If these walls could speak… the spirit of La Ville Lumière’s iconic one-time bathhouse-cum-celeb party pad lives on as the hottest hotel, resto, bar and club in the city.
Professional hedonist Bacchus has borne witness to countless carousels that would make Lindsay Lohan blush. Not least in his 130 years granting entrance to one of Paris’ starriest spots, which reopened this year as a chic bohemian bolthole and embodiment of the building’s edgy-glam soul.
It all started off innocently enough, as a public pool and hammam frequented by the likes of Proust and the Impressionists. Fast forward a century and Les Bains Douches becomes an era-defining boîte de nuit – Europe’s answer to Studio 54 – which saw the likes of Bowie, Jagger, Grace Jones and Basquiat throw shapes to impromptu sets from Prince.
However, as the cold light of day illumed the ’80s and its reckless abandon, the Starck-designed discotheque fell into disregard and with it dereliction.
That is, until filmmaker and current owner Jean-Pierre Marois – whose father acquired Les Bains 50-odd years ago – took it upon himself to restore the storied structure to its former glitzy glory.
As his protagonists Marois cast architect Vincent Bastie and interior designers Tristan Auer and Denis Montel, with after-dark impresario Lars Krueger overseeing the sultry restaurant and bar.
The resulting oeuvre is quite something to behold. 39 rooms and suites marry raw concrete with marble and rare woods while paying tribute to the guests of yore with Joy Division vinyls and a decidedly Warhol-esque sofa.
Then there’s the sensuous gastrodome whose oxblood-hued tiles and ceiling domes recall the steamy eatelier that came before. The menu, however, is completely of the moment. Mod neo-brasserie bites unite French culinary methods with bold international flavours, while the adjacent bar shakes and stirs contemporary cocktails.
Which just leaves the club. Apparently Daft Punk sans-helmets are oft in attendance, and familiar faces Roman Polanski and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac have returned. As has original door bitch, physiognomist Marie-Line, who resumes her place to ensure that only the most fashionable gain entrance to party like it’s 1989.
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Les Bains, 7 rue du Bourg-l’Abbé, 3rd, Paris, +33 1 42 77 07 07, lesbains-paris.com
