Sophie Carbonari, Paris

I need to tell you from the very beginning: Nothing can truly prepare you for how moving, powerful, and therapeutic getting a facial with Sophie Carbonari can be. Even if you’ve had great facials before, this one is in a league of its own. And it will redefine your understanding of true luxury and self-care. Carefully hidden in one of the most Parisian locations, Jardin du Palais Royal, Sophie Carbonari’s studio is an effortlessly chic haven, located on the second floor of a striking furniture design store. Carbonari is considered to be one of the top A-list facialists in the world (her clients include Natalie Portman, Rossy de Palma, Emmanuelle Béart and Lenny Kravitz), yet she is one of the most humble, down-to-earth and warm aestheticians you will ever meet. To the point that the feel-good effects of the facial begin the moment you meet her. Her casual hello foreshadows the warmth and sincere care Carbonari will shower you with in the next hour or so.

The real show begins once you lie down on Carbonari’s comfy bed overlooking the park. The main event leans more self-care spectacle than a mere facial. I recommend the 90-minute Sur-Mesure treatment to get a personalized approach and simply because the wonder lasts longer, but the hour-long Signature Treatment is also guaranteed to make you and your skin happy. Carbonari is a self-proclaimed control freak, and this is why she formulates all the products she uses during the treatment. Each layer feels incredible on the skin, with divinely enveloping textures that smell of botanicals in the best way possible. You may, as I have, end up asking whether you can get some of the products for home use, to which she will respond with the illuminating S Serum. She also has a hand-sculpted facial massage tool, made of Greek marble from the island of Tinos, for seriously chic home face-massage rituals. What she will do to your face during the treatment, however, feels unrepeatable.

Carbonari’s technique is swift and almost magical, her hands moving in ways you will not be able to follow, but will definitely appreciate. You will feel tension release in places you never could have guessed were tight, like your forehead. According to Carbonari, working on the fascia can bring an emotional release, which may partly explain the euphoric feeling afterward. When she moved on to my nose, I got quietly worried that she would attempt to clean out my blackheads. For most of us, it is the only dreaded part of any facial. She did go ahead with the extractions, but to my absolute surprise, it did not hurt a single bit. How? I’m still curious, but Carbonari’s technique and presence deserve to stay a beautiful mystery. The glow and sculpting effect were instant, but they kept getting better with each day. I had my facial a month before my wedding, and my skin had the visible Carbonari effect when I walked down the aisle. You can book facials or body treatments in her home base, Paris, or in other locations like Rome or New York (she flies over for the Met Gala every year). Wherever you meet her and receive a treatment, she will make you feel like a true A-lister.

sophiecarbonari.com

Editor’s note: At the time of my appointment with Sophie Carbonari, her studio was in Palais Royal. Carbonari’s new residency is at Hôtel de Pourtalès in the 8th arrondissement, near Place de la Madeleine.