Buyer’s Guide: Les Bains Guerbois
Written by Eveline Nagajeva
From bathhouse rituals to nightlife and perfume, Les Bains Guerbois has lived many lives. Today, the brand continues to build on its extraordinary legacy. Currently, the collection features 13 fragrances, each inspired by the memories and moments embedded in the walls of the maison.
Photos in the article provided by the brand
It’s never easy to pick favorites, especially when it comes to a house like Les Bains Guerbois, where every scent tells a story, a decade, or a memory. And I’ll be honest, my favorites change as often as the weather in my town. But if you asked me today, in this moment, these are the Les Bains Guerbois scents I’d grab first. Tomorrow? Who knows.
Oud Laque
The scent takes you inside Hotel Les Bains, where reflections dance across lavishly lacquered wood and furniture, mirrored in every polished surface. It’s a quiet celebration of form, texture, and timeless design.
Created by master perfumer Mathieu Nardin.
Top notes: Raspberry, Cardamom, Saffron
Heart notes: Rose, Bourbon Geranium, Guaiac Wood
Base notes: Oudwood, Benzoin from Siam, Patchouli
It opens with edgy oud and leather, leading into a gourmand heart where rose blends with the sweetness of warm benzoin. The entire composition feels as if it’s been lacquered over—glossy, with a subtle hint of polished depth.
1885 Bains Sulfureux
Dedicated to the year 1885, when Les Bains Guerbois first opened its doors, this fragrance immerses you in an atmosphere filled with the scents of historic bath rituals—sulfur, steam, and the scents of flowers, herbs, and plants used in revitalizing rituals of care and cleansing.
Created by master perfumer Dorothée Piot.
Top notes: Mandarin, Rosemary, Blackcurrant
Heart notes: Orange Blossom, Jasmine
Base notes: Incense, Benzoin, Tonka Bean
The scent opens with invigorating citrus and aromatic rosemary, evoking the freshness of a pine forest, layered with the cold, smoky incense.
1900 L'Heure de Proust
Inspired by the Belle Époque and the intimate moments of Marcel Proust—tea in hand, following the relaxing rituals of Les Bains Guerbois baths, somewhere between reflection and writing his famed novels.
Created by master perfumer Jérôme Epinette.
Top notes: Bergamot, Pomelo, Blueberry
Heart notes: Violet, Black Tea Accord, Tuscan Leather Accord
Base notes: Guaiac Wood, Praline Accord, Vanilla
The scent opens with juicy blueberry in a blend of smoky black tea and maté with subtle touches of leather.
1979 New Wave
The year is 1979. The air is thick with New Wave energy—smoke, leather, sweat, and the vibrance of a creative movement pulsing through every flashing strobe light. Joy Division is recording a live album at Les Bains Douches.
Created by master perfumer Dominique Ropion.
Top notes: Spearmint, Peppermint, Aldehydes
Heart notes: Orris Concrete, Cedarwood from Virginia
Base notes: Santal d’Australie, Bois Ambré, Musc
The scent takes an unconventional approach to iris, introducing a minty-milky twist. It opens with a cool, refreshing mint layered over clean, powdery, and slightly carroty iris, uplifted by aldehydes for an airy, crisp effect. As it dries down, milky sandalwood blends with clean musk.
1992 Purple Night
The year is 1992. Prince is in Paris for his world tour, promoting the Diamonds and Pearls album. And after the concert—what better place to be than Les Bains? He arrives in a limo, of course. A legendary night to remember.
Created by master perfumer Dominique Ropion.
Top notes: Mandarin from Calabria
Heart notes: Indian Tuberose, Egyptian Jasmine
Base notes: Tobacco, Suede, Indonesian Patchouli
The scent is as vibrant as Prince himself—heady, bubblegummy tuberose meets a sparkling splash of mandarin, grounded by earthy patchouli.
The Rest of the Collection
Eau de Cologne
Les Bains 1885 Eau de Cologne is a tribute to the brand’s origins as a luxurious Parisian spa—a place where elegance, indulgence, and culture intertwined in the heart of the city. From its beginnings as a spa in 1885 to its transformation into a legendary nightclub in 1978, and its rebirth as a boutique hotel in 2015, Les Bains carries a legacy that lives on—now captured in a fragrance that bridges past and present.
Created by master perfumer Michel Almairac.
Top notes: Ginger, Cardamom
Heart notes: Patchouli, Cedar, Papyrus
Base notes: Incense, Musk, Amber
1978 Les Bains Douches
The year is 1978. Within the storied walls of the former Les Bains Guerbois spa, a new chapter begins as the iconic Paris nightclub Les Bains Douches opens its doors. A haven for artists, musicians, and provocateurs its nights were legendary.
This scent transports you to one wild night at the club—filled with the scents of cocktails, whiskey, tobacco, and endless revelry.
Created by master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour.
Top notes: Yuzu, Whiskey Accord, Davana
Heart notes: Rose, Heliotrope, Blond Tobacco
Base notes: Cedarwood from Atlas, Myrrh, Vanilla
The scent opens with bitter, candy-like citrus notes swirling in a glass of whiskey, accented by subtle touches of honeyed florals and tobacco.
1986 Eclectique
The year is 1986. A crowd gathers at the club’s entrance, eager to be part of a wild night—but first, they have to pass through Marilyn’s famously eclectic selection. Leather jackets, double-breasted suits, ripped jeans, cutouts... from 18 to 60, age and style know no boundaries. This was the “Eclectique” spirit—an atmosphere defined by diversity, audacity, and pure creative energy. It was the signature of Les Bains Douches during some of the wildest nights Paris has ever known.
Created by master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour.
Top notes: Yellow Mandarin, Cardamom, Davana
Heart notes: Geranium, Honey, Leather Accord
Base notes: Tobacco, Patchouli, Amber
The scent evokes sweet, honeyed dried fruits and tobacco, wrapped in warm spices and resting on a rich, resinous base with slightly earthy, mossy patchouli.
2013 Résidence d'Artistes
The year is 2013. Just weeks before a full renovation, the iconic space was taken over by street artists from around the world—transforming it into a living canvas filled with color, creativity, and raw freedom. The art would soon disappear, but the walls—and the scent—would always remember those fleeting, inspirational days.
Created by master perfumer Dorothée Piot.
Top notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Peach
Heart notes: Jasmine, Violet, Papyrus
Base notes: Sandalwood, Leather Accord, Musk
The scent opens like a canvas brushed with pastel tones—watery peach, a hint of cardamom spice, and a whisper of soft leather on the wall of fragrance. Creamy sandalwood follows, carrying a subtle, intriguing tang—almost a delicate, fresh briny twist.
2015 Le Phénix
The year is 2015. Les Bains rises again like a phoenix, reopening its doors as a hotel, spa, and nightclub. Dance, linger, dream, perspire, drink, watch, sense, seduce, doze—this is LES BAINS: 1885, 1978, 2015. A temple of hedonism that never sleeps…
Created by master perfumer Michel Almairac.
Top notes: Ginger, Cardamom
Heart notes: Cedarwood, Papyrus
Base notes: Incense, Patchouli, Amber
The scent opens like a bold statement—Les Bains Guerbois is back. A striking blend of spicy ginger and dry cedar unfolds, laced with piney hints, smoky wisps of incense, and the comforting warmth of amber.
2018 Roxo Tonic
It’s 2018. You step into the festive atmosphere of the posh Le Roxo bar to enjoy a sparkling, intoxicating Roxo Tonic cocktail—an invigorating blend of citrus, ginger, and tea. The burgundy (roxo in Portuguese) lacquered décor surrounds a grand central bar and two lush, plant-filled patios.
Created by master perfumer Fanny Bal.
Top notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Ginger from Madagascar
Heart notes: Gentian from France, Neroli from Tunisia, Tea Accord
Base notes: Vetiver, Ambroxan, Musc
Airy and radiant, the scent evokes woody citruses, neroli, and a splash of ginger tea—refreshing but never overpowering. Enough to keep your senses sharp… just enough to say yes to a second, even a third glass of Roxo Tonic.
Damier
This is another scent that transports you into the heart of Les Bains’ interiors. Damier is a tribute to the iconic checkerboard tile floor of the legendary maison. It plays on contrasts—composed entirely of “black and white” notes, mirroring the bold interplay of light and dark in the tiles beneath your feet.
Created by master perfumer Fanny Bal.
Top notes: Madagascar Black Pepper, Pink Pepper, Aldehydes
Heart notes: Milky Accord, Jasmine
Base notes: Santal de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Patchouli d’Indonésie, Musc Blanc
This scent playfully tickles the nose with a generous dash of pepper combined with aldehydes, it creates the illusion of incense gently lingering in the air. The accord melts into a fresh, woody, and milky base of sandalwood and clean musks—a composition that evokes white tiles embedded within black, a nod to contrast and balance.
Raku
The scent is a tribute to Japanese Raku pottery, which decorates the interiors of the maison—from the bar to the consoles and guest room tables. Raku is a traditional ceramic firing technique that originated in Japan over 500 years ago, known for its distinctive crackled glaze. These handcrafted pieces, part of the maison’s visual heritage, inspired the creation of a fragrance that mirrors their unique texture and structure.
Created by master perfumer Jérome Épinette.
Top notes: Lemon, Black Pepper
Heart notes: Fig, Clary Sage
Base notes: Cedarwood from Texas, Ambroxan, White Musk
The scent feels intimate—clean and pure. It smells of clean musks touched by a slice of lemon and dusty crackles that evoke the image of a pure white console, delicately veined with gray—crafted with care, shaped by quiet hands and love.
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Les Bains Guerbois: A Place to Experience, A Collection to Savor