When the ritual of personal care may turn into a journey
Georgian Vinotherapy, Subtropical Garden, and Georgian Forest are the key KÁSHKASH collections that appeared in Radisson Hotels Georgia’s professional spa procedures and retail outlets in 2020. To bolster customers’ access to these professional collections building on a mix of luxurious essential oils and plant extracts, the brand has gone an extra mile. Firstly, a home spa line rolled out to bring together the body oils, scrubs, and bath salts and bombs from the three collections above. Also, personal care products from this line are poised to be there at various hotels across Georgia for visitors to enjoy. Imagine walking into a hotel room and finding these magical essential oils in the shower. Yes, you won’t have to carry them with you or necessarily visit spa salons to find yourself on an aromatic KÁSHKASH journey. Just recently, the brand put together the collection’s personal care products in travel kits that were presented to the public in late September.
“Your journey is about to begin. Please put on your mask and follow me,” I was told at IERI store just as I arrived for the presentation of the KÁSHKASH personal care travel kits. I was warned from the outset that, although it would not be a physical journey, spiritual adventures were nonetheless guaranteed that day. I caught a glance of women in special uniforms by thematically embellished tables celebrating Georgian Vinotherapy, Subtropical Garden, and Georgian Forest. I realized that my new guide would start my journey with them.
I put on my mask and greedily inhaled the flavors lifted closer to my nostrils. Being blindfolded turned out to be a strange experience. Feels like your main sensor of perception has gone out, and you start discovering new ones, such as smell, touch, and sound, to adapt. “You have chosen the mulled wine line of Georgian Vinotherapy. Hold my hand and follow me,” the voice tells me. Yet, as a big fan of tropical fruits, I knew in advance that I had to pick Subtropical Garden. Must be the cinnamon and carnation notes, I thought and, snuggling down in a chair, stretched my hand out to Naniko for a massage. For this line, KÁSHKASH utilizes the active ingredients of the residuals of Georgian winemaking, along with grape seed oil, suffused with the amazing delicacy of cinnamon and carnation extracts, sweet orange essential oils, and softening almond oil.
Naniko tells me that most guests at her workplace, the Radisson Collection Spa at the Tsinandali Estate, go with antioxidant Georgian Vinotherapy from KÁSHKASH. And then she lists in detail what further intensifies my imaginary journey, from 30 minutes of a back massage to a 5-hour procedure of immersing in bliss, with your whole body first treated with grape seed scrub, then you spend some time covered in a KÁSHKASH pelamushi (jelly made from grape juice and flour) mask, followed by a 1-hour aromatherapy massage, and then, to cap it all off, one hour of a facial massage. The voice of my guide brings me back down to earth: “Your massage is over. It’s time to remove your mask and proceed into this area.” I observe the other guests in the room—still blindfolded—and, to gratify my curiosity, I now visit Georgian Forest and Subtropical Gardens. At Georgian Forest, I find a mix of native Georgian eucalyptus, pine, and cedar extracts with coconut oil and charcoal, with its notes quite memorable and strong. As for Subtropical Gardens, it offers you a journey to the Black Sea shore where the sweet and spicy lemon, orange, and grapefruit essential oils promise a dizzying experience.
I notice guests nestled down around the table in the room’s corner. “Have you tried painting with wine?” the host asks me, and it dawns on me that I’m about to enter a new stage in my sensual journey. And yet it feels so funny not being able to decide what to do next, sip the wine or dip a brush in it. I’m given sheets of paper formatted just for this purpose. At first, Saperavi wine appears rose on the sheet, then darker coloration kicks in, and this transformation in its entirety unfolds in a matter of seconds, right before your eyes. Now the room next door, with just a curtain separating us, sees true magic at its best. I make out guests hustling and bustling by the entrance—tarot card reading, and traveling into the remotest corners of the future, must be an exciting thing to experience.
“We’re almost out of time, so we’ve come up with hybrid products for this travel kit,” KÁSHKASH founder Keto Giorgobiani tells me and displays the kit’s contents: shower/hand gel, shampoo/conditioner, and body moisturizer/lotion. As for the cosmetics tote, which combines these aromas into a single set, well, look at it as a bonus gift, both functional and cozy. I scrutinize the packaging and ask about its aromas. “This time, we left the shampoo/conditioner transparent, unscented. Sometimes silence is a good way to make music—it’s all about pausing at the right time,” Keto adds and heads to welcome another guest.
I sneak a look at the tarot reading room and step somewhat timidly into this space adorned with weird objects. Afterward, I leave satisfied. Everything is just the way I want, I observe, and only now realize how much time has passed. The presentation evening is almost over, and the brightly lit city can now be seen through the shop’s display windows. I decide to walk home, not wanting anyone to disturb my peace and quiet. At home, my nostrils are still tingling with the scents of cinnamon and carnation.
By Una Abashidze
Photo: Irakli Gviniashvili
