Les Bains was once a bathhouse for Marcel Proust, a hotspot for the bohemians of the Belle Époque, and a famous nightclub. Now it's back - as a boutique hotel in Le Marais.
The building that houses Les Bains is a Haussmann masterpiece.
Award-winning architect Vincent Bastie radically redesigned the building, increasing its volumes while respecting its history and grand façade. The bar at Les Bains is a brilliant example of architectural daring. The ceilings curve, the walls disappear into darkness, and light reflects off surfaces that not only create moods but also seem to bend time.
Les Bains commissioned designers Tristan Auer and Denis Montel to create the interiors.
Auer, who designed the spaces, was recently named by Architectural Digest as "one of the top 10 contemporary interior designers, stars of tomorrow." Montel, who is responsible for chic French Hermes boutiques around the world, is the man behind the restaurant/salon on the first floor of Les Bains. Perhaps Les Bains' greatest achievement is its ability to create spaces that create very different moods.
You can feel them in the foyer: the ghosts of parties past.
Warhol and Basquiat conspire near the double-faced clock; Yves Saint Laurent beneath David Rocheline's frescoes; footsteps echo across the flowered 19th-century tiles. And music echoes - Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Prince - across the mosaic tiles in the pool of millions of late-night indiscretions.
Gallery
Equipment
- Air conditioner
- Wifi / WLAN
- TV / Satellite system
Location
Le Marais is not only the Jewish quarter of Paris, but also one of the oldest (and most central) neighborhoods in the city, peppered with architectural and historical gems from many eras. These include 17th-century mansions, the Temple du Marais, the National Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Pompidou, the Place des Vosges - one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in the city - and, of course, the Bastille to the south. The area's art scene also includes the Musée Picasso and the Théâtre Dejazet, as well as numerous smaller galleries showcasing different disciplines and eras. Culinary-wise, the pedestrianized Rue de Rosiers, with its authentic Jewish cuisine and fashion stores, is a particularly worthwhile detour, while nightlife-including Le Marais' gay scene-is centered on Rue Vieille du Temple, with a number of trendy cocktail and wine bars, clubs, and restaurants that are often open on Sundays.
