It’s hard to not find oneself at peace in Lausanne, Switzerland, a city that awakens every day to the serene Lake Leman. It’s harder even to not feel the weight of the world melt away at The Beau-Rivage Palace, standing glimmering and regal right by the shores as residents saunter by on their day-to-day. It’s the hardest of all to not surrender to sweet and complete relaxation in the Spa Guerlain, a slice of heaven tucked away in the lower ground floor of the historical luxury five-star hotel.
Carefully hidden from the distractions of daily life, the Spa Guerlain is more than just a spa. It is designed as an all-encompassing cocoon of relaxation, rejuvenation, and renewal, offering everything from spa rituals and facial treatments to the bigger branch of health and wellness, including yoga, meditation programmes, and fitness sessions by a personal trainer. Everything seduces the senses in a sprawling space that includes one suite, eight treatment rooms, one relaxation room, one yoga and meditation studio, two changing rooms with hammam, sauna, and ice cellar. They are fringed by a hairdressing studio, heated indoor and outdoor pool, a sand beach, a restaurant, an outdoor tennis, and padel and golf practice courts.
For the best introduction to the Guerlain brand of pampering, look no further than its Ballet Sur Le Lac Leman treatment, or the Ballet on Lake Leman, a two-hour homage to the Béjart Ballet of Lausanne translated for the face and body. The journey commences in the spa’s welcome patio anchored around a golden Tree of Life, whose gleaming branches point the way to your treatment room. Inside, Guerlain’s house emblem bee, the exceptional pollinator of the world’s most beautiful flowers, greets you on your massage bed as a sparkling diamante mascot.
After a quick consultation with your assigned therapist, the dance begins. For the face, Guerlain’s Orchidée Imperiale exceptional anti-ageing range is stroked on in a ballet of delicately soft brushes and fingers. The Essence Lotion is massaged on different key facial points in different intensities, before a moisturising mask is layered to seal precious ingredients in. Finally, the Light or Rich Cream, depending on your skin type, is tapped on to repair, restore, and replenish even the most aggressed skin. Take a deep breath and let the scent of the products work their magic on the nose too—citrus, lemon verbena, bergamot and neroli recharge, while rosemary, cedar and tonka beans calm you to sleep.
The facial is artfully alternated with the body massage, delivered through a dance of hot stones for deep penetration into the muscles. Your scent of choice from the top L’Art & La Matière perfume and body range is stroked on in a sequence of precise and rhythmic gestures. Down the neck, back, arms, legs, and even in the little-thought-off crevices between the fingers and toes, the lotion swiftly swirls, by hand and by stone. Mine—the 2022 Musc Autreblanc composed by Delphine Jelk—brings the Bulgarian roses of Lausanne’s gardens, meshed beautifully with white musk, neroli, iris, and orange blossom to release all the tensions in my shoulders, while softening my thirsty skin to a velvety smoothness.
The treatment may be two hours long but you’ll crave every minute like it’s not enough, because it won’t be. Thankfully, when the end does come, there’s still the relaxation room to stretch out at, the pool to dip in, the shower fully equipped with Guerlain bath and body products to revel in, and the retail counter with the brand’s full range of skincare and makeup to do a little souvenir shopping for keepsakes on your way out.
