Saints, Sinners And Stage Lights: A Parisian Hotel With A Past

In Paris, buildings wear their history well. They’re shape-shifters, rooted to their streets, yet bending in purpose with the winds of time. Palaces have been relegated to prisons; family homes turned into museums; tangles of alleyways transformed into wide, imposing boulevards.

The address at which you’ll find Boudoir Des Muses, a 28-room boutique hotel opened in September 2024, lays claim to its own twisting, juxtaposing past. Brothel, convent and theatre (closed by decree of Napoleon Bonaparte to dissuade loose morals) all make an appearance on its centuries-old resumé. Now, after laying dormant for 100 years on a quiet street in the Marais, the 18th-century building has metamorphosed once again.

The reception at Boudoir des Muses

Echoes of its former lives still linger. In the sultry reception, stage-ready gold curtains shimmer against the walls and a marble desk evokes the grandeur of a Catholic altar. Artworks are a little risqué and snake-patterned carpets coil underfoot – a sly nod to biblical temptation. “If you get lost,” a member of the team smiles, “follow the snake”.

The hotel’s glass-domed atrium is the beating heart of its restaurant and bar, but by night, it slips into costume, hosting cabaret performances, tarot readings, live music sessions and guided meditations beneath the sky-high canopy.

This is an address where Paris’ many past lives converge – decadent, dramatic, the lot.

One of the boutique hotel’s rooms

Rooms

Step away from the seductive, low-lit reception and you’ll find boudoirs flooded with natural light offering city rooftop views. The 28 rooms span five categories, including three suites and one loft suite. Interiors are minimalist, enlivened with soft bursts of green, pink and gold from bed cushions that add beatific touches of colour to an otherwise whitewashed palette. Each space is presided over by one of the hotel’s “muses” in portrait form; ours, a glamorously dressed siren, lounges above the headboard in a provocative pose.

What’s for breakfast?

From 7am to 11am, there’s a help-yourself buffet. Expect French favourites in the pastry section, platters of charcuterie, fresh fruit, and a few cooked options for good measure.

Lunch and dinner

On our visit, the restaurant was surprisingly quiet – a reflection more of its home city’s cornucopia of dining delights than any lack of appeal. The menu, limited to a tapas selection during our stay, still delivered. Foie gras, billed as offering “carnal devotion… a prayer whispered between sin and ecstasy”, was as decadent as promised.

The bar, located below a glass-domed ceiling

Is there a bar?

Yes – beneath the beautiful, glass dome. Cocktails, which include non-alcoholic options, are named after muses and goddesses.

Amenities

As with all Parisian stays tucked into tight little corners and fighting against the quirks of historic planning, amenities are a little slim on the ground. There’s no parking, gym or swimming pool in the hotel.

But don’t miss the unexpected subterranean surprises. Head into the basement to find two private spa facilities that can be booked out for 90 minutes by guests for a bathing experience fit for the gods. The first features a small pool, carved out of stone, and a steam-filled hammam. The second offers a sauna and Jacuzzi. In each, guests can hook their device up to the speakers – in keeping with our historic explorations of Paris, we opted for an episode or two of The Rest is History podcast.

Clockwise from top left: a cocktail inspired by a “muse”, the former theatre – now the hotel bar and restaurant, the building’s quiet Marais location, and the hotel bar

What are the eco-credentials like?

Everything you’d expect in 2025, from water and energy efficiency to the use of environmentally friendly products throughout.

On our visit, we noted the use of glass water bottles (which could be refilled) by beds and recycling bins in all rooms – but not much else.

What about accessibility?

Two of the ground-floor rooms are suitable for wheelchair users. There’s stair-free access to the reception and the lift.

What’s the crowd like?

Stylish young couples (who probably don’t have history podcasts playing in their AirPods).

The hotel has two subterranean baths, which can be booked for exclusive use

Within a short walk I can find…

The quintessentially Parisian street-corner café Le Saint-Gervais (96 Rue Vieille du Temple), a literal stone’s throw from the hotel, is great for people-watching. A five-minute walk will take you to the tiny botanical garden of Jardin Berthe-Well (2 Rue de la Perle), which sits in the shadow of the Picasso Museum. Also nearby is the Carnavalet Museum, the oldest history museum in Paris, home to some time-bending artefacts, from Marie Antoinette’s shoes and a lock of Robespierre’s hair to the tools once used by revolutionary heroes to escape the Bastille. And, in true revolutionary spirit, entry is free.

Things I should know

We’re calling this couples-only: some of the artworks around the hotel might be a little too much for innocent young eyes.