Mood scents

What I blew my paycheck on this week.
by Jennifer Johnson
Aug 14, 2008

In animals, scent and pheromones are the main carnal driving force after the genetically wired need to reproduce. In humans, scent has become secondary to visual stimulation due to chemically manufactured scents that mask our own natural ones. We’ve been taught to wrinkle our noses at most of the scents our bodies produce and instead have our pulses quicken and our nostrils flare to drink in scents from Prada, Calvin Klein, Polo, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana. What turns us on now could be a fashion magazine in the dark; however, scent-driven nostalgia remains a power to be reckoned with. I had an ex-love who wore such unusually distinct cologne that for years afterward when I happened to catch a whiff of it I’d be momentarily overcome by the olfactory-driven impulse to look around for him.

The movie Perfume starring Dustin Hoffman and Ben Whishaw tells the tale of an odd young man driven mad by his compulsion to capture certain scents of beauty till he ends up trying to distil the very scent of women. Creepy movie, but with a definite train-wreck style fascination. Not creepy is aromatherapy itself, a sensuous way to get in the mood with massage oils and lotions or bath potions whether solely for relaxation or combined with naughty nocturnal nether regions in mind. Endless scent varieties exist, but a favorite that is strongly recommended is lavender. The plant’s deeply relaxing quality can easily take the edge off of a horrendous day and put the bow chicka bow wow in your night. The Pacific Northwest Shop in Tacoma’s Proctor District carries two great lavender products: Goat Mountain Farm lavender massage oil (8-ounce bottle, $11.50) and Vintner’s Secret lavender vanilla lotion (4-ounce bottle, $11.50). Runner-up is invigorating Vintner’s Secret rosemary mint. Made of grape seed and sweet almond oil, vitamins, and aloe vera, not much product is needed   to cover a lot of skin. Amber resin is another sexy earthy scent that is sold as a body cream, oil, and lotion (amber resin, surprisingly, is fossilized tree resin). The Crystal Voyage in Tacoma’s Dome District sells this and a wide selection of other heady, rich scents.

[The Pacific Northwest Shop, 2702 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253.752.2242]

[The Crystal Voyage, 430 E. 25th St., Suite 11, Tacoma, 253.272.4367]

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