Developed by the brand’s global skincare ambassador, Hadda Akrim, the Mascarade aims to regenerate the skin and soothe the mind. I’m in need of it now that my circadian rhythm is disrupted after back-to-back flights, cabin pressure and changing time zones. The treatment is more than just a facial: it involves 90 minutes of drainage, rebalancing and re-boosting with the help of devices that encourage the nutrients being massaged into your skin to sink deeper. Firstly, I lie on the treatment table to receive an abdominal massage, which rebalances my nervous system (the gut is our second brain, after all) and restores my inner harmony to maximise my radiance.
Next, ultrasound waves are applied across my face to improve the skin’s elasticity and circulation, followed by microcurrent muscle stimulation during which I literally feel my cells awakening. The procedure soothes my mind so much I fall into a contented sleep. It’s all designed to boost my complexion’s glow – and it works. Dior’s Global Spa Director, Olivier Hahn, told me he’s most proud of the sonic component of the spa offering, which does its job by calming me down without me even noticing.
I wake up for the next stage of the treatment, a technical jaw massage, which the facialist carries out to counteract my nighttime teeth-grinding. She then places cryogenic stones over a cooling mask to firm, drain and reoxygenate my skin. It’s a perfect way to re-enter the world, cognitively and physically. I feel snatched as I sip coffee by the pool after the treatment. The Mascarade facial is great for a morning-after depuffing but, given the OMGs I receive from fellow spa-goers, I conclude that it’s also perfect for an evening out. I head out into the Venetian night with nothing but a touch of mascara and a post-facial luminosity.
Feeling like a kid on Christmas morning, the staff sent me on my way with a bag of the Dior Prestige products to keep up my skincare routine back home. The ingredients are mainly organic, something I hadn’t expected. In the same way that historic French vineyards downplay their organic practices for fear of alienating clients disdainful of natural wines, Dior also keeps their products’ organic roots on the downlow. It all comes as a pleasant surprise and further cements this spa’s authority in the world of regenerative beauty therapy.
- Best for: feeling and looking like a movie star before a night out in Venice
- What are the signature treatments? The Mascarade facial
- Anything to mention about the food? You’ll find a few restaurants here, including the iconic canalside Cip’s Club. A highlight is the Michelin-starred Oro, one of the city’s most romantic restaurants with its mirrored walls and arched windows giving sweeping views of the Venetian Lagoon
- Anything of note about the rooms? They’re all ravishing (this is a Belmond hotel, after all). The Serenissima and Laguna suites are proportioned like grand apartments and enjoy perhaps the most beautiful views in all of Venice.
- Accessibility: The spa can accommodate guests with reduced mobility and has an ADA-compliant treatment room
- Family-friendly: Yes