The genesis of St.-Tropez’s perennially-glam Byblos Hotel began when Brigitte Bardot introduced topless sunbathing at the resort’s ballyhooed 1967 opening. Since then, tout le monde have been steadily checking in to dance at the hotel’s exclusive Les Caves Du Roy nightclub, balcony-dive into its glimmering pool and drink bottles of rosé at its Alain Ducasse restaurant, Spoon. With the May 2007 opening of the hotel’s Sisley Spa (a first both for St.-Tropez and for Sisley Cosmetics), guests can finally rejuvenate in the same place they overindulge.
The 3,770-square-foot state-of-the-art-spa has a Turkish bath, six different treatment suites and, most importantly, a staff that’s warm, friendly and impeccably trained. And it’s unexpectedly affordable, with 60-90 minute treatments often costing less than $200 — an unheard of value in St. Tropez.
Bucking the trend of spa treatments that focus on the intangible and inner or mental health, the Sisley approach cuts to the chase with therapies that emphasize toxin elimination and skin regeneration.
Treatments for the body include the practical After-Sun Repair Treatment and the Slimming and Firming Remodelling Massage, both of which use all-natural plant extracts and essential oils, ideal for those who have over-sunned or over-imbibed. The Exfoliating Steam Treatment from Provence and Sensorial Body Peel — which use local botanicals like lavender, mallow flower and white lily — are two more trademark methods the Sisley Spa employs to detoxify the skin. For city dwellers who don’t arrive in town with a three-day yacht-hopping bronze, the Natural Glow Self-Tanning Treatment is the best way to catch up to St. Tropez’s perfectly sun-kissed leisure class.
Sisley’s facial treatments are particularly popular, and are administered with special attention to the individual needs of each client, beginning with a few questions about allergies, diet and type of preferred massage, and concluding with an invigorating neck, shoulders, head and foot massage followed by an intense joint-cracking leg stretch. The Radiance Treatment incorporates the warmth of ginseng to draw out the skin’s glow. The Intensive Anti-Aging Hydrating and Global Anti-Aging treatments are both restorative and refreshing and feature some of Sisley’s best-selling products.
The spa’s VIP treatment suite has a private steam bath, tables for side-by-side couples massage and its own secluded outdoor courtyard. But for the ultimate in VIP treatment and romance, ask to have your massage aboard the private Byblos boat, where cerulean Mediterranean waves gently lap the starboard side of your skip as the splashy cries of wine-sipping beachgoers filter in portside. Other spas might try to simulate this unique sensory experience, but few besides the spa at the Hotel Byblos can authentically create it.
Sisley Spa at the Hotel Byblos
Avenue Paul Signac
83990 Saint-Tropez, France
Phone: 33 (0) 94 56 68 00
saint-tropez@byblos.com
www.byblos.com