Monastery founder, Athena Hewett, attended the Venice Film Festival to give Monastery facials and skin preps for Sofia Coppola, Chloë Sevigny, Greta Lee, Gemma Chan and Rashida Jones. Each actress received the bespoke Monastery facial; creating glowing and radiant skin for their respective red carpet looks. She also attended the premiere for Sofia's documentary, 'Marc by Sofia.' Athena recaps the trip and gives us her tips on the best things to do when in Venice.
Venice is such a special city and one I think everyone should try to see at some point. We had a packed schedule with premieres and events and ensuring everyone’s skin looked their best for the week. As always with skin preps, I focused on brightening, depuffing and sculpting everyone's skin for their events.
The products I kept reaching for were The Deep Red LED mask for its ability to brighten in just 5 minutes, Attar Floral Repair Concentrate for its lasting power, Rose Cleansing Oil to remove heavier makeup and SPF while maintaining skin health, and our soon to launch serum for its ability to lock in moisture. I also had my Coppola Hideaways Floral Essence on me at times for a quick pick me up for my own skin.
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection cannot be missed. Her personal collection of primarily 20th century art – pieces from Picasso, Kadinsky, Pollock, Dalí to name a few – in her late home on the Grand Canal. A curation on the smaller side so you’re able to meander through the museum at a nice pace; taking your time to really enjoy the art. When you leave the museum, make sure to pop into Galleria Roberto Ferruzzi right nearby for some serious antiques and free history lessons from the owner, Roberto. I picked up some ancient marble pieces for the spa in San Francisco.
Our team ate so many delicious meals during our stay in Venice. A highlight of the trip was Antiche Carampane; a very traditional Italian trattoria with a very IYKYK vibe. Sofia ended up giving us her reservation and it, unsurprisingly, was the best meal of the trip. I wouldn’t miss Harry’s Bar for a late night drink and the best people watching. The terrace at The Gritti Palace for a beautiful, lively lunch on the canal.
Venice is a treasure trove of antique shops mixed with modern luxury shops. A perfect city for meandering around and stumbling upon gems. Laguna B is the spot for the best blown glassware. I’m always on the hunt for glasses for the spa so made sure to pop in. Piedaterre for classic Venetian slippers. I'd go into pretty much every antique store I saw and got some really amazing pieces for the Monastery spa.
Take in the beautiful city. Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world. It is so uniquely beautiful for the obvious reason of being on the water but it's also brimming with history, great food and incredible shopping. Besides just walking around and taking it all in, I would prioritize taking a water taxi at sunset. Getting around by boat can be challenging at times but I think that being surrounded by water has a distinct way of calming the mind. The way the light reflects off the canal onto the gorgeous historical buildings is something that must be experienced.
