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Twice a year (or six times, if you’re counting the couture and men’s shows too), a glittering phalanx of buyers, editors, stars, and influencers descend on Paris for the world’s most stylish trade fair: fashion week. And when it comes to their accommodations, the seasoned pros know you have to book early—at least if you want to be in one of the city’s ultimate see-and-be-seen hotels, and especially those within easy proximity of the most popular show venues.
On that front, few rank quite as highly as the Hotel Plaza Athenée, which dates back to 1913. Its associations with the world of fashion run deep: First, there’s its prime position on Avenue Montaigne, directly across the road from the flagship stores of Prada, Bottega Veneta, and Louis Vuitton. (The hotel’s top suites also boast some of the best views of the Eiffel Tower—as seen from across the Pont de l’Alma—through windows with picture frames around their edges.)
Even today, you’ll likely spot fashion executives (the LVMH headquarters are only a few doors down) taking lunch in the glamorous, gilded Art Deco interiors of its beloved restaurant, Le Relais Plaza; guests, meanwhile, run the gamut from Bella Hadid to Natalie Portman. And for those whose interest in fashion leans toward the historical or academic, you’re just around the corner from two of the city’s best museums: the Palais Galliera and the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris.
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When the fashion circus makes its next stop in town for the couture shows at the end of January, however, they’ll have another reason to visit the Plaza Athenée: the new Dior spa that was unveiled this fall in its cavernous basement. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it turns out that the hotel’s relationship with the house of Dior goes way back—all the way to its founder, even.
It’s said that as a young and then-unknown designer, Christian Dior strolled past the hotel on a breezy afternoon and, upon seeing its striking red awnings, decided then and there that one day, he’d establish his couture house on that very street. By 1947, not only had he done just that, but he also decided to show his inaugural collection within the Plaza Athenée’s hallowed halls, even naming specific looks “Plaza” and “Athenée.” But arguably the most famous link between these two Paris institutions? That would be Dior’s iconic Bar jacket, the marvel of tailoring that sent Dior’s influential “New Look” stratospheric and dominated the wardrobes of women all over the world for the next decade—and is said to have been inspired by the shape of the Plaza Athenée’s actual bar.
Yet while the relationship is firmly rooted in history, it’s also constantly moving forward—which brings us back to that spa. To reach the subterranean haven, you need only walk to the left of the lobby (past a bookshelf filled with Assouline hardcovers, including one dedicated to the Plaza Athenée and only the Plaza Athenée) and down a small flight of stairs, but there’s an immediate feeling of having been whisked away to somewhere altogether calmer than the hotel’s surrounding streets, packed as they are with sharp-elbowed shoppers toting designer carrier bags.
Greeting you upon your arrival is a small army of attendants dressed in Dior finery, who usher you into the expansive waiting area—decorated in soothing creams and taupes, with sleek gold accents and hidden lights picking out the contours of the ceiling above—where a Wild The Moon vegetable juice awaits. (While the spa launched in 2008 as Dior’s very first, it was subject to a major renovation last year before reopening in the fall of 2023.) Lining the walls are golden shelves displaying Dior accessories and the candy-colored bottles of its La Collection Privée fine perfumes, while in the center of the labyrinthine space are a number of plush sofas decorated with cashmere blankets—as well as an enormous marble fountain, from which the gentle sound of trickling water immediately sends you into a state of deep relaxation.
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And then there’s the head-spinning array of treatments to sample, unless you’re only there to check out the sauna and hammam. While the spa’s three signature “rituals”—recharge, recover, or rest—may all seem simple on the surface, the way in which the in-house “wellbeing experts” will help you achieve those goals is a little more complex, relying on the latest cutting-edge technology. Most impressive, perhaps, is the Dior Light Suite, which uses LED lights scattered across the ceiling to harness the power of the sun—and the body’s circadian and chronobiological rhythms in response to it—in order to combat jet lag, or encourage the body to feel re-energized, or simply strengthen the ability of your dermis to withstand the likes of pollution or stress.
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I, however, was booked in to sample the latest frontier in skincare: an of-the-moment, medical-grade Hydrafacial treatment, developed by Dior in collaboration with the originators of the technology to incorporate a floral peeling lotion crafted with 93% natural ingredients. As for what the Hydrafacial actually is? Essentially, it’s a form of non-invasive microdermabrasion, using a small pen equipped with a water jet to flush out your pores and remove any tiny bits of debris that might be lurking on or within your skin. After 90 minutes of being gently blasted—and then primped and slathered in masks and serums and lotions from the brand’s ultra-high-end Dior Prestige line—I emerged with a complexion that was practically shimmering. (No small feat after having spent the past two weeks mostly on the road.)
Most notable of all, though, was the profound sense of calm I felt as I practically floated my way back through the spa’s airy lobby spaces, and to the basement elevator that would whisk me straight up to my hotel room. If you do happen to be attending one of the fashion week shows this coming season, though, and end up spending an afternoon in this hidden sanctuary? Expect a few looks of surprise when you bump into people you know; you’ll be left with the kind of glow that will have anyone you meet wanting to know your secret.
