Being from the UK, I've become kind of addicted to the British cosmetics company Lush. Luckily for me, here in Japan they not only have Lush, but also a super unique store in Harajuku. And it's jam-packed with exclusive bath bombs inspired by Japanese culture!
If you haven't heard of Lush, it's an all-natural, cruelty-free cosmetics company from the UK. You might have seen their extravagant bath bombs, capable of turning your bath into anything from a starry galaxy to a sparkly rainbow. In November 2018, Lush opened their very first bath bomb only store in Harajuku, Japan.
Harajuku has quickly become my favourite place to hang out in Tokyo, with its quirky shops and out-of-this-world cafes. So I had high expectations for this store.
And I wasn't disappointed - it's bath bomb heaven!
Located just off of the famous Takeshita Street, this store is right in the centre of Harajuku. Walking past, it's hard for the walls upon walls of bath bombs inside not to catch your eye.
The first time I saw it I was actually on my way to a night out in Shibuya with my friends. My mind went from whoa, what's that?! To no way, is that a special Lush store?? To omg, I'm so there first thing tomorrow.
Here's a look at some of the exclusive bath bombs, plus some other unique features of the shop - because honestly, I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in!
Bath bombs... sushi restaurant style?
Okay, so I'd read a bit about this place online. But I guess no one thought to mention that there's a sushi restaurant-style bath bomb conveyer belt inside. When I first walked in I was so blown away by the bath bombs that I didn't even notice it at first. And then, if I was blown away before, this time it I was hit by a tornado.
It's kind of the best idea ever. It was also so satisfying, I could have sat and watched the bath bombs circle around forever.
Lush Labs: the must-have app for a high-tech shopping experience.
If you're planning on visiting Lush Harajuku, you should definitely download the Lush Labs app ahead of time. As you've probably noticed, there's just too many bath bombs in this shop to label everything. Lush Harajuku solves this in a super exciting way by incorporating an app that lets you scan products to find their name, ingredients, and even a demonstration video of how they react in the water.
You can see above I tried this out with the Sushi bath bomb... and just about every other product in the shop.
Another thing to note is that unlike in the UK, Japanese Lush stores don't print a product name sticker when you buy bath bombs. But don't worry if like me, you went on a shopping spree and forgot what's what. The Lush Labs app continues to come in handy, as you can scan them again when you get home!
And finally... my Japanese Lush haul!
From left to right, starting from the top we have Harajuku, Sushi, Ginger Ninja, Temple in the Skies, and Kitsune.
Aren't they just the cutest?
Each of these are exclusive to the Harajuku store. There's actually even more exclusives that I didn't pick up, as I was starting to feel a bit judged... everyone else was buying one or two while I was walking around with this massive basket. Plus, the staff looked a little surprised when I said they were all for me! But who can say no to adorable Japanese bath bombs??
I guess I'll just have to go back for seconds - no complaints there.
Here's another photo to try and get across just how many bath bombs there were on the walls.
Just a note on the staff actually, everyone there was so nice. My Japanese is very limited but they were so friendly and kept making conversation with me. They also seemed excited to hear that I'm from the UK, the home of Lush!
(Oh, they also spoke a good amount of English. I just like making things difficult, haha.)
