For the Sojourner pages of The Australian's Travel + Luxury magazine, Melanie Grant answered George Epaminondas's questions on how she travels, with photography by Nicole Bentley. The standfirst described her as "the facialist du jour, the woman with the Midas touch", and the caption read: "Skincare authority Melanie Grant always works treatments into her travel plans."
On travelling for wellness, she named Lanserhof on the German island of Sylt: "It offers a range of medical services, like diagnostics and infusions, alongside cryotherapy, acupuncture and herbal body wraps… The resort's floor-to-ceiling windows offer breathtaking views of sand dunes and the Wadden Sea. It's a special place."
Asked for the wellbeing capital of the world, she chose home. "For me, it's Sydney. We have some of the best fresh produce in the world, a calm, healthy lifestyle and a true approach to living in harmony with the elements… Aussies champion wellness in a low-key way."
On the journey she makes most often — London to Sydney via Los Angeles, every four to six weeks — she described a fixed protocol: "I never drink alcohol on a flight, stay hydrated with water and herbal tea, and take my own healthy snacks rather than eat plane food — it's too salty. I try to align my sleep with the destination time zone, and book a massage and facial for the day I land."
On where she has felt happiest: "I'm always so excited to visit Italy, especially Rome. I adore its architecture, history, art. And I love the simplicity of Italian food." On the surprise: New Zealand's South Island, where "the pristine lakes look mirror-like, the mountains, fjords, and rainforests seem untouched" — and, the magazine's pull quote adds, "they have the best fish and chips in the world". On the disappointment, she was blunt: "Vegas for sure. It's not for me."
The trip she calls transformational was New York in her late twenties. "It triggered a sense of energy, ambition, and endless possibility… I left that trip knowing that I had a unique approach to skincare. I returned home and opened my first business within six months."
And on what travel has taught her professionally: "I'm always reminded to think bigger, personally and professionally, when I travel. I always make time for a treatment in any city I visit; it's a non-negotiable. This has inspired many of our own protocols. It can be a lesson in what to do and what not to do. Like the time I let a therapist perform microdermabrasion under my lower eyes — it wasn't pretty!"
The Australian, Travel + Luxury, February 2023. As told to George Epaminondas. Photography by Nicole Bentley.
