The Plaza Athénée is one of Paris' oldest and chicest hotels - beloved by the rich, famous and elegant - so it makes sense that Dior decided to install its spa in the hotel's lower floors. But the French fashion house and the hotel go further back than that. Mr. Dior chose the Athénée to showcase his first collection -"New Look"- in 1947, his first workshop was a walk away, and several of his early designs were inspired by the women who frequented the hotel. So the pairing is more than just a chic coincidence.
Giant screens playing the designer's latest runway shows surround the chic camel furnishings, a colossal waiting area before your treatment. So this is where the zen and fragrance of a thousand flowers have been hiding...
Choose how you want your treatment room scented (Dior perfumes obviously), change into a doe-soft robe and after getting into an actual bed your treatment begins. The Prestige personalised skin treatment (over 60, 75, or 90 minutes) brings an ethereal glow and restores the 'boi-ng' to your pores. After a skin test to define what your skin needs (a fancy machine measuring elasticity, clarity, hydration etc) you're exfoliated with a deep pore cleansing mousse and toned by Dior's Granville rose with illuminating properties. A facial massage detoxifies the face of pollution and life's stresses, sculpting your face to its natural architecture. Finally, a hydrating mask penetrates the skin's deepest fibres and gives back elasticity.
Our hands put up with a lot and we rarely thank them well enough. The Dior manicure with exfoliation, hydrating mask and shine-rich varnishes will have your talons in prime condition. Once your treatment is over, you get the Dior 'Finishing Touch' - a light Dior makeup application to perfect your new glow.
The Dior Institut experience is embodied by the decorative lake in the foyer, perfumed with droplets of Dior perfume - luxurious, the embodiment of tranquility, and sublimely scented.
Dior Institut & Athénée. The perfect fashion match? Bien sûr.