Items for the Home - Sensory Delights

In this time of the lockdown, it’s the little things that count, whether that means a frothy cup of cappuccino or a heavenly scented shower. Focusing in on and being mindful of the sights, sounds, tastes, textures and aromas of different items in your home can take you away from this world that’s in dissarray, even for a little bit. The four items below are ones I highly recommend for their sensory delights. 

PowerLix Milk Frother Pro — There are so many things many of us who have been living under lockdown for 2+ months miss, including a cup of espresso with frothy milk. (And that’s especially the case if you don’t live anywhere near a coffee shop, and you don’t have an espresso machine at home.) One way to get a similar taste and texture sensation is to brew your coffee using a moka pot and then then foam the milk — including non-dairy such as almond or soy — using the Powerlix Milk Frother Pro. This relatively inexpensive device looks very delicate but it foams almond milk to a cloud-like texture in just 30 seconds. 

Rituals - Energizing Shower Scrub, Sweet Orange and Cedar Wood — Why not bring a bit of a spa experience into your home? This shower scrub, which is made of almond and avocado oils along with essence of orange flowers and cedar can be part of your morning mindfulness routine in the bathroom. The sugar in the product makes for a light skin exfoliant while the fragrance of orange flowers and cedar offers an invigorating aroma to luxuriate in. 

L’Occitane - Citrus Verbena shampoo — With all the time sheltering at home, I find it’s important to be mindful of pleasant scents, something that can bring a hint of pleasure to an otherwise boring day. This shampoo is made with extracts of lemon, orange and grapefruit, citrus fruits that offer refreshing scents that are reminiscent of summer. The shampoo is gentle, leaving your hair clean but not damaged even when used daily. 

Ginger Lily Farms - Apple Pear Hand Soap — With all the hand washing that needs to be done in the era of the pandemic, I needed a hand soap that was not going to irritate or dry out my hands. During the first month of lockdown, my hands became so dry, the skin began to crack and bleed. Luckily I heard about this vegan liquid hand soap that’s made with fruit extracts. Curiously, despite all the hand washing, my skin never felt so soft and the fragrance is pleasant but light. It only comes in a one gallon but it’s worth it. No need to search for liquid hand soap for quite some time. 

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Enjoying a Stay at a Japanese Ryokan

When I travel to Japan, I always prefer staying in a traditional Japanese inn, referred to as a ryokan. I love the simplicity, the sparse furnishings, the open spaces and the meticulously designed outdoor gardens. As someone who loves walking around indoors in bare feet and prefers sleeping on a futon set on the floor, I didn't have too much trouble adapting to ryokan life. But, many travelers will want to know that etiquette issues abound.

Here are a few of the most noteworthy ones I came away with:

1. When you enter the ryokan, you trade your street shoes for slippers that are worn most everywhere inside, with some exceptions.

2. Before you enter any room that has a straw or tatami mat, make sure you only step with your bare feet or socks. You should remove your slippers at the door threshold.

3. Once in your room, you'll change into a yukata or light cotton robe. Though it might seem odd by Western standards, it's perfectly normal to walk around the ryokan in the yukata. What's key, however, is how you tie it: it's wrapped left over right. To the dismay of my guide, I repeatedly tied mine incorrectly, right over left, -- the way it's done only on corpses.

4. Special slippers -- like the bright red ones I found in many of the ryokans I visited -- are only worn in the bathroom (toilet). Unlike what I accidentally did, never wear these slippers anywhere else in the ryokan nor should your regular slippers in the bathroom.

5. Expect to sleep on a futon on the floor and snuggle into a comfy comforter or quilt. But don't be surprised that your pillow, rather than cushy down, will be hard because it's filled with buckwheat or another grain or husk.
6. The ofuro or traditional bath -- I often found the ryokan only offered a sex-separate public bath -- is a nice respite before dinner. Here's how the ritual works: before entering the bath, soap up first while seated on a mini-stool and pour water over your head with a large bucket or use the shower head. Then, after making sure you have rinsed off every bit of soup, you step into the hot water. (I prefer lukewarm water and found these temperatures scalding. So step in carefully.) 7. When dining at the ryokan, don't leave your chopsticks standing up in a rice bowl. This is something that's only done at a funeral. And always fill the glass of those you dine with (before they ask).

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