As the world turns: my visit to The Soap Opera.

A fact about myself that I have probably never shared on this blog: I. love. baths. I went to summer camp in New Hampshire for nine years, and as much as I adored the experience, it was always a tough transition to go from a daily bath to a daily shower (in a shower house full of screaming girls, nonetheless!). On the last day of camp, as sad as I was to leave, it was always comforting to know I was heading to my cousin Lisa's house for a nice hot bath.

I still opt for bath over shower, and along with this comes a love of bath salts and soaps. How it took me over a year and a half in Madison to wind up at The Soap Opera on State Street, I will never know.

My friend Kim was in town this weekend so I decided to take her shopping on State Street. Right near the Wisconsin State Capitol, State Street is full of eclectic local shops and restaurants (like Anthology and Himal Chuli), then peppered with a few chains like Gap, American Apparel, and Potbelly. The whole neighborhood is a bit of a potpourri. At first it struck me as oxymoronic for Bop to be next door to Quaker Steak & Lube, but what can I say? State Street just works, and The Soap Opera seems to fit right in, especially with products like this:

Cat and yarn glycerin soap. Too cute, right?

The Soap Opera sells a mix of local and non-local bath products and accessories. From soap and salts to eye masks and rubber duckies, they've got everything covered.

A stack of glycerin soaps in a variety of motifs (highlights include Star of David, Breast Cancer Awareness, Democrat Donkey, and Republican Elephant).

A wall of soaps and lotions. So many choices!

As much as I love soaps, my weak sense of smell makes it difficult to enjoy most of them. Susanne helped me find the perfect locally made soap that I could actually smell: 100% vegetable-based glycerin soap made from gently exfoliating almond meal. I'm very excited to try out my purchase!

Thanks for the free samples, Susanne!

For more information on The Soap Opera, check them out at 319 State Street or visit their site here.