Beauty Etiquetter: When To Take It All Off For Spa Treatments

Beauty Etiquetter is a new column on Beauty Counter in which we address your beauty protocol predicaments with candid advice from industry experts and those in-the-know. To submit a question, e-mail celia _ ellenberg@condenast.com.

The Quandary: What spa treatments should you completely undress for? It’s never clear to me.

The Expert in Residence: Mathilde Thomas, founder of Caudalie skincare and Vinothérapie spas

The Advice: “As a general rule, I would suggest undressing fully for all body treatments and at least down to your undergarments for facial treatments. For body treatments this may be obvious, but for facial treatments many spas also massage your arms, chest, shoulders, and possibly your feet and legs, too. The point is for you to be as relaxed as possible with a free range of motion, and the less clothing, the less encumbered you will be. Many spas also offer spa undergarments, or disposable bra and underwear, so if you want to disrobe and still have some coverage, it’s completely appropriate to ask for these items if they’re not offered upfront.”