Always chasing balance and good skin, Sirine Boudjadi headed to La Vallée SPA Switzerland at Le Royal Méridien Place Vendôme Lusail and found that sometimes all it takes is slowing down
There are days when you don’t realise how much your body needs a break until you finally take one. That thought hit me on a quiet morning as I walked into La Vallée SPA Switzerland at Le Royal Méridien Place Vendôme Lusail. The place felt instantly soothing and open, with natural light flooding in and catching on pale wood and gold details. What I liked most was that it wasn’t tucked away, unlike so many hotel spas buried deep underground. This one breathed and already hinted at how I’d feel walking out.
Omaima, the Director of Spa and Recreation, greeted me with a calm, genuine ease that instantly made me comfortable. She offered me a drink made of orange, ginger and chamomile tea, along with a warm towel infused with eucalyptus oil. The scent alone reset my whole mood.
Before my visit, I’d received a text confirming my treatment, along with a link to fill out a short form about my health and what I hoped to get from the session. It really made the experience smoother. By the time I walked in, everything was already set. All that was left to do was choose the candle scent for my 60-minute Balinese Candle Fusion Massage.
Sorormi, my therapist for the day, guided me through the options. The candles, from Shifa Aromas, are made of coconut oil, shea butter and argan butter. They all have different moods: Summer Dreams (plum, orchid and vanilla), Pilgrim (lavender, lemon and cedarwood) and Midnight Rose (rose otto, oud and peony). My go-to fragrance these days is also a mix of rose and oud, so picking the last one was an easy call. I like a bit of continuity in my life!
She began by washing my feet, then applied a gentle scrub made with apricot powder and pumice stone, followed by a refreshing gel foam. I love that they don’t rush you straight to the massage bed here. This first step changes everything. It’s like pressing pause: your body gets the message that it’s time to switch off.
After that, I lay face down and I could feel Sorormi immediately locate the tension in my shoulders and upper spine, all the hours spent hunched over a screen made visible under her hands. She worked through it with a mix of pressure, stretches and long, fluid movements that felt both grounding and freeing. It reminded me how much space the body can take when it’s not braced against a schedule. By the end, my muscles were loose, my skin dewy and my mind somewhere between focus and float. When her soft voice finally broke the silence, I wasn’t quite ready to leave that slow rhythm behind.
Luckily, I didn’t have to because I was also here to try something extra: a HydraFacial Couture treatment, customised with La Vallée’s protocol. I’d been curious about this Swiss brand, known for its use of Alpine botanical extracts, glacial water and high-performance active ingredients across its signature lines. I’m a regular HydraFacial fan, but I was eager to see it paired with this luxurious twist.
This part began with the lights coming back on for a quick skin check: tone, hydration, elasticity, texture. She said I had resilient skin, with a hint of dehydration here, a few congested spots there, but nothing a bit of Swiss precision couldn’t handle.
She started with a deep cleanse, then moved on to a gentle lymphatic drainage using a suction cup attached to the HydraFacial device. Not painful, just a steady rhythm that you can feel reactivating everything under the surface. Then came the exfoliation phase — that familiar mix of glycolic and salicylic that leaves a subtle, satisfying tingle, the kind that tells you it’s working. By the time we got to the extraction, it felt like relief, the machine pulling out what doesn’t belong while infusing what does.
The real difference came next as the HydraFacial Couture brought in La Vallée’s own touch: a double-masking ritual using the Caviar Essence Masque (as per what I needed). Cool and refreshing on my face, with a nearly glassy texture. Sorormi used it to perform a deep, sculpting facial massage – firm, rhythmic, with that precision that made me wonder why I ever thought doing it at home by myself was enough. Then she reapplied a second layer, left it to work and moved to my scalp, working in slow, hypnotic motions.
Another round with the device brought a shot of antioxidants and the Britenol booster (a blend of vitamin C, raspberry extract and peptides), followed by a few quiet minutes under the LED light. The caviar serum and day cream sealed it all in. When she handed me the mirror, my skin looked clearer, tighter, the tone evened out and the puffiness was gone. Safe to say, this visit was more than worth it.
On the way back to the changing room, I saw the Hammam and honestly, it was hard to walk past without stopping. It is all marble, soft mosaic tones and a huge heated stone table in the middle of the room. I instantly wanted to lie down on it and disappear for a while. Definitely on my list now!
She asked if I wanted to enjoy the rest of the facilities: sauna, hot tub, experience shower and even a cold plunge. The space isn’t big, but that’s part of its charm. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t leave room for it this round. But that just gives me another reason to come back — and next time, I’m not leaving until I’ve tried everything.
For more information or to make a booking, please call La Vallée SPA Switzerland at Le Royal Méridien Place Vendôme Lusail on 4008 9000.