dispatch03 Feb 20263 MIN

The one night Palace on Wheels had a salon onboard

The Nod’s beauty writer recaps the surreal experience of getting a blowout while the Rajasthani countryside zipped past

Snippets from the Nexxus Palace on Wheels experience

There are press trips, and there are press trips that make you wonder if you’ve accidentally wandered into a Wes Anderson movie. In January, Nexxus invited a group of friends, creators, and beauty insiders aboard the Palace on Wheels for what can only be described as a rolling beauty fantasy. Think plush cabins, excellent food, and a full-blown salon tucked inside a train compartment complete with mirrors, hairstylists, and a lineup of Nexxus products. The experience culminated in a formal dinner at Jaipur’s City Palace, hosted in an exclusive wing of the grounds that’s rarely open to visitors.

The idea was simple: experience the brand while in motion, framed by the romance of slow travel and the promise of arrival somewhere grand. Below, a visual diary of the journey—from platform to palace and back again.

All aboard the beauty express

Hot chocolate, garlands, and live musicians at Safdarjung station. The kind of welcome that immediately raises one’s expectations for the next 24 hours.

Palace on Wheels uniform

The golden ticket

Details that make you slow down: printed passes, a proper breakfast menu, proof that this was going to be no regular train ride.

Nexxus Palace on Wheels breakfast menu

The lodgings

Plush upholstery, old-world detailing, and dangerously nap-inducing.

Palace on Wheels twin bed room

The welcome hamper

A neatly arranged Nexxus edit waiting on the bed, like a very chic room-service surprise.

Nexxus hamper at the Palace on Wheels experience

Lunch, but make it scenic

Golden mustard fields rolling past the window, turning lunch into a moving postcard.

Lunch view on the Palace on Wheels

Live sax at lunch

Because apparently, even midday meals deserve a soundtrack.

A saxophone player on the Palace on Wheels

Dessert, naturally

The malai ghewar stole the show: rich, indulgent, and entirely worth the sugar rush.

Malai ghewar, a Rajasthani dessert, on the Palace on Wheels

Post-lunch stroll

Sunlight pouring into the passageways. Afternoon light doing most of the aesthetic work, as it should.

Palace on Wheels corridor

The salon car

A train compartment transformed into a fully functioning salon. Easily the coolest place to get your hair done. Honestly, no notes.

The Nexxus salon on the Palace on Wheels

Mid-blowout, mid-journey

Shoutout to hairstylist Arvind Sharma, who made sure my curls somehow survive both the humidity and the travel.

The Nexxus salon on the Palace on Wheels

City Palace, after dark

Jaipur at night, lit just enough to feel cinematic. The kind of setting that makes you instinctively lower your voice.

City Palace in Jaipur

Champagne hour

Glasses clinking, conversations starting, the night officially underway.

Champagne glasses at City Palace

A hair portrait, anyone?

Guests had their hairstyles sketched live. The most thoughtful keepsake!

Hair illustrations by artists

Gold bottles, golden light

Rows of Nexxus Promend Oil Ressurection bottles catching the palace light. Subtlety was not the brief.

A wall of Nexxus Promend Oil Resurrection serum at City Palace

Mingling, Palace edition

Frescoes, ornate chandeliers, moonlight. Casual things to stand under while chatting.

The Nexxus event at City Palace in Jaipur

She’s a star

Sobhita Dhulipala, the face of Nexxus, makes an appearance and sets the tone for the evening with a speech.

Sobhita Dhulipala at the Nexxus event in Jaipur

Almost dinner time!

Gold-rimmed plates, white florals, and a table setting that leaned fully into the fantasy.

Nexxus dinner at City Palace

The performance

A live beatboxer joined traditional musicians for a fusion performance—unexpected and oddly perfect.

Nexxus dinner at City Palace

A quiet moment

The crescent moon hanging above the palace. It felt designed for my camera roll.

City Palace in Jaipur by night

Farewell, moving palace!

Rain on the platform, bags packed, Delhi waiting. The train pulled away, and just like that, the story came to an end.

Outside the Palace on Wheels, at Safdarjung station in New Delhi

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