SOAK IT UP

Vanities/Beauty

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

Laura Regensdorf

LATHER, Rinse, Refill

"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 ($37] 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]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Like a lot of beauty start-ups, Bravo Sierra has a cheeky name (militaryspeak 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 ($11)— 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)

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