Joop! Le Bain
Joop! (1988)

Joop! Le Bain manages to be both the cheapie of the century and the unisex of the century.

The opening reminds me of the smell when opening one of the loose tobacco jars at Leavitt & Peirce, the legendary tobacconist in Harvard Sq, Cambridge, MA. It especially reminds of inhaling the aromatic, sweet, somewhat sweet aroma of cherry tobacco. One of my favorite smells in the world. Le Bain somehow captures this better than many actual tobacco frags out there.

As the top dries down, the florals, primarily orange blossom and jasmine, start to bloom on the skin, reminding the wearer that this in fact unisex, but not necessarily feminine. I also detect heliotropin, though heliotrope, like the tobacco, is not a listed note. Then there's the vanilla, which smells surprisingly sumptuous and isn't cloying at all. It contrasts with an oddly cellophane or plastic doll-head scent that somehow works in contributing to the allure of this fragrance (go figure, it is a cheapie after all). The dry down is a snuggly and warm skin scent, just right for a cold January day such as this.

Just as with Joop! Femme, Le Bain actually smells more masculine and well-blended than the house's big hit Homme. Other beauties from Joop! seem to be lost in the shadows of Homme and are much more deserving of praise and attention.

A big love.

A base heavy composition : toffee and powdery woods, cherry tobacco, orange flower bouquet. If you break it down into toffee - cherry - orange, and powdery woods - tobacco - floral, Le Bain is a gourmand - oriental. And, as you might expect, it's very sweet and rather static. It's also not very high quality, there's an ashy - chemical feel coming through.
The Bath? More like sauna in a sweet factory.

I've found that this really morphs on my skin based on the weather. In cooler weather I get just a hint of almond, lots of amber with a hint of spice. In warm weather it absolutely blooms into a delicious sweet almond/amaretto scent, a bit of cherry tobacco. I was looking for a great sweet almond scent and took a chance on a blind buy. I really love it.

Absolutely love Le Bain. The first spray is aldehyde intensive, and I am not a fan of aldehydes at all, but give Le Bain a few mins....magic happens. The aldehydes fade quickly and a warm skin cherry pipe tobacco scent emerges and it is dusted with a creamy vanilla and a hint of amber. I really dislike amber, but it is so soft and gentle! Le Bain is perfect for a man or woman, and this smells very "Euro". Living in Germany and now the USA I still really click with "German" scents, even though this is Made in France. I highly recommend Le Bain!!

A smoky, tarry, caramel number – like Bvlgari Black's tea and rubber but with the oomph of amber and tonka sweetening things, and much better lasting.

This has been my niece's signature scent for years and years. I don't know if I'd wear it myself, but I think it has a lovely distinctive aroma. I get caramel and smokiness, booze and fresh winter air. Love it. Maybe I'll treat myself.