The Tamesis
What should you try?
“Our most popular treatments are the Renaissance Facial and the Serenity Facial,” Main told me shortly before I arrived. “Creating unique rituals and designing our facials became a core focus as we developed the spa.” She mentioned that the Serenity Facial is often chosen by people traveling from afar, so I booked the 85-minute treatment. While I lay on the heated bed, my face was cleansed, sprayed, wrapped in a warm towel, masked, massaged, and moisturized with more than one person’s favorite La Mer products Fashion edit. I tried not to doze off as the wavy motion was as soothing as it promised. After the treatment, I’m given water, more delicious ginger soup, or a glass of ice-cold champagne. I choose bubbles.
Next, I returned to test what Main considers “the most relaxing treatment on the menu,” the La Mer Renaissance Facial. Main says that in 120 minutes, it incorporates La Mer’s Genaissance collection into a custom-made ritual of “unparalleled energy and indulgence.” This time, the long facial massage (faster but gentler than any device) combined with the sensual Genaissance formula was so relaxing that, I think, I actually fell asleep a few times. During the last week of fashion month, I received compliments about my “radiant look.”
Photo: Courtesy of Romain Ricard/Le Bristol
How environmentally friendly is it?
The spa does not use any single-use plastic and uses cornstarch-based materials, FSC-certified cardboard or paper from sustainably managed forests for packaging. To increase efficiency, the pool’s water is heated by recycling heat generated by the hotel itself. Main tells me that even La Mer products start with sustainability, as the kelp for its Miracle Broth is sustainably sourced and hand-harvested off the coast of Vancouver Island.
What else do we need to know?
Pets are welcome at the hotel. Just outside the spa door I spotted a beautiful cat playing with a tennis ball on the carpet, rolling peacefully to expose its belly. This is Socrates, a friendly Saint-Berman resident and unofficial mascot.
