Discover sensational body and bath, home fragrance products at S-Scents
By Ashley Puderbaugh
Published September 2011
Simply KC magazine
Imagine these scenarios: You’re heading to a dinner party and realize halfway there that you’ve forgotten to bring a hostess gift. Perhaps it’s your grandmother’s birthday, but you have no idea what to get her. Or maybe you need stocking stuffer or Secret Santa ideas, but don’t have a large budget for these items.
In all of these instances, one easy solution would be stopping by the locally owned S-Scents, located in Hawthorne Plaza on 119th Street in Leawood. The store offers one-stop shopping for a variety of high-quality yet affordable bath and body products.
Most popular for its pure essential perfume oils—you can find dozens of designer scents here for more than half-off the department store prices or create a custom scent by mixing up some of the more than 350 fragrances available—S-Scents also sells name-brand bath and body fragrances from well-established companies such as Caswell-Massey, Thymes, and Pre de Provence; Lampe Berger, Voluspa, Tyler, and Root candles for the home; a handful of locally made soaps and jewelry; and more. S-Scents also features lines specifically designed for men and, for children, offers the prominent European line Mustela.
In fact, S-Scents features the largest selection of Lampe Berger catalytic burners in the area. This 100-year-old company was first developed to remove airborne bacteria from hospitals. As time progressed, Lampe Berger developed into a home fragrance and has become a popular collector’s item. S-Scents also is the only shop to carry the full Caswell-Massey line in Kansas City. One of America’s longest-running companies, Caswell-Massey was founded in 1752, and has counted George Washington and John Quincy Adams among fans.
What makes the shop such a hit with customers is the genuine customer service, says owner Susan Rix. “All of my employees have been here for 10 years or longer, so each employee has an extensive amount of product knowledge,” she shares. “We can help guide you to find what you’re looking for without having to search and search.”
And if you’re shopping for a gift, free gift-wrapping is included for all purchases. You could be in and out of the store in fewer than 15 minutes—if you were short on time, that is. Many customers spend hours in the store, Susan says, taking it all in or perusing the hundreds of oil fragrances.
Susan is a big believer in supporting local artists and carries rings by Kevon Hale of Olathe; hand-beaded, seed-bead bracelets by Sherry’s Seeds; bath and body products from Kansas City-based Indigo Wild, which is best known for its Zum line; and soaps from Monastery Soaps, which are made by Sister Cathleen at the Benedictine Monastery in Clyde, Mo. Each soap contains a couple drops of holy water.
This large variety of products is what sets S-Scents apart from other shops, she says.
“S-Scents is unique. There is no one in Kansas City that does what we do,” Susan explains. “We carry lines that no one else has. And not one product line comes into S-Scents that I have not personally tried and tested. I have to love the product before it goes on the shelf.”
Susan turned her love for fragrances into a business 17 years ago, when she helped her sister open the Hawthorne Plaza branch of Perfect Scents in 1994. Susan and her husband later purchased the store in 2003, and renamed it to S-Scents a few years later.
Although she has taken a few aromatherapy classes, most of her fragrance and personal care product knowledge has come from working in the field. She says one thing she loves about fragrances is that aromas can affect your emotions and trigger memories. Fragrance is an ambience for attitude and a confidence booster, and should be as unique as the person wearing it, she says.
That’s why she offers custom blending. She or another fragrance specialist helps customers narrow down choices by administering a personality test. Are you an outdoor person, for example? Do you like exotic vacations? After the scent is blended, you receive a one-third-ounce vial of perfume, two ounces of lotion, and two ounces of a shower or bath product of your choice. The recipe would then be kept on file. The oil also can be mixed with 25 different unscented personal-care products, including shower gels, exfoliating scrubs, bubble baths and bath salts, shea butter lotions, massage oils, and even shampoos and conditioners.
S-Scents is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Contact the store at 913-469-1737 or visit www.s-scents.com for information. You also can find the store on Facebook.
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