If you’re someone who enjoys a long soak in a warm tub with plenty of bubbles, you’ll love Soak.

I don’t know if we told you, but a couple of weeks ago Lisa and I went back to Massachusetts for a week to visit my sister in Cape Cod as well as some friends who live north of Boston. One of the things I wanted to do was visit some of my old haunts. One of those places was Newburyport, MA. Lisa and I both love the place and have discussed moving there.

Dan Outside Soak

One of the delightful things about Newburyport — aside from its quaint, historic downtown — is the large number of independently owned shops and restaurants. We hadn’t been to Newburyport in almost ten years. As we walked along State Street with our two friends, Mark and Leslie, we noted that many shops from our last visit were still there. Other shops were new.

One shop that caught our attention was Soak, which bills itself as “The Newburyport Soap Bar and Bath Shop.”

Now, I’d never heard of a soap bar before, and the concept didn’t really grab me. But Lisa and Leslie became thrilled at the prospect of going inside to browse. I went inside, too. I must admit, I found Soak to be a marvelous shop with plenty of charm — and a very friendly owner named Diane Sirard.

Soaps, Soaps, Soaps — and More

Once I stepped inside, I understood why Soak calls itself a soap bar. The shop carries handcrafted soaps galore. All kinds of handcrafted soaps tastefully crammed into the little shop. Some soaps are locally made while others are imported from all over. The combination of scents in the soap bar was enough to send you into a soap high. Lisa and Leslie couldn’t contain themselves when faced with all the choices. Leslie ended up buying some vanilla-scented soap for a friend.

Soak also carries other bath products besides handcrafted soap, including trendy women’s pajamas and super-soft terri cloth robes. (Lisa was drooling over the pajamas.) Soak sells shower curtains too.

If you’re looking for unique handcrafted soaps, bubble baths, essential oils, and other bath products, Soak is where you’ll find them. They’ll make great gifts for friends, loved ones — or for yourself.

Tea Forté

Inside Soak -- Tastefully Crammed Shelves and Displays

Soak also carries a wide assortment of Tea Forté. Lisa and I first had Tea Forté in a cute little tea room in — of all places — the Adirondack Mountains of New York while Lisa was working at the Fort Ticonderoga museum.

If you haven’t heard of Tea Forté yet, Tea Forté is a silken tea infuser that’s shaped like a pyramid, and holds whole tea leaves or herbs. You put the infuser into a cup and then pour in boiling water. The water goes through the silk and circulates around and through the tea leaves, infusing the tea leaves’ flavor into the water. The whole “ceremony” can be quite elegant. And the tea tastes much better than tea brewed from regular tea bags.

Lisa loves Tea Forté and prefers it over other kinds of tea. Lisa also likes to drink a cup whenever she wants to pamper herself. Lisa couldn’t pass up this opportunity at Soak to stock up on more Tea Forté.

Things for Men

I thought that Soak was just for women, but I was wrong. Soak also sells shaving products.

You probably know that I gave up my Gillette shaving cream for an old-fashioned soap mug and shaving brush. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Soak sells shaving soaps, shaving brushes, and razors!

Leslie Buying Her Vanilla-Scented Handcrafted Soap from Owner Diane Sirard

I spent a lot of time examining some beautiful shaving brush-and-razor sets that would make any man proud to have on display by his shaving mirror. In fact, I came close to buying a set, and will the next time I go back.

Soak also carries Essence soap shaped to fit into a shaving mug. The handcrafted soap is called “Essence” soap because each kind has its own distinctive fragrance, and also contains some related natural product — such as sandlewood, rosewood, or sage. The soap is made by a company in France and imported and sold by Baudelaire. Diane had several kinds of men’s Essence soap in stock.

I ended up buying the Sandlewood Essence soap, which has a Celtic symbol on it. The soap is vegetable based and — a big selling point for me — contains shea butter. (Shea butter is good for your skin, as I mentioned in my post about giving up Gillette shaving cream.) I wish now that I’d bought a couple of other kinds of Essence soap, too.

If you’re in Newburyport, be sure to stop by Soak. I’m sure you’ll agree that the shop is a soap bar with plenty of charm — and great handcrafted soap and bath products.

Soak
7 State Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
Phone:
978-465-SOAK
(978-465-7625)