NW Source, August 28, 2010

Harnn’s Black Rice Soap lives up to the hype

By Alison Brownrigg, NWsource Shopping Columnist
Harnn is a new spa and body care shop at Bellevue Square, and also the first U.S. store in this Thai company’s family of 70-plus stores worldwide.

The products are inspired by Asian ingredients like rice bran oil, jasmine blossoms, lotus and magnolia bark. The store is dimly lit and reminiscent of an Asian apothecary. It entices shoppers with intriguing fragrances and unique products for home and body.

But what really inspired me to check out Harnn was their best-selling Black Rice Soap. Once I heard the store had a waiting list of over 100 people jonesing for this $6.99 bar of soap, I had to experience for myself what all the brouhaha was about.

Black Rice Soap is made with vitamin E-rich rice bran oil, known for its emollient properties, and laced with actual charcoal, which exfoliates and draws dirt from the skin. It’s shaped like a grain of rice, fits perfectly in your hand and smells like the most heavenly fragrant cup of tea you’ve ever experienced.

After using the bar I bought (they’ve fulfilled their waiting list and are well-stocked currently) I totally understand the hype. While the soap is very exfoliating (read: not appropriate for very sensitive skin), it’s also very moisturizing and left my skin silky and smooth.

It may be the best $6.99 I’ve spent on myself in a long while.

Plus, a bar of black soap looks super chic and I get a lovely waft of the tea scent every time I walk past my shower.

I also dug the thick and distinctly scented Himalaya Magnolia Hand Cream ($23), the lush Oriental Herbs Shampoo ($18) and the uniquely scented clay Ingots, small pebble-like aromatherapy nuggets infused with Asian aromas like galangal and lemongrass ($31). I couldn’t find them on the website, but trust me, they’re really cool.

Harnn is located on the first floor of Bellevue Square off the main corridor, down the way from the Michael Kors store, across from Sephora and on the way to Nordstrom.

Hit me with your best shop: alisonbrownrigg@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter: ali_brownrigg.