Bathing Rituals

All perfume lovers know the pleasure of extending one’s favorite scent through the infusion of bath and body product. Silky and buttery creams, soaps and shower gels carry fragrance and moisturize the skin, allowing scents to linger longer and envelope the wearer fully in a sensual cloud of scent. My favorites are hammam products because they come with strong scents I associate with the Middle East.

(photo via nola7.com)

One of my first and favorite bath products that are hammam-inspired is the Red Flower Hammam line. They have a travel size set which comes in the cutest little round zippered case and has everything in the line for you to try. My favorite item is the Cardamom Amber body oil: it smells like cardamom and is super-absorbent. The texture is really divine and the effect mesmerizing.

(photo via myspacecnd.com)

Another less expensive brand with a hammam line is Yves Rocher. From their lotions, creams, scrubs, mists and soaps, my favorite is the beautifully carved oriental soap. It smells like spices and is very affordable. It looks much more expensive than its price.

(photo via YvesRocher.com)

Speaking of soap, if you can find black soap in a jar, I would recommend it. I had one years ago and it was so heavenly to scoop out a small semi-solid chunk and lather up into oblivion. Don’t let the black color fool you: there is nothing dirty here, only spicy and earthy scents.

My most recent hammam product has been Royal Oud from Yemen by the Italian company Tesori d’Oriente. I discovered the brand, which is quite inexpensive, while taking a summer study abroad semester in Moscow. The air there is so dry that I went to the pharmacy for a lotion and found Aegyptus by Tesori. It smelled so divine that I wished to buy some here in the States but the perfumes are not available. The bath products are, and I have been enjoying the deep lather and oudy smell of Royal Oud dello Yemen. It actually smells like oud and the bottle has raised gold curlicues which look sumptuous hanging in your bathroom by the little chain the shower gel comes with.

(photo via aufeminin.com)