Straight from entering Spitalerstrasse next to Hamburg's central train station, you catch a whiff of something in the air - something you can't quite put your finger on, but it's there nonetheless. What you're smelling is the combined scent of all of Lush's wares, which peddle themselves down the street and beckon for you to come in. If you're as powerless against this force as I, you go in.

Lush's concept is environmentally friendly, mass-produced soaps and toiletries. "Hand made and mass produced?" you ask? It's possible - Lush employ a human factory chain which mixes, stirs, kneads and shapes each batch of everything you see on the Lush shelves. Don't believe me? Here are some photos: http://flickr.com/photos/cowan/61031920/in/set-1318331/

Lush's assortment is mostly made up of fizzy bath bombs, soaps and hair care, with smaller ranges of massage bars, deodorants and bubble bath. All of these contain a good amount of natural ingredients and end up costing a premium - hand made goods with high quality materials end up putting a hole in your pocket. You can expect to pay around 3eu for a bath bomb and 4-5eu for about 100g of hard soap. Hair care such as shampoos and conditioners can cost up to 15eu for a half liter bottle.

Not all of their products have worked well for me, but many of them have earned an honorary place in my bathroom. My favorite Lush products are Snowcake soap (a christmas edition almond soap), Ice Blue soap (very minty, very morning) and Trichomania shampoo (solid coconut shampoo for curly hair).

I like shopping at Lush for presents for women (they have lovely pre-wrapped, packaged present assortments), but there are quite a few things for the guys as well.

Highly recommended!