Be new

You’d certainly be hard-pressed to find an object as feel-good and, well, as clean as soap. The nice dry texture of soap just before making contact with water, the soft smoothness of soap after it’s wet... all of this is enough to melt the cockles of your heart and turn you into a comforted, mushy mess. If this is you, take note: Be New opened shop in Yeonnam-dong recently. The shop not only sells natural organic soaps, but also hosts regular classes where you can actually make your own soap. Pearls, cinder, mother’s milk, Spanish organic extra virgin olive oil, chlorella, squash pumpkins—just hearing the names of these ingredients seems almost enough to erase every skin concern ever. The shop also sells macaron-shaped soaps and scented candles, perfect as gifts or decoration. You can even try making these yourself, too. It’s a singular joy to scan the rows of soaps, drunk on the heady, sweet, piercing and pungent fragrances that permeate the interior. It’s hard to leave once you set foot inside.