Galeries Lafayette Opens Mega Wellness Department
PARIS — Galeries Lafayette has taken a deep dive into the wellness category, with a 32,290-square-foot department, replete with treatments, products, a restaurant and gym.
The French department store just opened what’s dubbed La Wellness Galerie in its Boulevard Haussmann flagship’s minus-one floor. It is billed to be the largest space devoted to wellness in Europe.
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“It’s a unique place,” said Alexandre Liot, general manager of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, during a press conference Thursday. He described the department as an unprecedented mix of products, services and experiences for wellness inside and out.
“We were obliged to learn and co-build with our partners, and that’s also what makes this place unique,” he said.
Galeries Lafayette executives homed in on wellness, since “it’s a market that before COVID[-19] was booming and [subsequently] we saw that it had exploded,” said Liot.
“It is really in line with the times,” agreed Arthur Lemoine, offer and buying director at Galeries Lafayette.
Wellness, a market comprised of everything related to nutrition/weight loss, beauty and physical activity, is booming. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the world wellness economy is worth $4.4 trillion today and is forecast to reach $7 trillion by 2025.
La Wellness Galerie is constructed on three main pillars: There is sport and relaxation, including boxing, cardio, yoga, meditation, plus associated clothes and accessories. The skin care and treatment section has osteopathy, cryotherapy, lymphatic drainage, nail art, sauna and hammam, eyelash extensions, and face and body creams, among other elements.
Then there is a pillar of well-being in the broadest sense, with aromatherapy, lithotherapy, dietary supplements, food, sex toys and beauty devices.
Courtesy of Thibaut Voisin/Galeries Lafayette
“We really wanted to be complete and offer services that are for the body, mind and well-being,” said Liot, who added “the idea was also to democratize wellness today.”
The executive noted that in France there are traditional spas in either luxury hotels or tucked away on streets.
“In fact, we don’t have a place where we can say to ourselves: ‘I have an hour to spend, I book [an appointment] on my app or come to make an appointment to please myself,’” said Liot.
Galeries Lafayette’s wellness department is meant to fill that gap.
“The idea is to offer and allow our customers to live a 360-degree experience,” explained Lemoine.
La Wellness Galerie is full of rounded spaces, meant to echo the shape of the department store’s famous cupola, as well as the ball-shaped houses from the 1970s. Often, walls in the department are adorned with yellow ceramic brick and floors are lined with tiles or wood.
Central to the department is Le Beauty Store, with a multibrand offer. This has on two of its sides Le Soin (or Care) section, with services. Le Beauty Store also abuts the DS Café, with healthy food and drinks from local producers, and Le Lobby Wellness welcome area. There, a team can guide people to various parts of the floor and answer questions.
Next to Le Beauty Store is Le Fitness Store, with athleisure, incorporating eco-conscious brands. Besides that is a gym, called La Source, which is due to open in September. It has changing rooms, with a total of 30 showers.
Le Beauty Store covers almost 6,460 square feet. In its heart it is a multibrand area that’s surrounded by established beauty names. Altogether, there are 169 brands, including ingestibles, in this section, of which 40 are exclusive to France, such as Aromatherapy Associates, Sunday Riley and 111Skin.
Courtesy of Thibaut Voisin/Galeries Lafayette
Some other brands stocked in Le Beauty Store are Ulé, Lazartigue, Combeau, Sensiness and Maison Loüno.
The bigger players, meanwhile, include the likes of Aesop, Augustinus Bader, Kiehl’s and Shiseido.
The goal is “to offer the widest selection of beauty and spa products around the world, which ranges from affordable to luxury,” said Lemoine.
The Le Soin area has treatments and services centered around five themes: beauty, body care, face care, energy and sport. There are 13 exclusives in this section of the department, including Anotomik, a brand built on linking mind and body for integrative health. Its tailor-made treatments involve cryotherapy, a hyperbaric chamber and osteopathy, among other services.
Atelier du Piercing Djula specializes in 18-carat gold and diamond jewelry, and offers piercings free of extra charge with the purchase of an accessory. Chillhouse, a café-spa born in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, is making its European debut, with services such as nail art, manicures and massages.
Chronodiète offers coaching on nutrition, combining diet and overall well-being. Belleyme specializes in infrared saunas, and organizes detox and fitness sessions in its private cabins. Institut Nathalie Duarte uses various manual treatments to work on the lymphatic system, congestion and digestion disorders, and to detoxify the body, among other services.
Le Boudoir du Regard literally takes a measured approach to brows, restructuring them according to each face’s measurements. Other exclusives, beside La Source, in Le Soin area include Les Bains du Marais, L’Officine Immortelle, Martine de Richeville, Seasonly and Skinneo.
Le Fitness Store spans 2,150 square feet and boasts 15 athleisure brands, like Adidas, Under Armour and The North Face, plus — exclusive to France — Born Living Yoga, Alo Yoga, Chlore, Colorful Standard and Lux Collections. Circle Sportswear was invited this season.
There are two Bulles, or Bubbles, standing side-by-side in La Wellness Galerie. The enclosed spaces, which can be privatized for events, are orange- or red-colored.
Reservations for La Wellness Galerie can be made online at wellness.galerieslafayette.com. The department, aside from La Source gym, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The gym’s hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day.
La Wellness Galerie’s soft opening took place on July 4, but its official kickoff is scheduled for early September.
The well-being department is part of an overall transformation at Galeries Lafayette that began two years ago.
For more, see:
Galeries Lafayette Abandons Guiyang, Opens in Chongqing Tallest Building
EXCLUSIVE: Galeries Lafayette Reveals Plans for Wellness Department
Galeries Lafayette Names New CEO at La Redoute
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