The aromatic world of Japanese incense, and the brands I swear by
And my favorite cleverly designed incense holders
I’m someone for whom an atmosphere’s aesthetic—from the smells to the texture and quality of the fabric, to how much the space feels full or empty—allows me to ease into a place or not. When I am preparing a bath for myself in the evening, I’ve made it a ritual whereby I set the mood by lighting a few candles, filling the bath with water just short of scalding with a bath mixture laced with a few drops of essential oils and a playlist or podcast. The finishing touch is always lighting a single stick of incense to put a punctuation on the ambience.
Up until March 2024 I had been experimenting with various brands of incense, and was generally satisfied with the calming energy of them all. That was until a revelatory experience during my bachelorette trip to the Dominican Republic, where one of my dear girlfriends, Karen Attiah, a connoisseur of fragrances and parfums and whose taste I trust, introduced me and the group of women to the pleasures in the aromatherapy of Japanese incense. It was during one of the evenings where we were all gathered in her hotel room dressed in caftans to talk about single hood and played games that revealed salacious secrets. Entering her room, sweet floral notes brought me to attention. All I could think about was having the scent as close to my skin as possible. I wanted it under my skin. Karen sent the link to the brand and I bought several boxes as soon as I got back stateside and haven’t looked back.
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