While industrial stacks of wartime dynamite ensured that Warsaw long surrendered its title as the Paris of the East, there is one street that recalls this element of her past: with its elegant, tall tenements and niche boutiques, there’s something about Mokotowska that evokes the eighth arrondissement. For some, just having a Mokotowska address is a seal of approval. But there is substance to this micro-district, and that’s a point emphatically made by the quality of its offer. Take, for instance, Fiuu Fiuu.

Recognized as one of Poland’s top day spas, Fiuu Fiuu presents itself in a cascade of pearl white colors that instantly sooth. Emitting a zen-like calm, it feels sexy, serene and intensely personal. And this is not an accident – as part of his mission statement, owner Bartosz Dietrich is at pains to point out this is not one just another one of  the ‘beauty factories’ that are ten to the dime in the Polish capital. You realize Fiuu Fiuu leaves the mainstream mass-market behind the moment you enter: well executed interiors composed of fragrant candles and hanging chandeliers create a harmonious atmosphere of pure bliss. It feels feminine in the most classic of ways – you sense Hepburn would approve.

Of the treatments, Fiuu Fiuu offers the lot – from emergencies (“I’ve got to look best for a party tonight – help!”), to more thought-out procedures. Services include hair and nail care in the main room, and other more in-depth treatments in a series of side rooms: massage, endermologie, waxing and more. I shouldn’t need to mention that the cosmetic brands offered are top-of-the-tree, for in an establishment of this caliber that’s par the course. 

What elevates Fiuu Fiuu is its female staff: there is never that impression of ‘clock watching’ and hurry. On the contrary, you get the idea they’d refuse to let you leave until you’re at one with yourself. As Warsaw groans under January skies, that feeling of perfection is the best that there is.