Destination: New Orleans Soap

Handmade in small batches in my Minnesota kitchen, this Destination: Galveston soap contains: Olive Oil, Locally Sourced Minnesota Goat Milk, Unrefined Organic Coconut Oil, RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, Food-Grade Sodium Hydroxide, Castor Oil, Fragrance Oil (Paraben & Phthalate Free), Sunflower Oil, Mica, Activated Charcoal.

Scent notes of this bakery-inspired fragrance include fluffy fried pastry, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar.

Soap bars are 1″ thick and approximately 4.5 ounces each.

(Price listed is for one bar of Destination: New Orleans soap.)

The Story:

Certain places just stick with you long after you leave — and New Orleans is definitely one of them.

I first went in my early 20s to visit a friend, and then twice more later for work. Not surprising to those of you who have been there, all three trips included hurricane drinks from somewhere and a muffuletta from Central Grocery. Honestly, sometimes I threaten to fly there just for one of those sandwiches.

There were beignets and BBQ shrimp, wandering through the French Market, stopping into Pepper Palace, walking past St. Louis Cathedral, and taking a break at Pat O’Brien’s. Bourbon Street is definitely a must-stop, but New Orleans is so much more than that.

I’ve never actually been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans — though I’ve celebrated in Galveston and even Deadwood, South Dakota (where my parade beer froze in my cup).

Anyway, all of it — the food, the music, the color, the energy — was revisited while I designed my Destination: New Orleans soap.

As part of my goat milk soap business, I create guest welcome soaps for vacation rental owners, and I’m excited to show how customizable they can be through my new Destination-Series. I’ll be sharing one per month!

Inspired by the colors of Mardi Gras and the smell of New Orleans bakeries year-round, the fragrance is a beignet-and-king-cake blend of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla.

The vanilla did what vanilla does and despite my best efforts, turned most of the bar brown as it cured. But, it smells exactly like one of the things I remember most about New Orleans.

Different places have different stories — and custom soap is such a fun way for vacation rentals to reflect the spirit of where guests are staying.