Top Notes 
Cardamom
Ginger
Heart Notes 
Papyrus
Cedar
Patchouli
Base Notes 
Musk
Amber
Frankincense
04/27/2025
blindy
36 Reviews
blindy
2
The holy GPH Trinity
The brand Les Bains is technically not a perfume house, it is rather a Company that now does a little bit of everything: from managing a Luxurious SPA Hotel in the heart of Paris to fragrances and clothes.
Though the brand itself was founded only in 2011, its history roots go back to the 19th century when Gerbois family has built thermal baths in Paris in 1885. It was a popular place with people like Marcel Proust visiting it. In 1978 the place was re-built into a popular night club. In 1981 this was a hotspot for post-punk lovers: Joy Division, Depeche Mode and many more bands performed there. Now it’s a SPA Hotel in the middle of Paris.
Les Bains Guerbois has created a perfume line as a tribute to some of the most prominent moments in the history of Les Bains. My favorite one (at the moment of purchase in 2019/20) was Le Phenix. Here, I smell a VERY similar DNA to the OG version of Gucci Pour Homme that is no longer available for purchase now. That’s no surprise because these two perfumes share the same creator - Michel Almairac. In fact, we have a Holy Trinity of Gucci pour Homme successors created by Michel: Bentley - for men Absolute, Parle Moi de Parfum - Papyrus/Oud, and Le Phenix.
I’ve tried all of them and can say that they share a lot of similarities, yet they differ in their GPH interpretation: Bentley emphasizes the woody notes, while Papyrus/Oud and Le Phenix appear more “oily”, probably due to the more pronounced Papyrus note there. I genuinely love all three of them but Le Phenix is my favorite as it has lovely bottle design and carries a piece of history.
The opening is oily-gingery, with a lot of smoky undertones (though, they don’t overpower anything else). The composition doesn’t change much but I find it even better as I LOVE this smoky oiliness, as if oil was extracted from a tree and then slowly heated up and smoked without “burning” it too much.
Though the brand itself was founded only in 2011, its history roots go back to the 19th century when Gerbois family has built thermal baths in Paris in 1885. It was a popular place with people like Marcel Proust visiting it. In 1978 the place was re-built into a popular night club. In 1981 this was a hotspot for post-punk lovers: Joy Division, Depeche Mode and many more bands performed there. Now it’s a SPA Hotel in the middle of Paris.
Les Bains Guerbois has created a perfume line as a tribute to some of the most prominent moments in the history of Les Bains. My favorite one (at the moment of purchase in 2019/20) was Le Phenix. Here, I smell a VERY similar DNA to the OG version of Gucci Pour Homme that is no longer available for purchase now. That’s no surprise because these two perfumes share the same creator - Michel Almairac. In fact, we have a Holy Trinity of Gucci pour Homme successors created by Michel: Bentley - for men Absolute, Parle Moi de Parfum - Papyrus/Oud, and Le Phenix.
I’ve tried all of them and can say that they share a lot of similarities, yet they differ in their GPH interpretation: Bentley emphasizes the woody notes, while Papyrus/Oud and Le Phenix appear more “oily”, probably due to the more pronounced Papyrus note there. I genuinely love all three of them but Le Phenix is my favorite as it has lovely bottle design and carries a piece of history.
The opening is oily-gingery, with a lot of smoky undertones (though, they don’t overpower anything else). The composition doesn’t change much but I find it even better as I LOVE this smoky oiliness, as if oil was extracted from a tree and then slowly heated up and smoked without “burning” it too much.
Dan93
