It’s a coup d’état! Why France is the new frontier for grand wellness getaways

By Delilah Khomo

Head for the hills of Provence and Villa La Coste

The French really know how to live. Some countries belong in operettas, others to the darker reaches of Shakespeare, but France is steeped in balanced, aesthetic pleasures (and the best possible taste). Just look at the symmetry of the Louvre, or Le Nôtre's gardens at Versailles: every detail is perfection because their standards admit nothing less. Or take the unruffled refinement of the Parisian grande-dame hotels, which have long eclipsed their London counterparts.

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By Annabel Sampson

Across the Channel, there is a unique, irresistible, Baudelairian sense of luxe, calme et volupté – emanating especially from LVMH's Cheval Blanc's sexy new spa haven above the Samaritaine building in Paris, with its endless selection of Dior beauty rituals on tap; from the glamorous environs of the subterranean pool at The Ritz (a marvel in its own right, with celadon mosaic tiles, soaring columns and a ceiling painted like the sky); and from Le Bristol's rooftop pool and spa, a totally indulgent idyll offering the best Tata Harper treatments and a restorative banya – the real thing, complete with twig beatings. Follow that with star chef Éric Fréchon's signature green bean and artichoke salad, eaten in the garden, and ponder the paradox of a weight-loss retreat shamelessly masquerading as a five-star palace hotel…

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

By Rebecca Cope

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

Cheval Blanc's sexy new spa haven

Then there is the Proustian joy of a country where you can swim in Evian and enjoy its healing waters; or, upping the ante, gaze over Dom Pérignon's vineyard and savour a coupe of champagne followed by a Biologique Recherche facial, at the Royal Champagne Hotel and Spa (a former coaching inn which has hosted kings of France en route to their coronation). Meanwhile, further towards Saint Tropez, a place that normally doesn't do restraint, you can hole up in the Hôtel Lily of the Valley, a Philippe Starck temple of wellness that is all about making a big impression, especially with nutritionist Jacques Fricker's TGV diet-plan method – nicknamed after the ‘Train à Grande Vitesse’ for its speed and efficiency at dropping those pounds.

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By Lucinda Gosling

For a far-out holistic trip, try the glorious Domaine des Etangs, a turreted beauty of a hotel, and home of the yogic high life. (Here, where the vegetable garden is designed as a mandala, a hippie vibe pervades: there's a yoga teacher wandering round the grounds, who can spot the slightest spine misalignment a mile off.) Or go back to the land at Maison Ila, an enticingly rustic, blue-shuttered affair. This limestone paean to classic French elegance, in the pretty Pyrenees village of Sonnac-sur-l’Hers, is focused on self-transformation. A stay at this ‘house of healing’ promises soothing Ayurvedic treatments, delicious vegetarian fare and reviving body- work massages.

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

By Rebecca Cope

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

Discover stealth health at the Maybourne Riviera Spa

Think stealth health rather than stealth wealth, especially at the new Maybourne Riviera Spa. A destination in its own right, it was designed by interior architect André Fu as a retreat for holistic treatments, some that come with hot-oil poultices, others with such bio-innovations as FaceGym – making its first appearance in France – alongside fail-safe fabulous Augustinus Bader facials. Or head for the hills of Provence and Villa La Coste, a hillside art-spa-paradise. This 600-acre haven is redolent with the colours and heady scents of cypress and olive trees, rosemary and lavender.

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By Hope Coke

The subterranean pool at The Ritz

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

By Rebecca Cope

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

Set in the sprawling Château La Coste vineyard, the estate doubles as an outside gallery. Meditative art walks are on offer, so find peace of mind in the somnolent charm of Tunga's artwork, Tadao Ando's architecture and Yoko Ono's Wish Trees. Equally transporting is the spa, which has a spiritual heart behind its chic blond-wood walls, and offers a hammam, a dry floating bed, a Vichy Ritual, scrubs with black magnesium, and all kinds of mud wraps – such as pink mud or purple, tuberose-infused mud – not to mention a great amethyst gel. Massage is a big deal here, from shiatsu to relaxing, via reflexology; but so is the choice of oils, including a very memorable jasmine and verveine variety. This is the dream combination of healthy gourmet retreat and hunker-down spa, with gorgeous interiors and grounds whose seasonal changes are almost as frequent as those on Hélène Darroze's menu. Luckily, her club sandwich, with comté cheese and bacon, is a mainstay: accompanied by a glass of rosé, it brings as much joy as the massages. But then, this is the real vie en rose.

Wonderfully captured at Villa La Coste – which excels at all forms of pampering – in France, l’art de vivre is truly celebrated. And nowhere more so than in its capital, whose wellness stars are listed here…

Sophie Carbonari

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

By Rebecca Cope

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

Cool, calm and collected, Sophie Carbonari is famed for her skilled and magical hands at Les Bains Guerbois spa in Paris or The Standard in London. She can work miracles on your jawline and cheek- bones – and plump your skin to perfection – while tackling visible tiredness and other forlorn-looking aspects of your face. So impressive are her results, she has garnered a devout following of fashion editors and power players on both sides of the Channel. They can't get enough of her secret mix of naturopathic oils – she's working on a skincare line – and her Kobido massage technique. Stimulating lymphatic drainage, this treatment eliminates wrinkles and bestows youthful dewiness without the need for surgery.

sophiecarbonari.com

To step into the ineffably romantic and perfumed world of Officine Universelle Buly on Rue de Saintonge in Le Marais is to be time-warped back to Napoleon's heyday. Nymphs inspired by classical Roman architecture parade across the mouldings that adorn the walls of a tiny but perfectly formed café serving rose tea and other tisanes. (Not to mention the chic cabinets that overflow with soaps, specialised oils and even incense from Mount Athos, as well as plenty of perfumes and Japanese combs at which to marvel.) So after former boxing masseur Mr Ao has come out to greet you, it's something of a surprise when he guides you to the hidden treatment room that's covered in Majorelle blue tiles, paying homage to those found in Moroccan bath houses. Here, the striped pyjamas you are given to wear are beyond elegant, as is the antique 19th-century gym mattress you lie on. But be warned: Mr Ao is not as serene as his space. He can't be, when he's delivering the best shiatsu and energetic massages in the world, manipulating and digging his elbow into areas of the body you never imagined needed to be relaxed. Find solace in his sage advice, his impeccable manners – and his realignment technique, which quickly activates the dormant energy in your body. Then recover with one of Buly's more gentle face massages – based on the Japanese Miho method, this employs little brushes to stimulate the energy meridians – and have lacklustre skin restored by the application of ionised water and natural hyaluronic acid.

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

By Rebecca Cope

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

buly1803.com

Whether you need to kickstart a healthy lifestyle, or are in need of a super-efficient reset, Clémence Preiss – who splits her time between Paris and Morocco – blends massage and bodywork, and some deliciously smelling rose oil, in her signature healing. And it detoxifies your whole system (mind and spirit, too). Warm, charming and exceptionally kind, Preiss cares deeply about her clients and their results. She possesses a rare ability to listen, empathise, and to get to the crux of what's going on, making those who sit in her apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés feel understood. She is also spookily telepathic and can read your energy in the most amazing way. Make sure you stock up on the Ev jeunesse eternelle damask rose oil that she makes and distils herself at her eco-laboratory in Morocco – it's like gold dust and not only works quickly to open your heart chakra but, on a more superficial level, does wonders for your skin. After using her signature rose serum and oil, you will honestly say your skin has never looked so good: tight, smooth and clear as day.

For more information, contact [email protected]

NEED TO KNOW: Cheval Blanc Paris, chevalblanc.com; The Ritz Paris, ritzparis.com; Le Bristol, oetkercollection.com; Royal Champagne Hotel and Spa, royalchampagne.com; Hôtel Lily of the Valley, lilyofthevalley.com; Domaine des Etangs, domainedesetangs.com; Maison Ila, maisonila.com; Maybourne Riviera, maybourneriviera.com; Villa La Coste, villalacoste.com

This feature first appeared in the Spa Guide 2022.