Happy Sunday! I'm back with another instalment of my Wellness Diary series, and this time we're in Paris! I love putting these together. Wellness has become a much bigger part of my life over the past few years, and I have really enjoyed seeing how the wellness scene changes from city to city and country to country. I've also noticed that my own idea of "wellness" shifts depending on where I am and what I experience there.

Hope you enjoy it!

What I Wore This Week

This week my style was a bit all over the place, reflecting my schedule and the weather, since fall hasn't quite settled in yet.

I love my butter yellow cardigan from Reformation. It's an easy piece to style and perfect for when I want a bit of colour. I also have it in turquoise, and it's incredibly soft.

I found the polka dot dress at Arkivet in Stockholm a few years ago. It actually sat on my Vinted all summer until I decided to give it another chance. It's a beautiful piece, and I felt really feminine and put together in it, but it also feels like something I can't rewear very often. I'll probably try styling it once more this fall with tights and boots to see how versatile it really is.

Finally, my trusty AF Agger trench coat is back, and it's still one of the best pieces in my wardrobe.

Everyday Delights aka Wellness in Paris

Wellness in Paris has been a bit of an experiment in finding balance. There are so many beautiful studios, treatments and new wellness trends to discover. So this edition of my ‘wellness diary’ series is a mix of discovering what the city has to offer, but also finding small rituals that help me feel grounded in the city.

TRYING OUT BOUTIQUE STUDIOS

Paris has so many beautiful fitness studios, but one thing I missed most after moving here was heated mat Pilates. So I booked a class at Ember Studio, a new location in the 2nd arrondissement, and the class with Carla was so much fun and incredibly energizing.

The studio itself is beautiful, with a relaxation room complete with an LED mask and leg massage machines, showers stocked with Byredo products, and a fitness room heated to 35 degrees Celsius. Like after most of my favourite fitness classes, I left feeling so good both physically and mentally that I immediately wanted to book another one. I’ll definitely be back.

JOURNALING IN QUIET SPACES

Paris can feel quite chaotic, and I think that’s probably my biggest qualm with it. There always seem to be people everywhere, and I can easily get overwhelmed by the constant noise and movement. Two things that help me are finding quiet spaces where I feel comfortable and doing things like reading or journaling to reset and slow down.

Even on my commute to work, I always wear noise-cancelling headphones and bring a book so I can create my own little world on the train. But on a lovely Saturday, I wanted to make the most of one of my favourite places in the city: Bokbar, a Nordic café and library. I spent an hour there with a cup of tea, journaling and getting all my thoughts down on paper.

Small moments like this are often easily overlooked, but I think they’re important to include in everyday life.

CLEAN BEAUTY

Just like Paris has no shortage of beautiful fitness studios, the city is also a dream for beauty treatments. I had so many things I wanted to try for a seasonal facial (I love getting one whenever the seasons change as a little reset for my skin), and I eventually chose the Suzanne Kaufmann facial at Oh My Cream, a beautiful clean beauty boutique with locations across France.

I loved that the treatment included a body and face massage, followed by different masks from the Suzanne Kaufmann line. My only critique is that I would have loved the massage techniques to feel a little more sculpting, as I’ve had better results from other treatments. Still, it was such a lovely way to spend an afternoon and give my skin a little seasonal refresh.

TRYING NEW THINGS

Part of wellness is also being open to trying new things and seeing how they make you feel. That weekend, I tried a Lagree class at my local studio, and it was much more challenging than my usual workouts, but also much more accessible to beginners than I expected.

As someone who practices Pilates quite frequently, Lagree has always felt like its slightly more intimidating counterpart: it’s much more focused on deep muscle conditioning, and the machines can definitely look a little scary when you first walk in. But I ended up loving the feeling of being strong and challenged in a completely different way, and I’ve already signed up for a class next week.

I also tried a cup of bone broth. I’m not sure how much of the wellness hype around it is actually backed by science, but there’s something comforting about taking a few minutes to sit down with a warm cup of broth. Sometimes the ritual itself is enough.

Do you have any recommendations for wellness spots in Paris? Let me know on Instagram @effortlessedited

This Week’s Edit

Bread and Milk, Karolina Ramqvist

A beautiful book that tells a life story through food and, slowly, an eating disorder born of loneliness. It focuses on the relationship with food itself rather than the body. I found the writing so lovely, especially the moments she spent with her grandparents, which made me miss mine.

Body Double, Hanna Johansson

Two women meet when one picks up the other's coat by mistake, fall in love, and slowly start to look like each other. It's so cinematic it reads like a thriller mixed with a European artsy film. I loved the atmosphere, though I'll admit the ending left me a little confused.

Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops

My trick for making summer stay. I was already a big fan of Westman Atelier, and every product feels so well thought out, which makes sense given Gucci Westman's background as a makeup artist. I love how easily this one blends and the perfect sun-kissed glow it gives.

Shameless Podcast’s Take on The Encore

Back with another Shameless recommendation! This time it's a specific segment where they did a deep dive into the release of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl encore. I enjoyed that they looked at it in the broader context of Taylor as an artist, as well as the expectations surrounding her. I found it interesting that they disagreed on a few points, but in the end, they both felt she could have been more discerning in releasing this album.

Love, S.

Note 53 - Wellness Diary in Paris

Effortless & Edited

Note 53 - Wellness Diary in Paris

Note 52 - Navigating September

Effortless & Edited