Victoria y Fernando Sánchez Campos

Indulging skincare during our week in Mallorca, Spain.

The smell of the fresh dew permeates the room as I open the windows that morning on the mountains. The color of the dark sky is only broken by a thin line of light right above the horizon, where an infinite view is consumed by the Mediterranean Sea just below our home. Some birds are starting to wake up but the house is silent and dormant - just the way I envisioned it, having dreamt about this week for years. 

I am, for the first time, hosting a group of guests in my beloved Mallorca, an island that I have grown up loving and whose landscapes are part of me.    I walk into the dark kitchen still wearing my night gown, start turning on the lights, open the double doors that separate the house from that  precious view of the sea, and make myself the first tea of the day.

The house that hosts us is incredibly rustic, full of magical corners, and just like the one that holds our outdoor bathroom. Right here is a small stone patio, full of pots with growing plants displayed on shelves holding onto the uneven stone walls with old wooden brackets. Charming beyond words, the little shower finished in smooth stucco is my silent morning ritual site, which gives me a moment to think about the day ahead, the activities and site visits planned, and also to appreciate the effort it will involve the day before making our guests feel comfortable.

Also I get to think about the generous makers who have gotten involved with our project, just because my idea sounded good to them, and they felt like helping out. For me, this is a success in its own, since I have knocked on so many doors, and many haven't even peeked open to see who I was.that the ones that were opened, made me feel incredibly grateful. Såper, and the people behind, Victoria and Fernando, have trusted me, and their creations have been part of our sensory experience during our retreat.

Back to the morning shower, where the wet stone, the earth breathing humidity, and the smell of the oils I am putting on my skin are making the whole experience feel very comforting. The line of naturally produced beauty products that have been donated to us by Såper some days before, makes the ritual extremely rewarding.

Såper is a small natural cosmetic brand founded by Victoria around five years ago in Guadalajara in mainland Spain. She was seduced by organically-made beauty products, which she found in vegetable oils and plant extracts, and these ingredients became her passion. By respecting handmade processes, and enclosing the results in protective glass containers, her creams, soaps, oils and scents are beyond words. These delicate compositions make you want to dive right into Victoria’s world.

Not only do her concoctions have extremely delicate smells, but the textures feel so good on my skin. I have fallen for a face oil which literally makes my skin glow. And then there is the lavender soap which includes small flowers and herbs, and the rosemary and lemon spray which I apply to my pillow, and which helps me sleep so deeply.

Photography by Jessie Webster and me.