6-Day Green Juice Detox and Hot Springs Retreat in the California Desert

The programme is a fasting cleanse, which means liquids only for the six days. You drink fresh organic green juice, juiced daily, plus supplements taken roughly every hour from waking until bedtime. There is deliberately no fruit juice and no beet or carrot juice, on the reasoning that sugar in juice form feeds cravings. Jan's aim is that you leave without the sugar, carb and alcohol cravings you arrived with.

Days follow a loose structure rather than a packed timetable. You are up and taking your first supplements and juice, there is a daily class where Jan explains what fasting is doing and why rest helps, and the rest of the time is yours to use the springs and spa facilities or sleep. Guests are encouraged to rest, since the point of not digesting solid food is to free up the body's energy. Jan is on site day and night and available if you need her.

What separates this from a standard juice cleanse is the setting. Azure Palm Hot Springs sits on natural mineral springs in the desert near Joshua Tree, and guests have access to the mineral spring pools, Himalayan salt room, saunas and a desert ice room. Soaking in the mineral water is built into the programme as part of the detox rather than an add-on. There is also a full-service spa, a private yoga studio, and yoga, meditation and breathwork on offer.

Jan's background is worth knowing before you book. She has fasted herself for over 30 years and has guided cleanses professionally for more than 20, and she describes the programme as the result of travelling and testing methods first-hand. She is clear that this is not self-guided: she runs a pre-screening process before accepting anyone, and if she thinks the cleanse is not right for you she will refer you elsewhere. That screening is part of why the group tends to be small and why she can stay close to everyone through the week.

The location is Desert Hot Springs, in the Coachella Valley about 20 minutes from Palm Springs and within reach of Joshua Tree National Park. The property is a desert oasis with hot mineral water on site, which is the main reason the cleanse is run here rather than at a clinic. Guests come for weight loss, for detox after illness or a heavy period of life, and for the mental reset that comes from five days off food in a quiet place.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation at Azure Palm Hot Springs - Fresh organic green juice, juiced daily - Hourly nutritional supplementation through the day - Daily class with Jan Minter on fasting and detoxification - On-site guidance from Jan throughout the retreat - Access to mineral spring pools - Access to Himalayan salt room - Access to saunas - Access to desert ice room - Yoga, meditation and breathwork sessions - Detox pre-screening before the retreat

What's not included

- Travel to and from Desert Hot Springs, California - Solid food (the programme is liquids only) - Fruit juice, beet juice and carrot juice (not served on this programme) - Full-service spa treatments - Travel insurance - Personal expenses