At Black Door Spa Paris, a facial ritual with pool access & a tailor-made product to match

Paris is a fast-paced, hyperactive capital. And yet, when we feel the need to experience those moments suspended in time, the City of Light has no shortage of peaceful havens where relaxation is the watchword. For wellness enthusiasts, Paris is brimming with hot and even unusual concepts where we're invited to take time for ourselves.

This time, we take you a stone's throw from the Champs-Elysées to the Black Door, a confidential apartment-hotel residence dedicated to long-term stays, with a spa open to outside guests. In this hidden treasure trove, a unique personalized treatment awaits us: the Emuage ritual. The idea is to offer you an ultra-personalized two-hour experience with a facial treatment coupled with an upper-body massage, during which a tailor-made product is created for you, which you leave with and which also gives you access to the spa's facilities. Spoiler alert: you'll need to bring your swimsuit!

That day, we were welcomed by Ophélie, who kindly introduced us to the world of Black Door Spa. After swapping our street clothes for bathing attire, we wrap ourselves in the bathrobe provided, slip on our sandals and follow our guide to one of the warm treatment rooms. It's here that Ophélie explains how the experience unfolds.

It all begins with a diagnostic phase. The spa invites you to fill in a form beforehand, so that we can prepare your treatment and pre-select the products that will best suit you. Ophélie talks with us, and during this discussion, she asks about our lifestyle, our daily routine, how we feel about our skin, the skincare products we usually use, before asking us to take a closer look at our skin, which we naturally accept. Having established her diagnosis, Ophélie draws our attention to the innovation that will enable the treatment to be carried out.

Leaning against the counter, an elegant Emuage machine reveals itself to be a portable mini-laboratory for tailor-made cosmetics. As she explains the manufacturing process, she advises us and invites us to choose the ingredients best suited to our needs. At the time of our visit, it was possible to choose either a serum, a cream or an eye contour treatment. For the active ingredients, we'll choose those that promote radiance, hydration and the reduction of pigmentation spots. All that remains is to choose the fragrance, from among those selected beforehand by Ophélie, who will have succeeded in identifying our tastes based on the questionnaire. After much hesitation, jasmine won out!

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In the manner of a capsule coffee maker, Ophélie integrates the various elements before this mini-laboratory gets underway to design a skincare product with over 90% natural ingredients that will be integrated into our ritual. While we're at it, we're invited to take advantage of the Black Door Spa 's facilities, which offer us a warm, intimate vibe that makes us feel as if we're in a swimming pool built into the living room of a Parisian apartment. A sauna and hammam also await steam bath enthusiasts. After 30 to 40 minutes of relaxation in the pool and comfortable seating, we're invited to the third stage of the experience: the facial.

For an hour, we find ourselves in the hands of Ophélie, who integrates massage into every stage of the treatment ritual through a method that blends different techniques, including kobido, drainage and face gym, integrating ancestral know-how with modern processes. The experience varies from person to person, and is truly a tailor-made service. The products and techniques used will therefore not be the same, and we applaud this ability to adapt.

On the whole, we found the treatment dynamic, stimulating blood circulation and enhancing skin radiance, with the added bonus of a strong massage. After an initial relaxation phase, Ophélie proceeded to thoroughly cleanse and exfoliate our skin, before moisturizing. We then recognize the now-familiar scent of the product that will be ours, in this case a serum. Next, she applies a bio-cellulose sheet mask, and during the application massages our upper body, releasing tension from our neck and hands. Finally, after a final moisturizing step, we're left to gradually regain our composure and presented with a mirror.

From a dull complexion, we finally regain our radiance, and during the treatment, we literally feel ourselves slipping away, not into the arms of Morpheus, but into a meditative state that allows us to let go. In addition to our healthy glow, we even feel a boost of energy that will keep us going for the rest of the day. We'll almost forget that we're leaving with our 30 ml, one-minute treatment, to be used within two months. Now an integral part of our daily routine, we can prolong the experience at home, before eventually refilling our bottle!