September 11, 2007

US & Canada | California | Orange County

Keeping Up Appearances

By Tiffany Hawk

Cleopatra held a secret to her reputed beauty — and Fairmont's onto it.

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Fairmont claims to create “authentically local” hotels, and in Southern California it seems they’ve done just that. The Fairmont Newport Beach is touting two new indulgences inspired by Orange County’s biggest obsessions: cars and money. Speed demons can drive a Porsche for three days with the Shift Into High Gear package — or those who want to do more than simply roll around in their new money a la Demi Moore (that’s so 1993), can have gold rubbed deep into their pores with a 24K facial. At the Fairmont’s new 8,000-square-foot Willow Stream Spa, they’ll drape your face with fine sheets of precious metal that fully absorb into the skin by the aid of an ultrasonic nano mist. According to Umo, the Japanese outfit that developed the misting technology just this year, gold has been used to reduce wrinkles and firm skin since the days of Cleopatra. If it helps Fairmont guests preserve their youth like the Egyptians, it will be well worth the $349 price tag – a significantly lower price than the current So Cal solution: plastic surgery.