Nestled under the immense Royal Monceau hotel, Spa My Blend by Clarins is a veritable haven of peace. Built by Philippe Starck, this ivory paradise is a mix of mirrors, endless corridors, immaculate curtains and the pièce de résistance: an azure 23-metre swimming pool, heated at 29°C.
As for the spa facilities, there’s a large hammam, a 36-degree pool for practising Watsu and a eucalyptus-scented sauna. It’s all clean lines and plenty of light – the sort of decor fit for a tsar. Guided from the locker room to the massage room by a beauty coach, we are wooed by the Clarins water sprayed into the air and completely lose track of time.
Among the available treatments, many are tailored to globetrotters, such as a body-sculpt treatment called the Anti Jet-Lag Stopover (€150). But for those who haven’t just hopped off a plane, ‘The Art of Touch’ will do just fine. A 90-minute session is divided into three parts: relaxation to free you from the day’s niggles, revitalisation to improve circulation and redistribute energies (a practise derived from Shen shiatsu) and regeneration: a massage to hit all the sore spots. The beauty coach will tailor the session to you – you choose the scent of the room as well as what your skin needs. As for the products, it’s all Clarins of course: Beauty Flash Balm, Super Restorative Day Cream or even HydraQuench cream. Suffice to say that your skin has never been so plumped and smoothed.
An experience like this comes with a price tag: €190 for the marvellous ‘Art of Touch,’ lasting a total of an hour and forty-five minutes – an extra €50 grants you the use of the spa facilities. It’s not the sort of daily habit you should be getting into, but with such tranquil facilities and high-quality massage skills, it might be worth a little squabble with your bank manager.