Biologique Recherche facial at Bulgari Resort Bali spa: lavish surroundings and a long-lasting glow

On a recent trip to Bali, I heard the spa at Bulgari Resort had recently partnered with cult skincare brand Biologique Recherche. I jumped at the opportunity to try one of the company’s popular facials at the luxury property.

The French brand has become a favourite of in-the-know beauty editors, who flock to its clinic on the Champs-Elysées in Paris during fashion week and swear by its creams.

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While Bulgari Bali has only been working with Biologique Recherche for about six months, its therapists have been trained by the company to deliver the Biologique Recherche experience in a location not often associated with the lab-like aesthetic of the brand.

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean in Uluwatu, Bali’s southernmost tip, the spa is a gorgeous structure of indoor and outdoor spaces. Desak, my therapist, who has been at the resort since it opened 12 years ago, was very attentive and knowledgeable.

After a thorough skin analysis, during which she dispensed precious advice on what changes to make to my regime, she led me to a treatment room with panoramic views of the sea for a 90-minute facial.

Facials are rarely pleasant – there’s always some minor pain and lots of downtime – but she made every effort to make the treatment relaxing and soothing. This was despite the fact that she used two of Biologique Recherche’s most popular – and notorious – products: P50, the always-sold-out exfoliator, which I knew was working when I felt a tingling and slightly burning sensation right after application; and the even more infamous Masque Vivant, a brownish, sticky ointment that smells just awful.

Made of yeast extract, the product has a whiff of rotten cheese mixed with fermented soybeans, but its revitalising effect is definitely worth enduring the pungent smell.

The verdict:

While my skin was a bit red right after the session, it only took a few hours for it to acquire a new-found matt glow that lasted long after I left the island.

While it’s true that you can get Biologique Recherche facials in various locations around the world, you’d be hard pressed to find a better spot than the lavish surrounds of a luxury spa on the island of Bali.

And if you’re really in the mood to indulge, you can enjoy a post-treatment drink at the resort’s bar followed by a lavish meal at its award-winning Italian restaurant.

Bulgari Resort Bali is at Jalan Goa Lempeh, Banjar Dinas Kangin, Uluwatu 80364, Indonesia