Patrick's perfumes: sage and sea salt – or why strength training areas don’t have to smell like a herd of goats
A perfume is a work of art, perfumers are artists and I’m a collector of their creations. I’ve started using a fragrance by Jo Malone at the gym lately, because I can’t stand the billy goat smell anymore.
To stink or not to stink. This is one of those basic questions of life. Just like Migros or Coop, the Stones or the Beatles. I chose Migros and the Beatles. And not to stink. Having said that, I also like Coop and the Stones. The only thing I really don’t like is bad smell. My own, but especially that of others.
In the last few weeks, it's been particularly bad again. Every time I went to the back of the gym, where the barbells are, I was hit by a smell that reminded me of a herd of billy goats. I don't know who was responsible for it, but I couldn’t stand it any longer. That’s why I decided to get a fragrance for training. I ended up with «Wood Sage & Sea Salt» by Jo Malone.
I stink, therefore I am?
Sweating and stinking – men's topics. Yes, I wrote it: men's topics. Women don’t stink. In any case, I’ve never come across a woman in my gym who smelled unpleasant. Why is that? Good question. Maybe they don't always train as hard as men? Or maybe they just use deodorant. I strongly suspect the latter is the right answer.
And us men? We celebrate our terrible odour. René Descartes must have meant «Stinko ergo sum», not «Cogito ergo sum». I stink, therefore I am.
The smell of fresh laundry
The nose behind «Wood Sage & Sea Salt» is Christine Nagel. The 62-year-old Swiss has been working as head perfumer at Hermès since 2016. Before that, she created various fragrances for Jo Malone and others. The traditional British perfumer, like so many, belongs to the Estée Lauder Company and advertises the unisex fragrance with floral words:
Escape the everyday along the windswept shore. Waves breaking white, the air fresh with sea salt and spray. Alive with the mineral scent of the rugged cliffs. Mingling with the woody earthiness of sage. Wood Sage & Sea Salt is our lively, spirited and totally joyful scent.
In my opinion, this eau de cologne smells like freshly washed laundry: subtle and «clean». Ambergris seeds, sea salt and sage – the perfect combination for training in the gym. I also shower BEFORE I work out, so I don't spread any bad smells. Whenever someone at the barbell next to me smells like a billy goat, I sniff myself.
My name is Patrick. Bardelli, not Süskind. like the author of the book «Perfume». But I’m also a great lover of perfumes and I regularly write about good and bad fragrances. Want to enjoy my literary odour? Follow my author profile. Or let’s say: follow your nose.
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Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
