Skip to content
Philly Tips
Link copied to clipboard

Pamper yourself. Where to buy the best self-care products in Philadelphia

These are the best spots in Philadelphia if you need a bit of pampering.

A sampling of the sumptuous candles at Old City Canning.
A sampling of the sumptuous candles at Old City Canning.Read moreMike Prince

Self-care is taking the time to do the things you love and that inspire you — guilt free. It’s soaking in the bubble bath, indulging in the foot scrub. We say pour that glass of wine. Sign up for the online yoga class. Journal. And color — inside or outside the lines.

These are the best spots in Philadelphia if you need a bit of pampering.

Master aesthetician Chrissy Dress had the right idea to name her Chestnut Hill day spa/specialty boutique Cure de Repos because rest does cure the body. She offers appointment-only massages and facials at her 633-square foot boutique. The store is also a great spot to buy skin-care products like creams, serums, masks, and more for an at-home pampering session. My favorite: The Sara Happ Sweet Clay Lip Mask ($34), full of shea butter and other lip-softening botanicals.

📍8439 Germantown Ave. 📞 202-643-7377 🌐 curederepos.com 📷 @curederepos

Self-care time is incomplete without a calming candle burning in the background. Old City Canning Co.’s scented sprays ($20) come in a variety of scents from citrusy grapefruit to musky sandalwood get the job done. The hand-poured candles ($22) are soy-based and last for about 20 hours. Have an idea for a scent of your own? Owner Stanford Ponson will consult with you to make a custom scent.

📍 1533 South St. 📞 267-300-2183 🌐 oldcitycanningco.com 📷 @oldcitycanningco

Good Buy Supply Co.’s modest collection of body scrubs, perfumes, and bath bombs are selected from companies that create as little waste as possible in their manufacturing processes. (The store also reuses packaging as much as possible.) My favorite: the shower steamers ($2.50 each) — available in eucalyptus — to turn my shower into a coveted steam room.

📍 1737 E. Passyunk Ave. 📞 267-225-2991 🌐 goodbuysupply.co 📷 @goodbuysupplyco

Marsh + Mane is one part spiritual apothecary, one part haven for all things hair. Owner Jenea Robinson stocks the online store and pop-up shops with tingling masks, essential oils, and luscious hair and body butter.

🌐 marshandmane.com 📷 @marshandmane

Penn Herb Company’s Lisa Taormino is the queen of curating all things DIY. She sells room oils, candles, over 400 dry herbs, and a wide variety of essential oils that are sure to pleasure the senses. The nearly century-old Northern Liberties-based herb company also sells a selection of Epsom salts to relax achy, stressed-out bones.

📍 601 N. Second St. 📞 215-632-6100 🌐 pennherb.com 📷 @pennherb

Dorothea Gamble and Dagmar Mitchell have filled their Northern Liberties specialty store, Trunc, with home goods for purposeful pampering. There are cute prepackaged self-care kits like the Vegan Facial set (from $26) or a handmade clay slip mask set ($50); and a woody natural perfume balm ($22), too.

📍 929 N. Second St. 📞 412-504-4596 🌐 trunc.net 📷 @truncartisans

Just walking through East Falls’ Vault + Vine, which is so much more than a plant store, is therapeutic. Stop at the cafe for a steaming cup of peppermint tea. Browse the perennials. Then pick up a beeswax candle handmade in East Falls, or anything from their curated list of Philadelphia-sourced homegoods.. All you need is a soundtrack. (Vault + Vine suggests Al Green’s “I’m Still in Love With You.”)

📍 3507 Midvale Ave. 📞 267-331-6292 🌐 vaultandvine.co 📷 @vaultandvine.co

Refresh, revive, restore is the three-word mantra for this Old City holistic healing sanctuary where you can shop for a candle infused with calming sandalwood ($32) or a deck of affirmation cards ($16), or sip on a smoothie made with almond or coconut milk ($10+).

📍 216 Church St. 📞 267-457-3980 🌐 wellnessrefineryphl.com 📷 @wellnessrefineryphl