Japanese Wellbeing Right in the Heart of Paris

Hidden behind an emerald green shop front at 7 Rue de Condé, in Paris’ 6th Arrondissement, En is a new spa-boutique opened by Japanese brand Lenor Japan at the end of May 2019. With its impressive arches and flashes of gold, En has a vague look of Silencio, the Parisian club launched by filmmaker David Lynch in 2011. However, the comparisons end there. Whilst Silencio favours dark colours and heavy velvet curtains, En prioritises light, white surfaces and natural materials like wood and brick. Whereas the famous Rue Montmartre haunt encourages its clientele to loosen up over a cocktail or two, En seeks to bring out the inner detox disciple.

The spot is about a blend of Japanese savoir-faire and French beauty. En by no means deals in simple spa-treatments; they investigate the habits, posture and diet of a client to get down to the roots of a skin problem. They insist on a composition of treatments created especially from non-diluted, organic extracts. The wide array of ingredients in their cosmetics is formulated and bottled in Japan and comes from natural products- either indigenous to the country or from abroad- such as matcha powder, hinoki (Japanese cypress), or konjac (highly-reputed in Japanese tradition for its therapeutic virtues). En gets results without resorting to additives and the products (with packaging designed by Yuji Tokuda) allow better absorption of their active agents into the skin- and thus get much better results.

In order to express the brand’s philosophy even through the design of this new location, Lenor Japan turned to creative studio Archiee, a French firm created by Tokyoite Yusuke Kinoshita and his associate Daisuke Sekine (who hails from Kanagawa). This is far from the first time that the studio has looked towards Japan for inspiration. Archiee were also responsible for the interior design of Bukyia– a Rue Sainte-Anne boutique dealing in objects imported from Japan, and Wa, a concept store in Paris’ first Arrondissement that is both a shop and an exhibition space dedicated to the Japanese culture.

En– situated exactly between Odeon and the Luxembourg Gardens on the road leading towards the Senate- undoubtedly meets the neighbourhood’s standards with its impressive gilded interior. Above all however, dues are paid to its native Japan. In Japanese, ‘En’ means at once beauty, connection and circle: hence the many brass rings hung from the walls, bringing a personal touch to the centre’s understated chic.