Spring has sprung and if you haven't gotten around to spring cleaning yet - start with yourself. As in - your person. 
We use soap for a very straightforward purpose - to cleanse. While bathing is a basic, universal experience - it can also be ritualistic and even spiritual at times. Consider that most cultures and religions have similar expressions - "cleanliness is next to godliness".
This whole concept of cleanliness also has a natural connection to the world of luxury goods. If something is luxurious, naturally it is clean, refined, and pure.
COCO CHANEL CIRCA 1920
Interestingly enough, it is said that Coco Chanel herself was obsessed with cleanliness and personal hygiene, due in large part to the time she spent with nuns in her youth. (Truth be told- so much of what is the "CHANEL" image came from the nuns. The use of Black and White, the Long dangling chains, etc.)
MERYL STREEP IN DOUBT
I started thinking about the connection when I was recently in San Francisco for a Ferragamo event. I discovered a new collection of handmade soaps that really made my travel kit feel more like home.
The Joy of Soap is a independent company based in San Francisco that prides itself on small, handmade batches of vegetable based soaps that are gentle on the skin and kind to the environment. The essential oils are evident the moment you hold a bar up to your nose. The packaging- like the soaps themselves, is clean and pure.
At a time when the world is rethinking what luxury means, a daily experience of using one of these unique bars can be just that - luxurious. A luxurious experience that is part of your daily routine and costs well under $10. That is hard to beat!
Favorites are "Lay Me Down Lavender" & "Rosy Cheeks Rosemary". One of the coolest is a soap for men appropriately called "Manly Man Bar". That one has a light scent of orange with the astringent properties of tea tree oil and ground pumice stone to give the bar an exfoliating effect. how awesome is that?
The company has just revamped their website. Shop on the site and make this one of your go-to resources for personal items. Also put it on your gift source list - anyone would love to receive a box of this soap in the mail! www.TheJoyofSoap.com