The fashion set's favourite: This New York hotel has just added a world-class spa

As a rule, The New Yorker doesn’t run hotel reviews, but it’s worth noting that it dedicated an article to the most recent takeover by the world’s fashionistas of The Mark. This 100-year-old hotel, on the corner of Madison Avenue at East 77th St, serves as the centrum gravitas for those attending the annual fundraiser for the city’s Costume Institute in May, more commonly known as the Met Gala.

Since the advent of social media and a seemingly bottomless appetite for ‘getting ready’ videos, The Mark has attracted the Gala’s glittering guest list as they prepare for the giddiest night in the haute couture calendar. As the New Yorker piece explained, on the first Monday in May, its 153 rooms and suites are mobbed by teams of stylists equipping their clients for the ‘red carpet reveal’ as they depart for the nearby Metropolitan Museum. But in truth, The Mark has long served as the rallying point for the fashion industry, beginning with its 2009 refurbishment under the artistic direction of French interior designer Jacques Grange, who turned this Upper East Side stalwart (originally built in the Renaissance Revival style in 1926) into a cool redoubt of modern luxury – not least in the lobby, which Grange transformed from old‐school vestibule into a black-and-white themed catwalk in its own right, flanked by a snug cocktail bar and a rotating collection of contemporary art. More recently, the hotel’s Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant has been joined by the first US outpost of the legendary Parisian fashion haunt Caviar Kaspia, thereby cementing its culinary credentials among the smart set.

As befits the breed, fashionistas have had their gripes about the property – notably a shortage of sufficient elevator capacity to cope with the demand for rides to its vast private roof terrace adjoining the largest penthouse suite in America. Perhaps more surprising, however, has been the lack of a standalone spa. A Frédéric Fekkai salon opened in 2009, and remains a cornerstone of the area’s beauty offering, but this month sees the unveiling of The Mark Wellness and Longevity Spa by Augustinus Bader. Here, Professor Bader’s patented TFC8 technology – an anti-ageing powerhouse that improves cell function to reduce the effects of ageing on the skin’s appearance – will be available in a number of skin- and haircare therapies at the brand’s first dedicated US hotel spa. Complementing The Mark’s Technogym-equipped 24-hour fitness centre, its three treatment rooms – custom built to deliver a calming, sensory-led retreat from the bustle of the city – promise to add a further pinch point come next May, when preparations for the Met Gala will surely require an appointment.