Beauty and Fitness

If you need a little pick-me-up, you are in the right town. 

Spas

Fabulous Hotel Spas
Dior Institut at the Plaza Athénée
25, ave Montaigne, in the 8th Arrondissement. 01 53 67 65 35.
Includes fitness rooms, steam and sauna. Very luxurious.

Doux Me at Hôtel Costes
239, rue St.-Honoré, in the 1st. 01 42 44 50 00.
The Doux Me beauty room at Hôtel Costes offers personalized facials, body treatments and massages, using organic products and vegetable-based oils that will leave your skin feeling, soft, smooth and revitalized. Doux Me’s line of organic cosmetics is available at major department stores, spas and pharmacies.

Spa Anne Semonin at the Bristol
108, rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré, in the 8th. 01 42 66 24 22. Another location, at Les Bains de Grenelle, couples a spa with a hammam (Turkish steam bath). 76 rue de Grenelle, in the 7th. 01 42 22 67 97.

Spa Mosaic at the Hilton
51/57, rue de Courcelles, in the 8th. 01 58 36 68 09. This place is new and luxurious and offers a hammam, a fitness center and sauna, as well as the usual spa treatments.

More Spas

Anne Fontaine
370, rue St.-Honoré, in the 1st. 01 42 61 03 70. See website for more locations.
Anne Fontaine is well known internationally for her signature crisp, feminine blouses and simple but sexy dresses, skirts, trousers and accessories. Her style is classic with an edge, and her clever designs flatter most women’s bodies. But Fontaine is not yet as well known for her boutique spa on rue St.-Honoré, in the upscale shopping district of the 1st Arrondissement. The spa offers facials, massages, manicures, pedicures and combination packages (try the Girl from Ipanema) using innovative ingredients such as exotic fruits, natural resins and milk. 

L’Appartement 217
217, rue St.- Honoré, in the 1st. 01 42 96 00 96. Stéphane Jaulin’s salon as well as an organic spa. This place is terribly chic and something so creative and beautiful that it took a former buyer for Colette to pull it off.
La Bulle Kenzo
1, rue du Pont Neuf, in the 1st. 01 73 04 20 04. A very hip salon with a new age bent presenting Kenzo products.
La Colline
24, ave de l’Opéra, in the 1st. 01 49 26 03 66. The Swiss specialists in skin care.
L’Espace Payot
62, rue Pierre Charron, in the 8th. 01 45 61 42 08. L’Espace Payot is a health club and spa located just off the Champs-Elysées, on the nice side of town. The spa offers facials, massages, aromatherapy and exfoliation treatments. The health club is outfitted with a swimming pool, an equipment room and private training rooms for pilates, yoga and calisthenics. It’s open daily to members and nonmembers.

Institute Sothys
128, rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré, in the 8th. 01 53 93 91 53. Also offers a makeup makeover.

Janthra Spa
23, rue Saint Augustin, in the 2nd. 01 45 74 65 62. Emphasizes Thai massage and other Asian specialties. A bit pricey but also has a Jacuzzi and hammam.

Spa Cinq Mondes
6, sq de l’Opéra-Louis-Jouvet, in the 9th. 01 42 66 00 60. Offers treatments from many different cultures.

Spa Nuxe
32, rue Montorgueil, in the 2nd. 01 55 80 71 40. Zen meets old French limestone for a very chic day spa.

La Sultane de Saba
78, rue Boissière, in the 16th. 01 45 00 00 40. 8 bis, rue Bachaumont, in the 2nd. 01 40 41 90 95. Gorgeous women-only oriental spa with unique Morocco-meets-Turkey decor
and a relaxing tearoom. Massages, wraps, hammam, mani/pedis—the
works. We adore its product line.  

Les Thermes Saint-Germain
5, passage de la Petite Boucherie, in the 6th. 01 56 81 31 11. At Les Thermes Saint-Germain you’ll find a delightful hammam and tanning beds, as well as a variety of services like facials, manicures, pedicures and full-body exfoliations. The spa is not the cheapest of the cheap (though you should probably avoid those places anyway), but it’s certainly affordable. Treatment packages are available, as is a student discount.
Xue Zhong Hua Chinese Massage Salon
91, rue de Javel, in the 15th. 01 45 79 63 67. Daily, 10 am–10 pm.

For a Chinese medicine massage, contact Mademoiselle Zhang. She’s a true healer. Cure and a cup of tea included! Relief comes at the incredible price of 40 euros.
For more hammams, see Out of the Ordinary in Paris.

Hair

Jean-Claude Biguine
A chain with four locations in Paris, here you can get an affordable yet very chic haircut and color.

Michel Brosseau
36, rue de Courcelles, in the 8th. 01 43 59 80 40. Known for dry hair cuts, but they also do good color. There is an English-speaking staff.

Christophe Robin
9, rue Guénégaud, in the 6th. 01 42 60 99 15. Colorist to the stars. If you need your roots done, call way in advance. Also has a place at the Meurice Hotel, in the 1st.  

Nails

You can get your nails done at many of the above places, plus you’ll find neighborhood nail salons near where you are staying.

Artistic Nail
84, rue du Cherche-Midi, in the 6th. 01 42 22 00 62. Offers everything from a simple manicure to acrylic nails.

Nephtys
61, rue de Turbigo, in the 3rd; or 46, rue du Montparnasse, in the 14th. Mon–Fri, 10–8; Sat, 10 –7 .
A decent place for a manicure.

Gyms

Body Elite
8, rue de Castellane, in the 8th. 01 44 56 00 26. Has Power Plates, which is a machine that vibrates and tones muscles. A half-hour session on a Power Plate, at 30 euros, is supposedly equivalent to an hour and a half on a Stair Master. Now we can have our cake and eat it too!

Club Med
Owns a whopping 22 gyms in Paris. You should be able to find one near you if you MUST work out on vacation. The facility in the 11th has a pool. Entry is around 20–25 euros a day.

Club Quartier Latin
19, rue de Pontoise, in the 5th. 01 55 42 77 88. They have a beautiful swimming pool in a classic 1930s building that has often been used in movies. They offer romantic night swims, as well as gym facilities and classes and even squash courts. Entry price varies depending on what you want to do, but entry to the pool starts at under 4 euros.

Espace Vit-Halles
48, rue Rambuteau, in the Marais. One of the best gyms in Paris. They’re open every day, plus they have 10 locations throughout the city. Most have a pool, gym equipment, classes, personal trainers, yoga and spa treatments. 25 euros a day.

Ritz Health Club
1, place Vendôme, in the 1st, inside the Ritz Hotel. For a very fancy workout. Entry price is 150 euros a day for a spectacular pool, hammam, Jacuzzi, massages, sauna, fitness classes and cardio equipment. If you are in the mood to splurge—this is the place.
For yoga and meditation, see Out of the Ordinary in Paris.