Real Soaps understands this girl’s need for a refreshing cocktail and an invigorating body scrub. Bonus points for delivering them at the same time. The Tom Collins Scrub is a morning maker made by the artisanal master Shamus McClain of Real Soaps. The soap is made with actual gin botanicals from Chicago’s Letherbee Distillers and there’s lemon, lime, ground coriander, anise and juniper. Don’t you just want to get down with this soap right this very moment? Me too!
Shamus keeps it real from his home in Pilsen, a.k.a. the “Soap Lab. He uses a cold-process method to produce small batches of Real Soaps — and balms, salts, scrubs and beard oils. The demand for his form of realness is ever present as evidenced by this emerging empire of zest. Central to his brand is a mission to repurpose and recycle as much as possible in the making process. The conscious approach to creating is something I admire. I snapped the above pics during a recent West Elm pop-up a few weeks ago. Shamus was so genuinely happy to be selling his wares and enthusiastically telling me about stuff in the works. Two words: salt soap.
Real Soaps is available to all on Etsy and available all over Chicago. Do yourself a solid and go check out the line at Alapash. Shamus spends a few days a week working at the shop with Marco. And, if you’re in Chicago this coming weekend, The 12th Annual Renegade Craft Fair is coming to Wicker Park. Shamus will be there with Alapash & Dallas Maynard Jewelry at booth #235.
P.S. Share the Real Soaps love as they take on Martha Stewart’s American Made Awards!