Salvation may be at hand for chocolate gourmets concerned about their complexions and addicts looking for a calorie-free cocoa fix with a new trend for chocolate-based beauty treatments.
Several Paris day spas now aim to disprove the theory that chocolate and smooth skin don't mix while satisfying sweet-toothed cravings with cocoa-themed massages, facials, wraps and scrubs.
Challenging the age-old advice that chocolate causes spots, skincare company Nuxe's Phytochoc range uses cocoa extracts to help keep skin looking good.
According to the company, the polyphenol compounds in cocoa have anti-ageing properties.
At their trendy spa, 32 Montorgueil, on a bustling market street in Paris' second district, the Phytochoc facial is especially popular with 30-something women seeking to smooth away their first wrinkles.
A complex procedure lasting an hour and a half and costing NT$4,860, the facial involves several steps and some serious massage aimed at plumping up the skin.
At 32 Montorgueil, cocoa extracts are used for their cosmetic benefits rather than to impart a chocolate high, as the Phytochoc range bears little resemblance to a bar of the best Belgian.
However at the Four Seasons Hotel George V spa, the chocotherapy is seriously sybaritic.
For the Decadent Chocolate Package, which lasts two and a half hours and costs a princely NT$12,156, the sumptuous treatment room is decorated with candles, cocoa beans, cocoa powder and a big bowl of chocolates placed near the massage table.
The sweet treats are placed tantalizingly within reach, but once the treatment starts, the idea of simply eating chocolate seems less appealing than literally wallowing in it.
The Chocolate and Cranberry Body Scrub uses sweet almond oil, chocolate extract and crushed cocoa beans to exfoliate the skin. The glorious scent conjures up visions of how Charlie might have felt on his visit to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.
Sign up for the Toffee Chocolate Wrap to be covered in a warm concoction of cocoa butter, shea butter and chocolate essence and left to soak for 45 minutes. For the Deep Chocolate Massage, chocolate-scented vitamin E enriched oil is used to knead away any knots.
Any remaining chocolate cravings are fulfilled with a plate of handmade chocolates with a pot of caramel tea at the end of the session.
According to manager Isabelle Schlumberger, the treatments are intended to nourish the soul as much as the skin.
"You know you're going to do yourself good, and you won't have any regrets afterwards. On the contrary you feel good in every sense; all the senses have been satisfied," she said. "It's such a rejection of the idea of dieting, to dive into chocolate."
Over at the newly opened Bernard Cassiere spa, the chocolate treatment is taken to a sublime extreme with the Anti-Stress Anti-Pollution Chocolate Treatment.
"I hope you've eaten lunch," quipped Virginie Roussel, the manager of the salon aimed at a young, experimental clientele.
After a facial massage with pure cocoa butter, the treatment turns into a dieters' dream with the application of a chocolate fondue mask.
Thick melted chocolate is slathered on the face and neck and the warm velvety sensation and rich scent sends the senses reeling. The mask is in fact pure chocolate, adapted to suit skin by Italian chocolatier Walter Bovetti.
RSS