At first glance, the newest addition at Universal Studios Hollywood’s CityWalk appears to be a sumptuous bakery. All sorts of goodies crowd the window displays: a sparkling three layer cake, slices of pie, and cupcakes in every color of the rainbow. But the fruity scent wafting out of the store reveals this supposed bakery as Nectar Bath Treats, an extravagant soap store under the guise of a syrupy sweet patisserie. The cupcakes and the three-layer cake are sweetly scented soaps. Ice cream is actually bubble bath, pies and macarons are soap, and everything smells absolutely heavenly.
I’m greeted by a friendly woman named Stephani, who gives me a sample of “fruit smoothie” body scrub at the stores giant demonstration sink. It smells exactly like my favorite Jamba Juice, and I can’t stop smelling my hands as she leads me to one of the stores two custom fragrance bars. Here, you can personalize your own perfume or body butter using an array of essential oils. I mull over shiny glass bottles marked as everything from “Pink Sugar” to “Egyptian Musk” before choosing rose oil and polynesian hibiscus oil for my body butter.
While mixing the oils into the body butter, I chat with the extremely friendly employees and learn that nearly everything in the store is vegan; no sulfates or parabens are used in their products, and even the glitter adorning the bath treats is biodegradable. So while Nectar is a soap store and not a bakery, you technically could eat pretty much anything there (though I would not recommend it)!
As someone with very sensitive skin, this place was heaven for me. The dye used in the products is made of mica instead of traditional cosmetic dyes, so the color is all natural and won’t leave a stain or irritate your skin. The soaps are full of moisturizing shea butter, and the bath bombs contain bentonite clay, which absorbs toxins from skin and reduces inflammation. I have been using pure bentonite clay as my favorite facemask for quite some time so hearing that it was an element of a glitzy bath bomb sent me over the moon. Not often have I found brightly colored, sugary-smelling beauty products that are also made with all natural ingredients.
To make this place even more special, the Universal Studios Hollywood CityWalk location is the first outside of Las Vegas. All of Nectar’s products are made by hand in Las Vegas by a crew of 25 soap-making artists. No two goodies look the same and it is obvious that a lot of love is poured into each bath treat.
A decadent bubble bath complete with a Calm Your Senses lavender bath bomb is a great way to unwind after a long day of casting spells and escaping Decepticons. So next time you’re strolling down Universal Hollywood CityWalk, whether you’re coming from the park or just enjoying a walk outside, make a stop at Nectar. And don’t forget to snap a picture at their Insta-worthy donut wall before you go (the donuts are 100% soap of course)!
Great story Natalie! I love your writing style. I'm on the East coast, but it sounds like my daughter and I could spend hours in Nectar. Look forward to more articles from you.
I have no interest in soap but read this entire article because it's well written and has good pictures.
I now have an interest in soap and am very confused...
Nice work!
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Bringing a whole new meaning to "Go wash your mouth out with soap"!