hinoki and asnaro essential oils made directly from the shavings of our bathtubs

Aromatherapy

The power of scent

When asked to smell a piece of hinoki wood many Japanese people appear to be transported back to childhood or to a happy memory in their lives of being with family at an onsen resort or visiting grandparents.

In this video, Iacopo hit the streets to ask people for their impressions of our Hinoki Essential Oil.

A new study has shown that people feel more energized when smelling citrusy scents. Productivity increases by up to 54% according to a Japanese study.


Our interviewees overwhelmingly said they felt relaxed and they all smiled when they smelt the oil = Happiness!

There is research underway in many areas of neurology including studies into Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment, mental health, workplace happiness, the list goes on.

We’ve provided hinoki bathtubs for eldercare homes. The combination of the scent, the buoyant quality of the water and the improved circulation from being in hot water all contribute to overall health in the elderly, especially on brain function and memory.

From our own personal informal research, we have heard from our clients that the presence of a hinoki bathtub in the home emits a sense of calm and happiness. Guests will note the fresh smell when they enter the home — these are benefits without even soaking in the tub which has endless positive effects.

At Bartok design, we can build baths of all shapes and sizes, from a variety of native wood. In order to elicit maximum benefit for your olfactory system, we recommend hinoki. Sawara and asnaro are closely related scent and appearance-wise. We also supply our own 100% pure hinoki essential oil.

Pocket Onsen Set with Two Oils

None of our wood is varnished or coated which means it continues to absorb moisture and give off its scent, it contracts and expands depending on the air around it. Wood in this natural state contributes to healthy air in the home. It actually absorbs and filters toxins, according to some studies.

We’ve compiled this article from a number of sources. Check the Global Wellness Summit page for more references.

Get in touch with us directly if you would like more information about Japanese soaking tubs and health benefits.

Give the Gift of Pure Nature

Hinoki Esential Oil is both calming and uplifting. Like the scent of a forest on a warm summer day, the scent of Hinoki is earthy, lemony, fresh.

Our original Bartok design Hinoki Essential Oil is the purest you will find. We extract the oil ourselves from off-cuts, shavings and wood chips – all real wood. There are no twigs, leaves or bark in our product resulting in a pure clean scent that is unparalleled. The complexity of our oils is exceptionally deep.

Hinoki Essential Oil
Hinoki Essential Oil made by Bartok design
The Bartok design Pocket Onsen set is a gift box ready for holiday giving

The Bartok design Pocket Onsen Set contains a choice of two oils:

  • Hinoki Cypress is extracted from trees roughly 40 years old. A ‘young tree’ used in construction, for decorative items, religious artefacts and furniture. Our bath accessories are made from this wood which gives us a good supply of offcuts from which to extract the gorgeous essential oil.
  • Special Reserve Hinoki 250 is extracted from mature growth trees, usually at least 250 years old. The wood from older trees is compacted tightly which makes it ideal for use in wet zones such as the bathroom. Therefore we use this wood to make our Japanese ‘ofuro’ soaking tubs. Like a fine wine, cheese or whiskey, the aged product has a complexity and depth not seen in younger wood.

    *It is also possible to order a ‘compare set’ with one of each oil.
Instant onsen
Instant Onsen
special reserve hinoki 250 years oil made in japan
Hinoki Japanese Cypress extracted and bottled by Bartok design
Each Pocket Onsen set comes with three orbs made from hinoki.
Order your Pocket Onsen here

new yield of hinoki oil

We made a new production of hinoki oil, both DSB quality (young trees) and SR (special reserve kiso valley old growth hinoki)

I bottled 100 – 10ml. flasks per type, and I am willing to sell the rest in larger bottles at a discounted price.
DA – DA – DA -DADADA DA !
A) 1 bottle 100 cc of young trees oil (plastic bottle, no drip cap) = 12,000 JPY
B) 10 bottles 100 cc (1 liter in total) of young trees oil (package as above) = 80,000 JPY
C) 1 bottle 50 cc of special reserve oil (glass bottle, no drip cap) = 12,000 JPY
D) 10 bottles 50 cc of special reserve oil (glass bottle, no drip cap) = 90,000 JPY

*) packaging and shipping worldwide 1,000 JPY per parcel (air mail – no EMS)
– one parcel can hold up to 300 ml in any combination –

stock is limited so if you are interested please contact me at japan@bartokdesign.com asap!!

(see below for the production photos)

(more…)

pocket onsen ‘GYO’ on indiegogo

pocket-onsen-gyo-sunoko-red

Well, ‘GYO’ is actually a development of the ‘pocket onsen’ that was launched in fall 2014.

We have been shipping worldwide over 350 pocket onsens and we are running out of the boxes and fabric pouches that were produced for the campaign. So it is time to create an enhanced version of the original item.

The original ‘pocket onsen’ was a kind of “side dish” to the production of special reserve essential oil. The pocket onsen was the tool to enjoy the world`s first aroma oil obtained from old growth hinoki (250+ years!) and there was an accent on supplying the user with typically traditional japanese artifacts such as a kimono fabric pouch and a lightweight wood box with iron brand. The items could be used also separately (as a jewel box etc.) and maybe this also secured the long term success to the project. https://igg.me/at/pocket-onsen

On the other end, the ‘GYO’ aims at bringing back the product to its essence. The idea is that by adding aromatic wood orbs to your bathtub, you can enjoy the same feeling as entering a real hinoki japanese bathtub.
Find more details at: igg.me/at/onsen-gyo

20170307_075444

The pocket onsen ‘GYO’ kits are available both with the “young trees hinoki oil” and with the “special reserve hinoki oil”.
There is also a ‘conoisseur perk’ with both essential oils variations so you can try the difference.

Secure your ‘GYO’ today at this link: igg.me/at/onsen-gyo

perk3

Open the tight wooden box, draw out the hinoki orbs and apply few drops of hinoki essential oil. Once you drop them in hot water you will feel as you have been tele-ported into a japanese onsen (hot spring)!

The video explains how to use the hinoki wood orbs and how to store them after use.

rot-facebook

additional yo-ji-juku-go

One more update about the aroma cards campaign on indiegogo
I received one more idea on how to use the aroma card + 5 additional very famous yo-ji-juku-go idiomatic phrases:

Here you are!
★Idea of usage: use your aroma card as a bookmark! it is longlasting, pleasant to touch and fragrant. Can you find a better reading companion?

★5 additional yojijukugo to choose from:

以心伝心(read: i-shin-den-shin)
translation: that thinks transmit heart
meaning: “Without any need for words”

一期一会 (read: ichi-go-ichi-e)
translation: one period one meeting
meaning: “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”

海千山千 (read:umi-sen-yama-sen)
translation: sea 1000(years) mountain 1000(years)
meaning: “sly old dog of much worldly wisdom”

電光石火 (read: den-kō-sek-ka)
translation: electricity light stone fire
meaning: “as fast as lightning”

一日一歩 (read:ichi-nichi-ip-po)
translation: one day one step
meaning: “one step each day”

How about these ones?

I added them at the survey about the aroma cards campaign.

→questions
→responses

Please let me know your opinion. I only have 16 days left for the campaign!

video for “aroma cards” campaign

Here is an update about the indiegogo campaign.
https://igg.me/at/hinoki-aroma-cards

First of all, with 5 days of delay after the beginning of the campaign I finally managed to put together the video!

During the interviews many people mentioned the yo-ji-juku-go (four character idionatic expressions).
I think this actually matches perfectly the concept of the product.
I was considering using some haiku poems (for the “extreme” japan-lovers) and some motivational quotes (for the more pragmatic ones) but the idea of using the yo-ji-juku-go puts the two concepts together!

Idiomatic expressions are like proverbs but have the peculiarity of consisting on 4 ideograms.
No verbs, no conjunctive particles or hiragana characters.

Just 4 concepts or qualities that also create a peculiar sound combination.

Some are more straight forward like:
一石二鳥
(read: i-sseki-ni-cho)
translation: one stone two birds
meaning: “Killing two birds with one stone”

others definitely require an explanation like:
温故知新
(read: on-ko-chi-shin)
translation: warm circumstance know new
meaning: “Learning from the past”

At first the meaning may not be immediate, but once you know the meaning, the idiomatic expressions have a particularly dense meaning and convey the concept powerfully, in full color.

Everybody has their own “favorite yo-ji-juku-go”, like a personal mantra or policy that you can say in your mind to receive that relaxing caress or courage boost you need in your everyday life.

There are many yo-ji-juku-go. I’ve found counts ranging from 5,000 to over 20,000. Wikipedia page about yu-ji-juku-go links to a database of 3,400 of them while Japanese students learn at school some 400-500 fundamental idiomatic expressions.

I will pick up some I like. Feel free to comment if you have more to share!

花鳥風月
(read: ka-cyou-fu-getsu)
translation: flowers birds wind moon
meaning: “The beauties of nature”

十人十色
(read: juu-nin-to-iro)
translation: 10 people 10 colors
meaning: “To each his own”

晴耕雨読
(read: sei-kou-u-doku)
translation: sunny cultivate rain read
meaning: “Living in quiet retirement dividing time between work and intellectual pursuits”

臨機応変
(read: rin-ki-ou-hen)
translation: extraordinary happening listen different
meaning: “Playing it by ear”

So, which is the one you like?

Getting ready for the next production of special reserve oil

IMGP8549

In the pictures above you can see about 800 Kg. of scraps of kiso hinoki wood.
I am going to distillate this material for the second harvest of special reserve hinoki essential oil.
To my knowledge, there is no maker producing oil from 250 (and over) year old hinoki wood.
As we could experiment in the first harvest (autumn 2014) the scent is superb, less forest like and more spicy than commercial grade hinoki essential oil (usually made with 70-90 year old lumber)

Before bottling the production, I want to offer a special deal to the heavy users and commercial users.
I will sell about half of the total in 100ml bottles at 12,000 JPY (*) per bottle.or 10 bottles for 100,000 JPY (*).

(*) NOTE:  this price was valid for the 2016 yield. for current prices please refer to this entry: https://bartokdesign.com/all-category/new-yield-of-hinoki-oil.php

Compare to the 4500JPY in case of the 10cc individual package bottle with drip cap!
It is almost 1/5 the price!

If interested please contact me at: japan@bartokdesign.com

fragrance bags

Have you ever been in a Kyoto kimono store or even a souvenir shop and be welcomed by a heavenly smell of incense?
Japanese culture does not make large use of perfumes (as Tom Cruise found out in the “last samurai” they prefer to wash the body rather than covering the body odor with deodorants…).
But there is an exception and a reason.

In a very humid climate, the insets proliferate and japanese have learned to protect themselves and the precious kimono robes with incense. The fragrances that japanese use are very pure and refined: not too strong but very particular and have surprising insect repellent properties.

fragrance-bag

If you do not know what I am talking about, this is for you.
I am committed to bring to the world the fragrances of traditional japan.
Try to imagine checking in into your hotel room in Dubai or returning to your weekend house after few weeks.
A subtle scent of cleanliness welcomes you and when you open the first drawer of the bedroom chest the aroma becomes more intense giving you a feeling of relaxation and recalling pleasant memories.

With the collaboration of a friend and his 91 year old grandmother (owner of an old manufacture of fragrances) i decided to bring to the world of japan-lovers a collection of exquisite aroma bags made with kimono fabric and containing a mix of selected aromas.

There are 2 sizes:
the “Fragrance Bag” (in 8 colors) suitable for a wardrobe of the entrance of a beauty salon.
-> link to the shop page:
KF0007_Fragrance-Bag-Montpellier-Green

The “Personal sacket” (in 13 colors) can be kept in the car, in the pocket or in a drawer.
-> link to the shop page:
KP0003_Personal-Sachets-Olive-Green

Here are some historical notes the maker is very proud of:

“In the times of the Asuka kingdom in ancient Japan, a piece of fragrant wood washed ashore on Awaji island.
This discovery let to the beginning of the history of use of fragrant incense wood in Japan.
During the Heian period, the Japanese nobility enjoyed the burning of these incense woods.
These fragrant woods were also used to scent the traditional twelve layered ceremonial kimono.

As well as creating an aura of pleasant perfume around the wearer of the Kimono, the fragrant
woods also acted as an insect repellent.
The Japanese believed that these fragrant incense woods were able to create a sense of peace and relaxation and even to have healing homeopathic properties.
The scent from these will provide you and those around you with all the benefits and good fortune long associated with these highly praised woods.”

Feel free to contact me for any question, or just comment below.

Aomori Hiba wood aroma oil

hiba-oil

Japanese do not usually apply any oil on a wooden tub, but if you want, you can use hiba oil as a wood tub cleaner/conditioner.
Asnaro-Hiba oil has wonderful properties and will clean, rejuvanite and preserve your tub.
Asnaro contains more hinokitiol than hinoki wood.

It can also be used for:

  • aroma-therapy (relaxation)
  • odor elimination (recommended for your shoes closet)
  • skin care (eczema, nosocomial infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  • other uses: check our blog for the hiba oil detailed description)

Available in 100ml bottles at 4800 JPY per piece.
Some discount is available for larger lots. Please inquire.

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