Bikram Yoga

Heat shriveled my nostrils, but the stale sweat had a physical presence that was almost enough to knock me out. After breathing through my mouth for a few minutes, the smell became somewhat bearable, but only until I was facedown on the floor, nearly gagging from exertion combined with my overactive imagination. Overlooking the practically visible vaporous emissions of hundreds of yogi feet that had walked and sweated on the carpet in the weeks and months before the class I attended wound up being more of a challenge than the physical transformation I was there to undergo.

Now that the rains have returned I may reconsider, but I will probably have to try a different studio. Recommendations welcome!

Ivory Soap

First encountered when washing my hands at preschool (we used Zest at home), and then more recently at J—-’s house when we were both studying or writing for Comps. It’s kind of a sharp, indefinable scent, which contains the rarely encountered lemongrass. One whiff and you’re awash in images of purity, simplicity, fluffy white towels, and a bar of soap dropped into and then floating in a clear water-filled basin. It’s impossible to confuse the smell with anything else, especially if you’ve ever had your mouth washed out with it. Although it’s a bit too intense for me to want to smell like it for an entire day, the scented lather and warm water carve out a respite that primes me for whatever’s coming next.

Chloe

Slow dancing with Gary Stark in his parents’ driveway, under a star-filled winter sky. Orion grew bigger as it slid toward the horizon, and although I was cold, I wasn’t quite ready to go home from the party. I thought that Chloe smelled sophisticated at the time, but now its sweetness and innocence ground it firmly in my quite virginal past.

Sebastian Shaper Spray

For the same reason that I keep and revisit empty bottles of old perfumes, I’ll sometimes blast a spray of Sebastian Shaper into its cap at the grocery store. The first time I smelled it was when I was hugged by one of my brother’s girlfriends – it seemed to smell exactly the way college girls were supposed to, and I wanted the life that it seemed to convey. Somewhat sweet but not exactly floral or aldehydic, feminine and modern and alluring– an obviously designed scent that faded enticingly before it could wear out its welcome, making you try to recapture it.

Years later, I felt like I’d finally achieved college-girl status after it was sprayed on my own hair in the similarly modern mirrors and concrete and bright lights Studio Salon across the street from my school. Even though it never worked the way I thought it would (i.e. the college boys weren’t drawn to me like moths to flame), I still feel that same aspirational optimism when I smell it today.

Vick’s VapoRub

After the medicinal blast of camphor, the brrrrr rush of cold. This is a chilling, contracting smell, punching back the walls of a cave to make more space for itself. A cold, dark atrium where small bats have been roused and can suddenly fly free. The effect is bracing in the same way a slap might wake you up from a doze – you’re awake alright, but you’re not that grateful for it. Perhaps if the result were more gradual it would be more welcome?

I’m a little feverish, sore throat, headachy, a little grumpy. The camphor smell of the Vick’s serves to intensify, not soothe, these feelings, since the only time I seek it out is when I’m feeling exactly this way. It’s a reverse feedback loop – I know I’ll feel better eventually, but the smell reminds me of the fact that I don’t feel very good right now.

Milk Plus 6 Shampoo & Conditioner

Washing my hair in the communal showers at the San Clemente Beach campground. Sand bluffs and summer and relaxation, combined with the (though I didn’t quite understand the sensation at the time) sexy smell of herbals. Something was supposed to happen, but I didn’t know what, just that the smell made me feel good and ready for anything. Currently echoed by Method’s Lavender Thyme shower gel, which now makes me feel nostalgic.

July 2008: So many people are interested in getting this shampoo back on the market. Given the past and current interest in nostalgia, plus the desire for a product that is tried and true, such a thing just might be possible! If you’d like to give them a call, the phone number for Revlon’s Comment Center is 800-473-8566. Thank you to Lisa, from comments, for providing the number!