Parisians couldn’t wait for the Piscine Molitor—famous for debuting the bikini and being a key plot point in Life of Pi—to reopen in 2014 after more than two decades of abandon. The only downside? A dip in the legendary Art Deco pool will set you back €3000 for their annual club membership. (You can also stay at the 5-star hotel for around €300/night and have full access to the facilities.)
For those more used to the pleasures of the €3 public pool, we’ve discovered a stealth way to get your luxury swim on. The hotel Molitor offers a variety of hush-hush specials for bargain hunters and bliss-seekers alike. Prices range from €35 €55 for an hour-long swim and a buffet breakfast to €190 €195 for all-day access to the pools, sauna and hammam plus an hour-long treatment at their lush Clarins spa.
A cool morning plunge in the crystal clear water, followed by a relaxing lounge in the sun and a tasty breakfast on the patio, is well worth the early wakeup. When I went, there were only two other people enjoying the Olympic-sized outdoor pool. The indoor heated pool (perfect for when the weather turns Autumn crisp) had a lone man doing laps beneath the skylight.
It felt private and oh-so-posh to have the Piscine Molitor essentially to myself—and for €35 €55! In a fitting nod to the Molitor’s glamorous history, a photoshoot took place just as I was leaving…
Image by Tamara Corasaniti
One day, Mamaji said to my father, that of all the pools in the world, the most beautiful was a public pool in Paris. That the water there was so clear, you could make your morning coffee with it. That a single swim there changed his life. Before I was born, he said, ‘If you want your son to have a clean soul, you must take him one day to swim in the Piscine Molitor.’ – Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Hotel Molitor
13 rue Nungesser et Coli, 75016 Paris
Swim + Eats Specials
One hour swim + Breakfast buffet, €55
Monday to Friday, 7am – 9:30am
One hour swim + Lunch, €79
Monday to Friday, 11 am – 2pm
Swim + Drink, €55
Thursday, Friday, Sunday, 7pm – 10pm
Swim + Dinner, €125
Monday to Thursday, 7pm – 10pm
“Drunch”: Three hour swim + Dinner buffet, €115 (adult) €55 (child)
Sunday, 6pm – 10pm
Reservations required, call or email:
+33(0)1 56 07 08 69 or hotesse@mltr.fr
Spa Specials
One hour access to the pools, hammam & sauna + A la carte body care at Clarins spa, €165
Monday to Thursday, 10am – 4pm
All-day access to the pools, hammam & sauna + A la carte body care at Clarins spa, €195
Monday to Sunday, 10am – 8pm
Reservations required, call or email:
+33(0)1 56 07 08 80 or clubspa@mltr.fr
LES LOLOS TIP: Be mindful of your pool time. You get precisely one hour and are charged the full day rate if you dawdle!
