TRIED & TESTED:I WENT TO VOGUE WELLNESS RETREAT AND I CAME HOME WITH A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF WELLNESS
When I booked my place at the three-day Vogue Wellness Retreat at Le Bristol Paris, I'll admit I was drawn in by the name.
Vogue.
Le Bristol.
Augustinus Bader.
I imagined beautiful people, inspiring conversations, thoughtful talks and a beautifully curated experience. That alone felt worth the trip to Paris.
But I came home with something entirely different.
The programme brought together an extraordinary group of people. Renowned yoga teacher Eddie Stern. Meditation coach Manoj Dias. Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart. Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple's Vice President of Health. The team from Augustinus Bader.
Each came from a completely different world, yet they all seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.
Slow down.
Not as a luxury, but as a necessity.
What I appreciated most was that nothing felt overly spiritual or inaccessible. There was room for ancient wisdom, but it was always balanced with science, practical tools and real-life experience. Even for someone like me, who certainly doesn't spend every morning on a yoga mat, everything felt welcoming and surprisingly relatable.
For years, wellness had meant beautiful skincare, spa days, massages and taking care of my body. Things I still genuinely love. But these three days reminded me that true wellness starts somewhere much deeper: with your mind.
And perhaps that's even more important than how well you care for your skin.
THE NAMES
The entire retreat was hosted by Claire Thomson-Jonville, Head of Editorial Content at Vogue France.
She was exceptional.
She asked thoughtful questions, instinctively knew when to take conversations deeper and had an effortless sense of humour that kept everything light whenever it needed to be.
If I had one small critique, it's that some of the talks could easily have lasted another hour. There was so much knowledge in the room that I often felt we were only scratching the surface. Audience questions created wonderful conversations and a lovely sense of openness, although every now and then they wandered a little too far off topic.
Some people walk into a room and immediately change its energy. Eddie Stern is one of those people.
His yoga classes were gentle, grounding and completely free of ego. There was no pressure to perform, no complicated poses, just attention to breath, movement and calming the nervous system.
Afterwards I told my sister, "If I lived in New York, I would happily come here every single morning."
That probably says everything.
Manoj Dias surprised me the most
If someone had told me a few months ago that I would close my eyes during a movement class, completely let go and even become emotional, I probably would have laughed.
Yet that's exactly what happened.
Manoj Dias' movement and breathwork session became one of the highlights of the retreat.
It wasn't yoga.
It wasn't dance.
There were no perfect movements to master.
It was simply about moving, breathing and allowing yourself to be fully present.
Somewhere during that session, I stopped trying to stay in control.
And honestly, I still feel the effects weeks later.
Dr. Tara Swart reminded me why I admire her so much
Of everyone on the programme, Dr. Tara Swart was the person I was most excited to hear.
I'd already listened to both of her conversations on The Diary of a CEO and had become a huge admirer of her work.
Hearing her speak in person was something else entirely.
What fascinates me is the way she bridges neuroscience with intuition without diminishing either. She speaks about the brain, neuroplasticity and behaviour with scientific precision, while also leaving space for ideas science hasn't fully explained yet.
It's a balance I find incredibly inspiring.
Perhaps even more telling was how approachable she was. Once her talks were over, she didn't disappear backstage. She joined the yoga sessions and chatted with everyone throughout the retreat. It made the whole experience feel wonderfully human.
Augustinus Bader, without the sales pitch
Anyone who knows me knows that at least half my bathroom is blue.
I've been a genuine fan of Augustinus Bader for years.
Which is exactly why I appreciated their sessions so much.
There was almost no product talk.
Instead, the masterclasses focused on releasing facial tension, touch, emotional wellbeing and how stress can physically settle into the muscles of the face.
It felt like wellness first, beauty second.
Ironically, that only made me appreciate the brand even more.
The lunches were as valuable as the talks
One thing I hadn't expected was how meaningful the moments between the sessions would become.
These weren't networking lunches where everyone was trying to impress each other.
They were beautifully prepared meals shared with people from completely different backgrounds, creatives, entrepreneurs, journalists, wellness experts and curious participants from all over the world.
Everyone brought a different perspective.
Those conversations ended up being just as inspiring as many of the keynote sessions.
My sister and I experienced it completely differently
I attended the retreat with my sister. She's a very experienced yogi and teacher. I'm... considerably less experienced.
Yet we both walked away with something entirely different. I loved that.
You didn't need to arrive already knowing how to meditate or master yoga.
Everyone simply started where they were.
And then there was Paris
I stayed at Hôtel Massé in Pigalle, one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Paris.
Pigalle has this wonderful balance of energy and authenticity. It's lively without feeling overwhelming, full of beautiful cafés, independent boutiques and streets that somehow still feel unmistakably Parisian. Every time I'm there, I find myself wanting to stay just a little longer.
The hotel itself was exactly what I hoped it would be: intimate, beautifully designed and incredibly welcoming. The kind of place that immediately makes you feel at home.
Each morning, I walked the thirty minutes from Pigalle to Le Bristol.
Those walks quickly became one of my favourite rituals of the retreat.
Watching Paris slowly wake up. The smell of fresh coffee drifting from the cafés. Shopkeepers opening their shutters. Cyclists weaving through quiet streets before the city came to life.
By the time I arrived each morning, I already felt calmer.
In hindsight, that daily walk may have been just as much a part of the retreat as the sessions themselves.
The biggest lesson I brought home
I travelled to Paris believing wellness was mostly about taking care of your body.
I came home realising that true wellness probably starts with your nervous system.
With your attention.
With your ability to slow down.
To breathe.
To walk.
To be present.
Perhaps that's also why good skincare works best when it becomes part of something bigger.
Not because one cream changes everything.
But because caring for yourself is rarely about one product. It's about the small rituals you return to every day.
Sleeping well.
Moving your body.
Breathing deeply.
Taking a walk.
Creating moments of stillness. That's probably the most valuable thing Vogue Wellness gave me.
And if there's another edition next year?
I'll be the first to book my ticket.
www.vogue.fr
www.taraswart.com
www.eddiestern.com
www.manojdias.com.au
www.hotelmasse.com
