Vanities Beauty
SOAK IT UP
Call the bath daily
routine or meditative
ritual. Whatever the
reason to come clean,
winter is the right
moment to chill out
and warm up—with a
dip in the claw-foot
tub or a visit to a
geothermal marvel
By Laura Regensdorf
Calm Waters
Four new ways to unwind
LATHER,
Rínse, Refíll
“The Bay Area is kind of the
Silicon Valley of soap,” Bathing
Culture’s Tim Hollinger says of the land
whose neo-hippie mainstays include
EO Products. “But no VC here!” quips
cofounder Spencer Arnold, recalling
how, in 2017, the duo raised money for
their sustainable brand by hosting
bring-your-own-bottle parties starring
vats of their organic liquid soap. Now,
fellow surfers and earth lovers can top
off the rainbow glass vessels (£29) at
new filling stations found at shops like
San Francisco’s Foggy Notion and CAP
Beauty in Manhattan. “Bathing is about
the transformation of dirty to clean,”
Hollinger says—on a personal level and
a global one. (bathingculture.com)HELLEN
This soulful “bath brew”
by a Reiki practitioner
marries lavender-
scented Himalayan salt
with crystals for extra
credit. Center Your
Heart, £51. (hellen.nyc)AY L A
A nod to Irish seaweed
baths, this sustainable,
California-made Sea
Soak pairs mineral-rich
kelp from Santa Cruz
with sea salt off Big Sur.
Bonus: downloadable
meditations. £46.
(aylabeauty.com)NATUREOFTHINGS
An elevated take on
buzzy CBD, this
muscle-soothing blend
features Oregon-farmed
hemp and green clay.
Fortifying Magnesium
Soak, £28.
(natureofthings.com)MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Like a lot of beauty start-ups, Bravo Sierra has a cheeky name (military-
speak for B.S.) and a crisp design. But its focus group was unusual: people
in uniform who field-tested the eco-conscious formulas. The “tactical
shower”—biodegradable body wipes (£9)—is a go-to after long flights,
as one Afghanistan-based soldier told the company: “The feeling of being
clean really helps reduce the mental fatigue of travel.” (bravosierra.com)FUR
First came an oil
designed to nourish
seldom-seen body hair.
Now the line’s vegan
Bath Drops follow suit,
with vitamin-rich jojoba
and relaxing clary sage.
£27. (furyou.com)PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLISON SCHALLER (AYLA, FUR, HELLEN, AND NATUREOFTHINGS; BRAVO SIERRA), JOSEPHINE SCHIELE (BATHING CULTURE), MARTIJN VEENMAN/VÖK BATHS(BATHS). ILLUSTRATIONSBY JOANA AVILLEZ. FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS50 DECEMBER 2019