the french paradox at caudalie, hong kong

Caudalie’s new spa is a doozy, a sweet satellite of their gorgeous Bordeaux resort Les Sources. Right at the start of super-hip Gough Street, it’s tough to pass the arched entrance that leads in to a treasure trove of wine-inspired products inside.

Their recent media evening, rustled up in that most effortless of charmingly French ways, was a perfect example of The French Paradox.

First, I was introduced to their concept, their raison d’etre, courtesy of creating my own scrub by choosing two from a line-up of fragrant oils at the Fresh Crushed Cabernet Lab, which were added to a pot of salt and grape seeds and sealed with my name.

This healthy start was balanced by glasses of red wine direct from their vineyard and platters of cheese and ham carved from the bone. Wellness and typically French indulgence.

The store is a dream of Gallic details, with the French resort’s lines of vines beamed over via multiple screens. But it is the Beauty Bar that really catches the eye, full of Caudalie products designed by founding couple Mathilde and Bertrand. Everything is testable.

Hero products include anti-ageing Premier Cru The Cream, full of hyaluronic acid, tetrapeptides, ceremides 2 and more, S.O.S Morning Eye Rescue with organic grape water and white tea extract (keep in the fridge for optimum am delight), the milky Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, great for hyperpigmentation and their aptly named Divine Oil, which collects grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan oils with antioxidant polyphenols for the body, the hair, the tub or as a massage oil.

Sit back for an eco-friendly Kure Bazaar nail treatment in their ‘backyard’ room, a light, bright and comfortable space where treatments can include a light lunch from the Agnes B Café opposite, before starting off your afternoon of retail therapy in their shop.

Or alternatively head upstairs to one of their two spacious and calming treatment rooms. The treatments are vinothérapie and the therapists are vinotherapists, both harnessing the “ancient powers of the vines” of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.

‘Cult treatment’ the Caudalie Grand Facial bathes your complexion in antioxidants, hydration and healing. Or go the whole hog for their half-day Vinosource Treatment, which includes a facial massage with… actual grapes!

Sadly it wasn’t me who won the lucky draw for a few nights at Les Source, (imagine sleeping in their suites on stilts, sipping wine at Rouge Bar, eating in the sunshine at La Table du Lavoir…) For me I’ll book in to Caudalie Spa Hong Kong, close my eyes and it won’t take much to believe I’m in France…

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