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It was a childhood trip to Paris that instilled a love of travel in Neada Deters, and so it's more than a little fortuitous that her work now takes her to the French capital on a regular basis. The founder and CEO of Lesse, an organic and sustainable skincare line, flies over from the U.S. a handful of times a year to meet with the brand's European sales team, squeezing in as many meals and culture hits as she can between meetings—and on her most recent November trip, cherishing the the city's rare moment of quiet. “I was lucky enough to be there at the very end of November, when there aren't that many tourists,” she says. “It just felt like a really special time to be wandering the streets of the Marais.”
We caught up with Deters to find out how she's nailed her transatlantic flight routine, why a museum on the outskirts of Paris should be on every visitor's must-do list, and one dish she can't stop thinking about.
What was the destination?
I went to Paris in late November. Our sales team for Europe is based there, so now I’m going two, three times a year to provide support, meet with buyers and editors, and to just be there to speak about the products and make sure that all of the stores, all of our supporters in Europe, are getting that kind of mutual response from us.
Paris is actually one of the first trips I remember ever taking with my Mum: we drove in a bright yellow rental car across France when I was about five-and-a-half, six years old. It was definitely a trip that developed this deep love for travel in me and I have just these very specific visceral memories from that time. I also did a [student] exchange to France and traveled around, visiting Paris and Provence. I’ve always loved going back. It's really one of my favorite cities in the world, and I am delighted to have a very specific work reason to be going more frequently.
Who were your travel buddies?
It was just me traveling solo. I have two very dear friends who moved to Paris from New York over the past few years. It was lovely to know some people who are on the ground there. I do feel as though Paris has become a city that many people have moved to [recently]. I met quite a few people who had moved there from Sydney, from L.A., from New York, and from other parts of Europe. It felt like a very different version of Paris to what it was maybe 10 or 15 years ago; there was this tapestry that felt very similar to New York in a way, where so many people were converging on the city to bring kind of new ideas, or even just take French ideas to a more global level. It was interesting to kind of see that shift. Gosh, I hope the French don't kill me [for saying that]!
Do you have a travel routine?
I have a very specific outfit that I wear and I'm a die-hard, carry-on-only person. Even when I'm traveling home to Sydney for three or four weeks it's only a carry-on. I really love the airport experience to be very, very seamless—you know, getting out of the car, rolling through the airport using TSA PreCheck. When I get into my hotel room, the first thing I do is jump in the shower, change, and then apply the Lesse Bioactive Mask, followed by my full skincare ritual. Then I usually take a very specific nap that is based on the amount of time shifts that I've had. I also always try to do some form of movement, and during this recent trip to Paris I decided to go to a yoga class at this beautiful studio in the Marais. I used to be pretty decent at French when I was in high school, but most of that has completely disappeared, and I didn't realize that once you're in this particular class, they actually turn off the lights to almost pitch darkness. So I wasn't able to see what anyone else was doing. I couldn't really follow! No one in high school French class is teaching you the word for savasana.
You mentioned that you have a specific travel outfit?
I always wear black trousers and I have this one specific pair of cashmere wool blend sweatpants that actually look quite nice, they're nice and warm when you need them to be, but they've got a really wide leg—so really, really comfortable to sleep in. I always wear sneakers and always take a pair of compression socks. I usually pack a couple of different pairs of compression socks, and then I'll change my socks throughout the flight. I’ll wear a cashmere hoodie and a big cashmere wool blend scarf. I just find that those natural materials are less irritating, and very, very comfortable.
Where did you stay?
The Marais. Our sales team has a really, really beautiful space, right in the heart of it, so I always try to stay within just a couple of blocks. When you have all these meetings coming up, it's nice, especially when you're dealing with jetlag, to be able to run downstairs and across the block to your Airbnb and do a bit of work or squeeze in a quick nap. It was a pretty jam-packed schedule: We had a lot of meetings and quite a few events during the week I was there. I was also trying to squeeze in quite a lot of cultural activities; I studied art history and theory and I've always been a big fan of art and architecture and design. There are also a lot of really beautiful vintage fashion stores, and I went to the brocantes (flea markets). I was really squeezing every moment.
What was on the agenda?
I was there for exactly seven days, which I realized is the magic amount of time. There have been times when I have gone on a very quick trip, just for three or four nights, and you never completely adjust. Seven days is just enough where you've had those first few days of recovery and then, right towards the end, you find the moments when you're able to go out and explore. I had three or four days of meetings, and then we had a big cocktail party. One night was reserved to catch up with friends. You know, go to a nice restaurant.
And then the final two days were the weekend, so it was a little more flexible. I popped into the showroom, and then joined one of my friends on this crazy cultural tour. We visited this incredible Alvar Aalto-designed house, Maison Louis Carré, about an hour outside of Paris. The following day, I went to the Musée Rodin, just on my own, because I had some time just to explore, walk the Seine, and decompress. I found some very adorable new wine bars on the border of the 10th. I noticed there had been this incredible resurgence of these very small, very authentic wine bars. I'm sure that anyone who is a true Parisian would say that they have always existed, but because I now have friends who actually live in the city, I was able to scratch beneath the surface and experience that a bit more.
Who was the most interesting person you met with?
Do you know the really beautiful clothing brand Refine? They have really special, elevated, kind of staples. Their philosophy is very much aligned with the one that we have at Lesse, and I had the chance to meet Anina, the founder, while I was in Paris—she has been living there for a couple of years. It was just such a treat to sit down with her one afternoon in the Marais, have a long lunch and a coffee, and really hear what her experience as a founder with such similar values is like in Europe. It was so insightful. But, I mean, I met so many incredible people. The tour guide at Maison Louis Carré was wonderful, and very witty. Her name escapes me now. But it was very inspiring to see someone who had such an appreciation for art and design, and the history of that house, and to be brought into that world through her experience and knowledge.
Highlight of the trip?
Our European distribution team opened their own space in Paris, and expanded the showroom into a really unique retail and treatment space, where you can go in, shop Lesse, and get a treatment that’s tailored to your skin. It usually includes Lesse products, but also incredible products from other lines that they work with. It's called Healing House, and really is so beautiful. The sales director sourced incredible, vintage, very elegant furniture from Milan, where she lives, and Paris’s Les Puces flea market. We had a hell of a cocktail party there and I had the pleasure of meeting many other founders—people who are really making an impact on the wellness industry in Europe, and kind of changing the perspective on what wellness means there.
And the best thing you ate?
Oh, this is so hard because every meal was good this time. I have 168 places saved in my map. Okay, I happened upon this really incredible Japanese pancake. And it was such a surprise. The place was about two blocks from where I was staying, with this small door with a curtain over it, and all it said was “restaurant.” I was walking around in the rain, on my own, looking for a meal at around 9 p.m., and I was struggling to find anywhere that was open. Then I came across this spot. It’s called Okomusu; it only has about 12 seats, and everyone sits at the bar and watches the chefs. It’s mesmerizing. Right away, I knew it would be good. There was also this incredible Chinese restaurant, Shifu, where they make all of the noodles by hand, and all of the dumplings fresh as you order them. I went there for noodle soup. And it was really … that was probably the number one best thing I had while I was in Paris.