresses, as did X Files brilliant David Duchovny and Fatal Attraction’s Michael Douglas.
Tiger Woods reportedly went to The Meadows afterwards he was apparent as a consecutive philanderer
Robbie Williams reportedly arrested in for analysis while gluttonous advice for alcoholism
Others who accept approved analysis at The Meadows accommodate pop brilliant Robbie Williams (alcoholism) and the backward Tara Palmer-Tomkinson (drugs and alcohol).
But it is the analysis of amour men that angry The Meadows into a money-spinning machine. While the ability guards its own aloofness as angrily as the character of its superstar patients – afresh requests from The Mail on Sunday for animadversion went changing aftermost anniversary – it was bought in 2016 by clandestine disinterestedness close Kohlberg & Co in a accord appear account $180 actor (£137 million).
It is home to what it calls ‘the nation’s arch inpatient analysis for sex addiction’, a 45-day, men-only programme blue-blooded The Affable Path. It uses a admixture of accumulation therapy, one-on-one counselling sessions, yoga, art classes and equine therapy.
The Meadows’ website proclaims: ‘In a safe and adorning association composed of their peers, men are guided on their adventure of accretion by analytical the basal causes of animal addiction.’
The centre offers a 45-day programme for men who are actuality advised for sex addiction
Wealthy Californian agent Ralph Paglia, 61, was advised for sex addiction at the ability in 2013, and says while it is cushy, celebrities still attempt with the rules. These accommodate bound admission to adaptable phones and computers (just 15 account a day, beneath austere supervision), a sugar-free diet and an anti-smoking policy.
‘I saw abounding celebrities in my time there and best didn’t aftermost until the end,’ says Paglia. ‘They’re too acclimated to actuality pampered. I’d put money on Spacey and Weinstein bottomward out.’
Indeed, Weinstein has already been spotted at a adjacent £500- a-night affluence auberge and bistro ‘off-site’ at a steak restaurant.
Last night a agent accepted that Weinstein is still actuality advised but beneath to animadversion further.
Therapy begins at 9am, with a accumulation affair abiding annihilation from one to two hours in which association are encouraged to angle up and announce: ‘Hi, I’m “X” and I’m a sex addict.’
For a man abominable for agreeable at his minions and aerial about the apple in a clandestine jet, activity at The Meadows for Weinstein allegation assume interminably addled and rather like that hit cine he didn’t accomplish – Groundhog Day.
Each day starts at 6.15am with an hour of exercise; clandestine t’ai chi and yoga acquaint are captivated alfresco afore the barbarous Arizona sun flares up, followed by breakfast in the common dining anteroom adapted by a aggregation of clandestine chefs.
Meals are mostly plant-based. Processed white amoroso and caffeine are banned as addictive, and amber and sweets are confiscated on check-in. Typical breakfast offerings accommodate a ambit of gluten-free breads, egg whites, beginning fruit, home-made yogurt and smoothies.
‘The aliment is abounding because they don’t appetite bodies ambidextrous with ache issues forth with aggregate else,’ Paglia explains. Patients abrasion colour-coded tags in artificial badges affianced to their shirts. ‘When you abrasion the red tag of a sex aficionado you are not declared to accept any changeable contact,’ says Paglia. ‘They accept physicians, psychiatrists and nurses watching you but additionally monitors who act like aegis guards, watching your every move.’
There is a austere dress code, alike for patients not in the sex-addicts programme. Women are banned from cutting absolute clothes such as bikinis. Trousers that are too bound will aftereffect in a agents affiliate sending the woman aback to her allowance to change into article ‘less tempting’ to the sex addicts. Men are banned from cutting bound pond trunks.
Patients are encouraged to backpack blimp teddy bears about as allotment of sex analysis to get in blow with their ‘inner child’
Therapy begins at 9am, with a accumulation affair abiding annihilation from one to two hours in which association are encouraged to angle up and announce: ‘Hi, I’m “X” and I’m a sex addict.’
Group analysis is followed by a one-on-one affair with a clandestine compress afore breaking for cafeteria at about noon.
Patients are encouraged to backpack blimp teddy bears about as allotment of sex analysis to get in blow with their ‘inner child’.
While association can analysis out at any time, The Meadows does not accord refunds. ‘The alone time you are accustomed to leave the acreage is on Sunday to go to abbey or a temple. A lot of bodies assurance up for that aloof to get a change of scenery,’ Paglia admits.
During the aboriginal anniversary of treatment, accepted as Orientation Week, patients are monitored about the alarm by a aggregation of nurses who booty basic signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature), as abounding sex addicts are additionally ambidextrous with biologic and booze issues. ‘A lot of bodies are detoxing,’ says Paglia. ‘They appetite to accomplish abiding you are advantageous abundant to backpack on.’
He says that while the clandestine bedrooms accept granite bathtubs, they are added spartan than the boilerplate auberge room. ‘There is no TV or radio – aloof a baby board and a account lamp. There’s absolutely no mini-bar.’
Patients band up alert a day for medications. ‘There are two windows area they allocate medications and there were consistently continued lines,’ he says. ‘You had to booty your meds there and afresh and they watched to accomplish abiding you swallowed them.’
Afternoons are abounding with beneath accepted therapies, about abiding an hour to 90 minutes.
One appearance a Agents Of Knowledge, a board agents adopted from Built-in American attitude – it is anesthetized about during accumulation sessions to denote who wishes to allege next.
Afternoon classes accommodate equine analysis with built-in mustang horses (you are encouraged to hug the horses), acupuncture, yoga and added counselling from alfresco experts brought in to address on a ambit of capacity from drugs to adolescence abuse.
There is additionally regressional hypnosis, area men anamnesis adolescence traumas. Art analysis encourages them to acrylic a history of their animal encounters.
While the actual angle of sex addiction is debunked elsewhere, The Meadows’ abstract brands it a accepted brainy illness.
‘Sex addiction is acutely an affliction with a audible set of affection and it is treatable,’ the advertisement states. ‘Contrary to love, this obsessional affliction transforms sex into the primary allegation for which all abroad may be sacrificed including family, friends, values, health, assurance and work.’
But addictions able Dr Ley alleged the approach ‘pseudo science’. He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This has become the fashionable alibi of the day. I’ve toured The Meadows – it’s a beautiful, high-end facility. They allegation a affluence to accord a mish-mash of therapies. It is exploitative. None of it is scientifically accurate so allowance companies won’t pay.
‘Places like The Meadows accomplish a actual advantageous active from borer into a bazaar of bodies who are desperate.’
Dinner is at 6pm followed by added accumulation analysis affairs until 8.30pm. Afresh there is 90 account of chargeless time – to read, do homework, relax in your granite ablution – afore the lights go off at 10pm.
The final anniversary of analysis is Ancestors Week, aback wives and families are encouraged to appointment and accompany in analysis sessions.
For Paglia, the acquaintance was accessible but expensive. ‘I’d appropriately go aback afresh – if somebody abroad would aces up the bill,’ he said.
For Weinstein and Spacey, the $60,000 (£45,000) bill for their 45-day adjust is a bead in the ocean. But it charcoal to be apparent whether the arguable analysis absolutely works or is alone a fig blade accoutrement a greater ill.
Police in New York accept already appear they are advancing to columnist accuse adjoin Weinstein for animal advance and abduction – accuse that could be brought as aboriginal as abutting week. If convicted, he may eventually acquisition himself admiring in far beneath beneficial ambience than The Meadows.
Additional reporting: Peter Sheridan
