TALK OF THE TOWN

Published: September 19, 2012 (Issue # 1727)

One of the most talked-about events among the city’s beau monde this week was the opening of the French footwear company Christian Louboutin. Twenty years after the creation of the legendary brand, the designer and company founder himself came to St. Petersburg to open his first store here on Monday at the newly restored DLT department store. Currently, only women’s collections of bags and shoes are available, but the fashion house promises to start selling men’s accessories here too in the near future.

Meanwhile, reactions to the post-op DLT have been mixed. The historic department store, which originally opened in 1909, had been closed for seven years while it was renovated, and only reopened to the public on Sept. 6 as a branch of Moscow’s TSUM luxury boutique mall. Locals who remembered it fondly from its Soviet days as the Leningrad Trade House had been waiting with bated breath to see it restored to its former glory.

While it was not the store’s first facelift — the building was badly damaged during World War II — visitors to the sparkling new mall have commented on its emptiness. And while since the ’60s, DLT had been known as a family store specializing in children’s items, its focus is now on eye-wateringly expensive designer brands that only the children of oligarchs can expect to grace their wardrobes.

In other news of similarly adult pleasures, Thann, already well established at the Stockman Nevsky Center, has now opened another spa center in St. Petersburg, this one at the Sokos Palace Bridge Hotel. Those who have visited the Palace Bridge’s first-rate aqua center, with its vast selection of saunas and choice of gyms — one mixed, one for women only — will know that this is a perfect match.

Thann was founded in 2002 in Thailand, and uses natural ingredients in its range of botanical and essential oils, combining them with a blend of cutting-edge scientific research and Asian traditions in natural therapies.

The Thann salon at the Palace Bridge has already had a soft-opening (there will be an official opening later in the year), and a visit to the newly refurbished premises last week impressed: Thann has a policy of using muted tones in its décor and very restrained lighting, creating a perfect atmosphere to relax in. The local personnel have been comprehensively trained and can offer a range of treatments featuring the Thann products, whether it be Oriental Essence, Aromatic Wood, Sea Foam, Rice Collection or Shiso Collection.

Once you’ve treated yourself at the Thann Spa, take a dip in the Palace Bridge’s refreshing pool, and then you’ll feel you’ve really earned a meal in the hotel’s excellent Seville restaurant, just one more attraction at what is one of Petersburg’s top residences.