The Crucial Difference Between U.S. and French Spas? 'The Pleasure Principle'

In honor of Bastille Day, Yahoo Style and Yahoo Beauty are examining what it means to be “French” — the myths, fantasies, and realities that all help define that certain je ne sais quoi. What’s vrai, what’s faux, and what’s a total faux pas? Read on.

Despite having once named a pet gerbil Eloise (and by “once,” I mean four years ago), I’d never actually been inside New York’s famed Plaza Hotel. But that all changed very recently, as my quest to uncover the French-girl mystique led me through its shiny, gilded lobby, up one extremely fancy elevator, and straight into the Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, where I received my first facial under the most French of conditions.

Luxury spa treatments are about as French as macarons and the Eiffel Tower. According to Regine Berthelot, the director of spa education at Caudalie and a facialist with 33 years of experience, it’s not unusual for girls in France to start making regular trips to the spa when they are as young as 13. “Regularly taking care of your skin from a very young age is definitely a big part of the natural routine,” she says. “The whole idea is that when you have good skin, you don’t need makeup. So it really is about glowing from the inside out.”

Caudalie takes that inside-out mantra literally. The “Vinothérapie” aspect of its N.Y.C. location means that the spa includes a wine lounge filled with leather couches and shelves piled high with vin. “It was like a natural link: We’re putting antioxidant on your skin, and a little wine — especially red wine — is going to help you get antioxidants on the inside of your body. So we always encourage our clients to have a little wine. Everything in moderation is good.”

Because I’d already indulged in a little vino therapy of my own just before my visit (what — I was being French!), I skipped the bar and went straight to the facial area — where I hung up my robe and slipped under the sheets with just my face, neck, and shoulders exposed. My esthetician, Natacha, explained that I’d be receiving the Caudalie Grand Facial — a 50-minute treatment meant to relax the facial muscles and renew the skin. I think it relaxed my permanent stress, too.

As Regine explains, French facials are typically less harsh and invasive than those done in the States. “French women believe in the pleasure principle,” she says. “So everything should feel good. ‘No pain, no gain’ is really not the whole idea here; the service and the products need to feel good internally and externally, whereas in the States, you’re trying desperately to tighten and lift, then extract. … In France, for example, extraction is done very gently. We can’t be having the client crying during extraction because it’s so painful. It really would defeat the whole purpose of the pleasure facial.”

Facials performed at Caudalie are specifically created with the idea of a petrissage massage in mind. In addition to the cleansing, toning, exfoliating, and (gentle) extractions, mine involved a calming, pore-opening steam treatment, a hot-stone massage, deep-penetrating essential oils, and a gentle, nourishing mask. Later came an eye treatment, serum, and moisturizer tailored to my skin type — plus the option of bronzer (we know how much the French love their bronzer). To top it off, I received a hand, shoulder, and foot massage! Not too shabby. (Photos of my experience show that I also had some high-tech lights and fancy instruments held over my face during various parts of the treatment — to which I say: super!)

One thing the Caudalie Grand Facial notably does not include is a peel. Says Regine, “When I first came to the States, I started doing peels — in France, we really don’t do them so much. You’re peeling off dead skin, and it’s not feeling good, it’s not looking good. It kind of defeats the purpose. It’s better to take a little bit longer to get a more gradual peel, and then you always feel good, you always look good. And again, when you feel good, you look good. It really is a matter of that whole beauty — inside and out — coming through.”

Regine tells me that as luxurious as these trips to the spa can be, they aren’t necessarily considered special occasions in France, as they may be in America. She describes facials and treatments as “part of [a woman’s] monthly routine.” It’s not uncommon for clients to develop deep connections with their massage therapists and estheticians, similar to a hairstylist and his clients in the U.S. “It’s very friendly,” she says. “You become very close to your therapist, so they know every little issue; they know when you go on vacation, what you need to change in your routine, when there’s more stress in your life, and what they can do to help you.” (Truth be told, I did feel a kinship with Natacha during my session after we bonded over our mutual distaste for energy-guzzling air conditioners.)

Leaving Caudalie, I thought it’s no wonder the French hold their fancy face time in such high regard. I felt relaxed, smooth, and frankly, kind of expensive — in a “Sorry I missed you, dahling, I was at the spa” kind of way. It’s like my mind opened up along with my pores — letting in the realization that there’s nothing wrong with a little pampering, a little wine, and most of all, a little moi time. It’s certainly something we Americans (particularly those of us who commute through Times Square to get to work every morning!) could stand to have more of. Vive la France — and vive la facial!

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