Omorovicza

As soon as you step into this luminous boutique and spa, you feel miles away from the bustle of Andrássy boulevard. The company’s skin-care products are displayed on mirrored shelves, and a hand-painted peacock above French doors points the way to the serene treatment rooms in the back. Omorovicza, which was founded by Margaret and Stephen de Heinrich (she’s American, he’s Hungarian), opened in 2006, and already its cutting-edge beauty products, which incorporate Hungary’s mineral-rich waters, have a loyal following around the world.

Facials, which take about an hour, are not only transporting—you’re lying on a warm water bed in a room softly scented by flickering candles—but also educational. My aesthetician explained in great detail what each product was made of and how it benefited my skin. Beauty and cosmetics are a serious undertaking in Hungary, and becoming a licensed beautician requires three years of studying and apprenticeships in all dermatological disciplines, including traditional, medical and organic. “In Hungary, by the time you’re a teenager, you normally see an aesthetician on a regular basis,” she said. “You develop a real relationship with them.” It was certainly the first time I had someone tell me precisely how the products’ all-natural ingredients were reacting and interacting with the molecules in my skin. I left Omorovicza with my face gleaming and mind full of new information (and a mud mask in my bag).