Lessons on Hungary's Anti-Aging Secret
VIOLET SAYS: LESSONS ON HUNGARY’S ANTI-AGING SECRET
A dossier on Hollywood’s latest skin care mecca— Omorovicza spa.
Written By MOLLY CREEDEN
In recent years, Hollywood has headed to Budapest: The Hungarian metropolis is a rising hotspot for film production. (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bel Ami, and Dan Brown’s forthcoming Inferno, starring Felicity Jones, were shot there, to name a few.) And with any big-budget production comes a need for facials, a prerequisite for an Oscar-worthy close-up. Budapest sits atop the holy grail of thermal mineral waters, which are prized the world over for their healing qualities. These waters are part of the reason bathhouses are such important cultural institutions in the region and a mandatory stop on any visit.
Foremost among the spas attracting Hollywood notables is Omorovicza, an immaculate nine-year-old retreat with its own skin care line. The spa is conveniently located on bustling Andrassy Avenue, just down the street from the Opera and Louis Vuitton. VIOLET GREY recently paid a visit to the historic city’s skin-care mecca for an in-depth report on the brand’s healing Moor mud-based treatments.
THE SPA
Omorovicza
2 Andrassy ut1061 Budapest, Hungary
omorovicza.com | +36 (06) 1 302 4604
THE CONCEPT
Inspired by the effect of Budapest’s sacred waters on their own skin, founder Stephen Omorovicza and his American-born wife, Margaret, tapped into the city’s natural and historical resources to launch their company. Stephen’s ancestors established Racz, one of the city’s original bathhouses—a cavernous, Ottoman-domed beauty—in the 1800s on the site of a medieval hot spring. Omorovicza, in contrast, favors sleek, white marble minimalism. With a boutique and only one treatment room, the flagship Budapest location isn’t about the bells and whistles. The focus is great skin care, and the post-visit glow speaks for itself.
THE AESTHETICIAN
Omorovicza’s facialists are renowned for their rigorous training and extensive experience. Sylvia Molnár, who specializes in acne care, has 22 years in the business and comes from a long line of Hungarian aestheticians. “I started getting facials when I was 13,” she says. “And I don’t have any wrinkles.”
THE SIGNATURE SERVICE
Molnár et al. dispense services like the 90-minute Deep Cleansing & Pore Refining facial, which is exactly what it sounds like, Hungarian style. The facial features aggressive (albeit effective) extractions, chased with Omorovicza’s Deep Cleansing mask, which uses Hungarian Moor mud and white clay to clear pores and brighten the complexion. Next, the aesthetician works the spa’s DNA-regenerating Blue Diamond serum, thermal-water infused Gold Rescue moisturizer, and silicone-free BB cream into the skin via a signature Hungarian face massage (a traditional technique that incorporates finger drumming and pressure applied in sweeping neck-to-cheek movements). Other signatures include a collagen building Regenerating Facial with a copper-laced peel, an exfoliating Hungarian body wrap with sea salt and Hungarian moor mud, and a luxe Golden Body Treatment. Omorovicza also offers unique customizations, such as a rose quartz facial massage. (Per Molnár, the contrast of a cold, smooth stone with the warmth of the thermal products aids with elasticity, and improves the tone of deep circles around the eyes.)
THE MAINTENANCE ROUTINE
The good news is you can take Omorovizca’s healing powers home via the all-natural product line, which has gained a cult following. Developed with Nobel Prize-winning scientists, Omorovicza’s formulas incorporate a patented mineral water delivery system to maximize the benefits and absorption of the thermal waters. To get even more scientific: They’ve devised a way to change the molecular structure of minerals like zinc, copper, and calcium so they can penetrate a deeper layer of the skin and activate a process of self-repair. These minerals also hydrate and rejuvenate while improving elasticity and collagen production. Signatures to the collection include the brand’s detoxifying Thermal Cleansing Balm, which contains Moor mud from Hungary’s Lake Haviz. The mud is rich in in calcium and magnesium carbonates, which leave skin feeling pillowy and soft; its Blue Diamond Concentrate brings back luminous-looking skin by facilitating DNA regeneration with hyaluronic acid and polysaccharides.
SHOP HUNGARY’S FINEST SKIN CARE
OMOROVICZA THERMAL CLEANSING BALM
OMOROVICZA DEEP CLEANSING MASK
OMOROVICZA REFINING FACIAL POLISHER
OMOROVICZA QUEEN OF HUNGARY MIST
Get the full Omorovicza experience & more at VIOLETGREY.com
