About face
JEANNE CASIMIR • “face explorer”
WORK • Friday Routine
JEANNE CASIMIR • “face explorer”
Neighborhood you work in: All over Paris, as well as Marrakech
Neighborhood you live in: 14th arr
It’s Friday afternoon. How are you rolling into the weekend?
My office is nomadic: I massage faces at my clients’ places, or during residencies, at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche and at Cible Skin in Paris. When I work on consulting projects for partner brands, I work from home or in cafés. I usually always carry my laptop and my massage kit in my handbag, a big, sturdy bag that allows me to take my work tools everywhere with me.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m currently planning a number of residencies where I’m very intentional about curating the theme that will set the tone of my massage week. Décor, playlist, sensory details: I spend hours envisioning what I want to offer my clients. Music playlists are a big part of it. I build them over a long period of time, discovering music, selecting it, blending it together, then imagining massage movements around it. It’s a creative process that requires hours of listening and focus — I absolutely love it. I work from home or go out for a walk. Often I’ll stop first at Aka Coffee Shop, rue Mouton Duvernet, to grab a coffee to go.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Friday night at home means “apéro” in the living room with the kids. We have dinner while dancing and take turns choosing the music. It’s our way of closing the week together, the four of us, and opening the weekend festivities. On Friday late afternoon, I usually stop by Epire, rue Daguerre (Greek caterer), or Yinan and Hugo, rue Brézin (for their Chinese dumplings), depending on everyone’s mood. For a restaurant dinner: A Mi-Chemin, rue Boulard, the go-to place for couscous.
Also, check the program at Cinéma l’Epée de Bois, which organizes Croissant & Cinema and Gourmépée screenings. The cinema partners with a restaurant on rue Mouffetard so you can enjoy a specialty dish during the screening.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Here are three experiences I love to do alone, with family, or recommend to anyone wanting to make the most of a day out in Paris:
Start at the Grand Palais, admire the recently reopened spaces and enjoy its always exceptional programming.
Continue with an immersive walk, reliving 2000 years of Paris history along the Seine riverbanks. From the construction of Notre-Dame to Place de Grève in the Middle Ages, to the Viking siege… Les Origines de Paris recreates 15 eras and offers unique windows into the city’s past. (Full disclosure: my husband is the co-founder of Les Origines de Paris. Full objectivity: it’s the best experience!)
Finish at the Cité de la Musique–Philharmonie de Paris for exhibitions, concerts, or festivals depending on the schedule.
Any weekend getaways?
In Puisaye, in the Yonne department, the land of my grandparents.
Stay at the Moulin de Corneille in Mézilles, the hidden gem of the region. If you go in early August, the flea market is exceptional.
Go horseback riding at the equestrian center Les Grilles in Saint-Fargeau, where I spent summers as a child.
Visit the Château de Saint-Fargeau and immerse yourself in 10 centuries of history. Also visit Guédelon, where around 40 craftsmen are building a medieval castle using only techniques and materials from the Middle Ages.
Head to Parc du Bois de la Folie in Treigny for tree-climbing courses and to test your resilience high up in spectacular oak trees.
Visit Parc de Boutissaint to see deer, fallow deer, wild boars, and the region’s forest tree varieties.
What was your last great vacation?
I’ve traveled regularly to Marrakech, personally for years, and more recently, for work — I now do occasional residencies at La Mamounia. An extraordinary place.
In Marrakech, I love wandering through the souks to:
Eat the real almond “gazelle horns” at Pâtisserie Belkabir.
Buy local spices at Herbe Atlas Cherif, Place Rahba Lakdima N°190.
Admire Moustapha Blaoui’s lighting and home décor store (he makes the iconic lamps for the Mamounia Spa)
Then head out of the city to explore the always sublime collection at Marrakshi Life. Of course, visiting the classics like Jardin Majorelle is always a good idea. End the day with a hammam session and the La Mamounia Face Massage by Jeanne Casimir at La Mamounia. Stay at La Mamounia, or escape just 45 minutes from Marrakech to the Ourika Valley and sleep at Kasbah Bab Ourika, a magical place nestled in the Atlas Mountains.
What was your last major purchase that you’re really happy with?
A toy horse twice the size of our cat from the store Replay Toys, the temple of vintage and second-hand toys in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. I haven’t found an equivalent in Paris yet (apart from online on Le Bon Coin or Vinted!).