Q&A Session with: Jamie Sabot, Founder of Batty's Bath
How Cinnamon Kitten discovered Batty's BathI must confess, I discovered Jamie and her line, Batty's Bath, because, somehow, I ended up following her on Twitter. Her tweets about her products always made them sound soooo amazing. So I went to her shop on Etsy and purchased her Facial Primer and Day Moisturizer and her Lemon Blossom Body Scrub Handmade with Apricot Shells (amazing lemon smell!) and was hooked. Her utmost care at using only the most gentle products is appreciated by lots of people - not just those with sensitive skin!
* * * * *Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to start your own company, Batty's Bath.
Each product that Batty’s Bath offers was made with a purpose. Long before Jamie was ever selling her creations under the name "Batty’s Bath", she was making bath and skin care products for herself and her fiancé to address the needs of their own skin issues; severely sensitive skin for Drew, and a long term battle with acne for Jamie.
It all started when Jamie’s fiancé had a sever reaction to a handmade soap purchased at a craft fair Jamie was a vendor at. From then on, Jamie was determined to make high quality handmade products that were not only safe for sensitive skin, but were actually beneficial! Soon Jamie had made a line of skin care products that had finally cleared up her acne riddled skin, a line of soaps that satisfied even the most sensitive of skin, and a line of hair care products that nurtured and cleansed without stripping the hair of it’s natural oils. Friends and family members of Jamie where enjoying her handmade delights, and were quickly converting all the products in their showers and baths to "Jamie’s". After several years, word of mouth had spread about Jamie’s products and she was starting to realize that keep up with all the requests for her handmade bath & body products, wasn’t something she could do as a hobby anymore! With 2 chronic illnesses to manage, and a full time job, something had to give. Early in 2009, Jamie and her fiancé decided it was time to turn Jamie’s hobby into a full fledge business under the name "Batty’s Bath". They converted one of the spare bedrooms into a studio and took almost a year to be ready to fully launch. During this time Batty’s Bath formulas were approved by Health Canada, and Jamie made the switch from full time work outside the home, to working from home and finding ways to better manage her health.
In the middle of February 2010, Batty’s Bath officially opened its virtual doors online at
BattysBath.com and
BattysBath.etsy.com. By March of 2010, Jamie was fully immersed in the
craft show circuit, and was offering home parties by May 2010. In the summer of 2010, Weezi, a local fashion studio, started carrying Batty’s Bath. Soon after, Weezi started hosting an event celebrating women in handmade business every 5 weeks or so called “Beehives, Bubbles, and Bows” with Batty’s Bath and Scissor Kitty as the special guests.
Since the start of Jamie’s obsession with creating bath & body products, the care and devotion to skin loving products hasn’t changed. Jamie still makes everything in small batches with an emphasis on the comfort and well-being of each and every person who uses her products. Customers aren’t just customers to Jamie, they are like the friends and family who enjoyed her bath & body creations for years before she opened Batty’s Bath. Jamie still looks to her supporters for their honest feedback – one of the things that helped Jamie perfect her formulas from the start.
Jamie sees her little business as more than just a resource to pamper the people you love with luxury bath products. She also sees it as a way to embrace her tree hugging and humanitarian ways by picking only the finest, local, free trade compliant, eco-friendly/sustainable, and cruelty free ingredients. Jamie takes her efforts a few steps further by also running
a recycling program, packaging orders in reusable,eco friendly cloth drawstring bags, and keeping product packing as eco-friendly as possible such as using minimual packing materials and wrapping her cold press soaps in "scrap, reclaimed materials".
Each day Jamie feels extremely blessed to be able to offer simple, practical luxury that everyone can indulge in. She’s also eternality grateful for all those who have supported, and continue to support, her and her soapy adventures. It’s because of her supporters that she’s able to feel a sense of accomplishment - particularly because she’s able to contribute to her family despite chronic pain, fatigue, and complications.
Tell us about Batty's Bath. Have you always had a fascination with beauty products? Besides Batty's Bath, what else occupies your days?My name is Jamie and I'm a star-gazing, animal-loving, tree-hugging, Halloween obsessed, creative kind of gal. I am also a small business owner, avid crafter, and university student.
I didn't start out making soap as a business. No no no no...things started out much simpler than that. I started out making handmade soap that both my fiance and I could use without any irritations - rashes for him, dry itchy and cracked skin for me (my feet were the worse! ouch!). I quickly realized that there is a HUGE difference between the soap I was making, and the stuff we had used for so long from the department store! In fact, after learning about what we had been slathering on our skin for so long, I was amazed that we didn't have more problems!...the skin sure can put up with a lot - the good news is it doesn't have to :)
My passions include creative expression, animal welfare, and psychology. I am currently finishing a Bachelors Degree in Psychology with a minor in Visual Arts. I have also studied Fine Art and Animal Care at college. As you can see, continuous learning is a force that drives me. You could say I am an information junkie!
My favorite creative outlets include (but aren't limited to) photography, crafts (paper, candle making, etc), printmaking, sculpture and soap making!
I devote a lot of time to my rescue animals - I have 3 dogs (my fuzzy babies) and a turtle. They, along with the love of my life, often steal my attention away from other tasks (but I don't mind).
What is your brand’s most popular item? Why do my readers NEED to have it?It would definitely be the
Facial Rescue Kit. Anyone who is struggling with breakouts, acne scars, uneven complexion, redness, and the like will fall in love with this kit! It includes 4 products that are specifically made to improve the most typical facial problems.
The beauty industry is constantly changing. How do you keep on top of trends?I'm not really a trend follower. I've always created products to help people, not play into the marketing or media machine. Instead, I make practical products as the demand arises from my fiance and I, my family, my friends, or the family members of friends, or, more recently, as loyal customers mention something that they wished I carried. I'm particularly inspired when the request comes out of a need for a product that wont irritate their sensitive skin, or because they've tired everything they can find with no results. I love a challenge and seeing the faces of customers when I come up with a products that work wonders where commercially available products have failed. That's the beauty of a handmade business - being able to talk with people on a personal level about what their bath, body, and skin care concerns are and then helping them the best way you know how.
Besides your own line, what brands have made it onto your favourites list?
I can't say that I'm loyal to any big brands. I like to stick with handmade products, and when available, buy locally. However there are a couple local sellers that I can't get enough of! I love the vintage inspired fashion found at Weezi's and the spooky halloween creations of Spork 'n Beans.
What are 3 beauty products you can’t live without.-
Patchouli Facial Moisturizer-
Body Scrub-
Hair Therapy Shampoo Bar (The All-in-One Bar)What’s in store from Batty's Bath for 2011?Lots of new product releases! I like to give sneak peeks of what's coming up, as well as give fans a say on scents and new products at my
facebook fan page.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting my creative spirit soar! It’s because of your support that I’m able to embrace all that this world has to offer and share my happiness with those around me!”
– Jamie Sabot
* * * * *You can shop Batty's Bath online
here and
here.
