8 minute read
Lather & Fizz
THEmakers
creative awareness | arts & culture | makers’ movement
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Lather & Fizz Bath Boutique
TAHOE MADE BATH, BODY PRODUCTS
BY KAYLA ANDERSON Paul Hamill
Michelle Gordon assembles gift packs for Valentine’s Day. | Courtesy Sue Waters Sue Waters cuts soap. | Courtesy Sue Waters
On a sunny winter morning, I walk upstairs to the second story of Cobblestone Center in Tahoe City and enter the bright, sweet-smelling, decadent space of Lather & Fizz Bath Boutique. Owner Sue Waters with her youthful-looking skin — no doubt from her using of her own products — and energetic spirit welcomes me. She relates to me how she came to move into this new spot with its vaulted ceiling, spacious atmosphere and prime view of Lake Tahoe. When Covid came along, Waters and her business partner Michelle Gordon had to renew their lease during a time when they didn’t even know if they’d be open by summer. They consolidated their business by moving upstairs to a place they used primarily for storage and it worked. They were able to stay in a new location that’s about 400 feet away from the old one. “Now having this upstairs open space, I think people feel more comfortable coming up here while the pandemic is still going on,” Waters says. “I’m glad to be able to wrangle it all in and cut down on rent this way. And with a lack of employees, I can fill web orders, run the front counter, do all of my work from here.” Lather & Fizz also has a location in the Village at Palisades Tahoe that has been around for 20 years, which Gordon manages. However, the history of Lather & Fizz started when Waters bought into a franchise called Splash Bath & Body based in Hermosa Beach. The franchise had seven stores in California and within a year Waters became a partner in the business. Shortly after, she opened a Splash Bath & Body store in the Village at Palisades Tahoe. “My landlord was Intrawest and they were just starting to plan out the Village,” she says. “At the time it was all mom-and-pop stores and we didn’t know if we were going to make it. We did a lot of home parties to keep things going.”
“[The location] is just under 600 square feet but it’s a powerhouse. I remember little girls who came in and now they’re in college or about to get married,” she says. Eventually her four other business partners left to pursue other interests and Waters kept the store in the Village. It was the last of the franchise. She then met Gordon who brought her own creativity and strong work ethic into the mix. She credits Gordon for a lot of their growth, for keeping the business alive and using her creativity to come up with the shower vapors and Tahoe Blue scent. “She’s such a hard worker, so good at sales and she’s so creative. We work well together; she’s like my sister. And people go to Palisades Tahoe just to visit with Michelle,” Waters says. The Palisades Tahoe store was the first in the franchise to start selling pajamas, too. “We needed a high-ticket item so I made my first order of eight pairs of BedHead Pajamas that retail for $145 apiece and I was a little nervous about that. My first sale the first day I had them was to James Hetfield of Metallica. He got these flannel kitty pajamas for his wife, a bath bomb for himself and used the black AmEx card that said ‘Metallica, Inc.’ on it,” Waters says. “BedHead became an Oprah’s favorite as well, so that helped promote them. The pajamas fit well with this store because you take a bath and then want to slip into something cozy, right?” When Splash Body & Bath folded, Waters rebranded to Lather & Fizz based off the name of a gift set they offered and now the two stores have become a Tahoe staple. “I think coming here is people’s part of coming to Tahoe,” Waters says. Waters makes the massage bars, soap, lotion and bubble bath, which she says is her favorite part of her job. The two women are always innovating, too, with products such as the Claytime Complexion Soap, perfect for teenage skin or breakouts. The “P.S. I Love You” Collection began as special product for Valentine’s Day, but they loved it so much that they kept it year-round. Leaving Lather & Fizz armed with five distinct kinds of soaps, I went home and used the cocoa butter/hibiscus “P.S. I Love You” massage bar on my dry, winter skin. Within moments, I felt my hands silken as the sweet, soft aroma filled the air. Lather & Fizz Bath Boutique products can also be ordered online. | latherandfizz.com n
TRUCKEE LOVE IN 3 MINUTES
“A Love Letter to Truckee,” a 3-minute visual expression of what makes Truckee special by Truckee filmmaker and photographer Paul Hamill is a finalist in the 2021 Film Stream Award Festival.
Hamill filmed and edited the video; Scott Mortimore wrote the script and Dan Dather narrated.
The video highlights the year-round recreational opportunities in the Truckee area. “A Love Letter to Truckee” can be seen on Hamill’s website and on YouTube. | paulhamillphotography.com
Piper Johnson
JOHNSON, PAGANELLIA WORK ON DISPLAY
Mountain Workspace in Incline Village, Nev., is now featuring the Mountain Workspace Art Gallery with the work by artists Monika Piper Johnson and Liz Paganelli on display in March and April.
Johnson is an award-winning painter living in Truckee. Her abstracts, done in acrylic with several unique tools, create her signature woven textile texture. She calls her art ambient and strives to replicate several variations of natural light by using highly reflective paints.
Paganelli’s latest body of work, “Into the Forest,” captures scenes of trees and forest from the Lake Tahoe landscape. This group of realistic pen and ink drawings portrays the essence of Paganelli’s surroundings. She is a linear artist concerned with the ways lines interact and how the juxtaposition of
weight and space create balance.
There will be an artists’ reception on March 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and everyone is welcome. | mountainworkspace. com
NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK RELEASED
Olympic Valley’s Chiara Gajar has written a children’s book, “The Cookie Troll.” Her debut book is about a curious troll who cannot resist the sweet smells escaping from the local bakery and his adventure trying to satisfy his sweet tooth. The book includes a search-andfind to keep little ones entertained once the story ends.
The paperback book is available through BookBaby. | bookbaby.com
Shelley Zentner
CALDOR FIRE EXHIBIT OPENS
Sierra Arts Foundation presents a new collection by Shelley Zentner, “Call & Response: Visions of the Forest after Wildfire.” The exhibit features charcoal drawings and oil paintings of the devastating effects of the Caldor Fire. She collected charcoal from the charred forest and began to draw with it.
“Call & Response” will be on display from March 2 to 28 at Sierra Arts Foundation in Reno, Nev. There will be an artist’s reception on March 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free. Catalog and print sales will benefit Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
The exhibit will also be available online and Zentner will give guided tours on Saturdays by request. Contact Zentner at (530) 318-7824. | sierraarts.org
APPLY TO COMMUNITY OF WRITERS
The Community of Writers has opened enrollment for its 2022 summer writing workshops in Olympic Valley. Submissions to the poetry and writers workshops are due on March 28. The Poetry Workshops will be held from June 18 to 25 and the Writers Workshops from July 18 to 25.
The only criterion for admission is that the applicant submit a sample of original writing with an application fee. Some financial aid is available and scholarships are available. | communityofwriters.org
Cathy McClelland art exhibit
For Goodness Sake | Truckee Feb. 23-March 8 12 p.m. | goodnesssake.org
Mary Nagel Klein art exhibit
Incline Village Library Incline Village | Feb. 23-28 10 a.m. | (775) 832-4130 washoecountylibrary.us
Romina Braje art exhibit
Tahoe City Visitor Center Tahoe City | Feb. 23-March 31 | (530) 581-6900, artbyromi.com
Monika Piper Johnson, Liz Paganelli Art Exhibit
Mountain Workspace Art Gallery Incline Village | March 3-April 30 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | mountainworkspace.com
Writers in the Woods - Carmen Maria Machado
Sierra Nevada University Incline Village | March 4 | (775) 831-1314, sierranevada.edu
Suzanne Roberts book launch
Cuppa Tahoe | South Lake Tahoe | March 3 7:30 p.m. | Cuppa Tahoe on Facebook
Less Impact For Greater Good
Understand the Impact of Your Flight to Truckee Tahoe
A Closer Look at Your Carbon Footprint When You Fly to or From Truckee
F R O M: OAKLAN D, CALIFOR N I A Single Engine: 300 lbs Twin Engine: 928 lbs Large Cabin: 1,253 lbs F R OM: PORTL A ND, OREGO N Single Engine: 855 lbs Twin Engine: 2,648 lbs Large Cabin: 3,577 lbs FROM: DAL L AS, TEXASSingle Engine: 2,587 lbs Twin Engine: 8,011 lbs Large Cabin: 10,821 lbs
: O RANGE CO U NTY, CALIF O Single Engine: 778 lbs F R O M Twin Engine: 2,411 lbs Large Cabin: R N I A 3,257 lbs
R OM: F PHOE N I X, ARIZON A Single Engine: 1,547 lbs
Twin Engine: 3,576 lbs
Large Cabin: 4,830 lbs
Did you know?
The average American’s annual carbon emissions are:
3,351 lbs from air travel
14,727 lbs from home electricity use
5,556 lbs
from vehicle travel
12,897 lbs from home heating and cooking
