After years of working as a busy real estate agent in New York City, Françoise Decatrel found herself lost in the chaos of a life without balance. She took a journey to Japan in 2013 searching for peace and a new perspective; what she discovered was a world full of mindfulness, ritual, and an appreciation of beauty.
Wanting to experience the Japanese lifestyle for herself, she ventured into a traditional Kyoto inn where she had an experience that would change her life forever.
After a day of sightseeing in Gion, an innkeeper invited Françoise to try the facility’s onsen bath. Onsen baths draw their water from hot springs and are used for well-being, relaxation, and enjoyment. The bath was in a serene setting with a gorgeous view of the surrounding trees. Prior to immersing herself in a fragrant hinoki cypress tub, Françoise was shown the ritual of washing the body before getting into the bath. The level of inner peace that she experienced was like nothing she had felt before and was something she did not want to leave behind.
One of the pillars of Japanese self-care is bathing daily for relaxation and well-being. Often taken in the evening, the bath is seen not as a luxury, but as an essential part of a balanced life. For thousands of years, these daily bathing rituals have been considered the ultimate way to relax and to rejuvenate after a long day. It is this holistic, mindful approach to bathing and self-care that inspires the Amayori collection.
By harnessing the sensorial essence of the Japanese bath and by using Japan's traditional artisan-grown and gathered ingredients, we hope to encourage others to slow down, to make time for intentional self-care, and to bring the Japanese practice of the evening bath into their lives on a daily basis.
Inspired by the bathing rituals I experienced while traveling in Japan, I created Amayori to help others easily bring inner peace and beauty into their lives through relaxing bathing rituals, transformational aromatherapy fragrance, and sumptuous body care. Amayori is a way to step out of the busy day-to-day and into a serene, balanced world. These rituals are inspired by time-tested Japanese traditions and are an approach to a more tranquil, mindful, fulfilled life.
I always love to share a bit about Amayori and what makes the brand unique in a world of mass production. We are a small company and each product has been created by me, a certified aromatherapist. Each bottle/jar that we create has been made in our studio with an attention to detail, beauty, and the desire to make the world a more beautiful place.
I welcome you to join me on my journey of making every moment as beautiful as possible.
With gratitude,
Françoise
