Aesop Hollywood Road: A Junction Where Tradition Meets Modernity
Australian skincare brand Aesop has relocated to a brand-new retail space on Hollywood Road, concluding 2023 with its fourth store opening across Hong Kong and Macau.
Where the original store had served over a decade with a rustic tranquillity in an intimately narrow space, the new store now occupies two floors with facial spa services located upstairs, similar to the Fashion Walk store.
Standing at a five-fork junction, a rare find in Hong Kong, not to mention Hollywood Road being Hong Kong’s second-oldest street, Aesop stands at a focal point where Central meets SoHo and old meets new. I like to think of it as a junction of different generations, simultaneously a microcosm of Hong Kong streets, yet also a vibrant neighbourhood brimming with arts and culture.
It’s not often that Aesop takes over the majority of a building, and they have deliberately retained the original black brickwork exterior from the Tom Dixon days while adding their own twist as an interaction with the environment. The Hollywood Store is Aesop’s first store globally with a quote painted on its exteriors, echoing the infamous Graham Street mural packed with tourists across the street.
“One eye sees, the other feels.”
The new store was designed by Aesop’s in-house architect based in Paris as a dialogue of sorts. When studying Hollywood Road (virtually), the team sought to echo the street’s surroundings by melding elements unique to the metropolis with a solitude only found in nature. Inspired by the iconic Hong Kong Cultural Centre, rosy beige tiles are set upon sweeping curves and refreshed with a modern tile arrangement and grouting. Abundant clusters of tropical plants form a lush oasis and create the illusion of a sanctuary tucked away from the commotion of SoHo.
But the essence of the store design, one easily overlooked, lies in the graceful floating shelves that line the walls and rise from the central basin area to the light shades. Crafted from brass, the geometric shapes intersect like the bamboo scaffolding encasing masses of SoHo buildings under redevelopment. Even the bamboo lampshade resembles scaffolding netting, casting a warm halo above the store’s focal point. And in time, the brass will take on a beautiful patina, just as the city evolves. It’s a clever echo to the paned windows of the original building, where the draped curtains make all the more resemblance to a scaffolded site.
The ensuite sink, a hallmark of Aesop stores, stands in the front corner of the store and is softly illuminated by a neon sconce behind bamboo netting, another subtle nod to Hong Kong’s unique heritage. Here, customers can converse with store assistants and experience skincare products more privately. The asymmetric vanity door reveals an extensive product lineup and doubles to shade customers from any prying eyes on the street.
But unlike some of its other stores, Aesop Hollywood Road has an open fragrance bibliothèque (library) instead of a fragrance armoire. Rolling up the blinds reveals Aesop’s growing collection of fragrances neatly lined up on the tiled shelves with ceramic disks underneath. On the side, a pull-out compartment reveals the hidden infusion chamber for customers to spritz their belongings with a fragrance and leave it to intensify while perusing Aesop’s offerings.
The innermost corner features a corner seat with an artificial skylight built-in with metal grating to recreate that warm, fuzzy glow for a consistent ambience. Taking a break on the padded bench transports you right to the tiered steps of the Cultural Centre, where many sit to watch the palm trees sway by the Victoria Harbour.
Aesop’s facial spas are only available in selected markets and offer genderless services for 60 or 75 minutes. Aesop Hollywood Road is also the only local store to boast not one but two facial suites, crowning Hong Kong as the market with the largest number of facial spas globally. One might find they’re rarely talked about – not because they’re unpopular or overrated – but because they’re almost always booked out.
The facial spa can be accessed from a separate entrance on Graham Street, where a dusky, aromatic hush lies behind the burnt sienna curtains and double windows. Upstairs, no product shelving exists in the consultation room, but a skylight casts a diffused warmth, and the exact details used on the ground floor, such as light tiles, bamboo netting and brass, extend into the intimate space. The workbench even comes with a crafty nook that springs open to reveal a hot water tap.
Aesop’s facial spas are never decked with the latest dermatology-approved machinery. By contrast, the interiors, though lush in textures, are almost void of decor. Apart from a sink countertop and facial bed, the only adornment in the room was a small chest of drawers, an artefact handed down from the old Hollywood Road store for guests to place their belongings in. The suites, swathed in fabric, create a cocoon of stillness that places focus on the treatment and invites mindfulness.
Facial therapists use Aesop products and custom-blended formulations tailored to specific skin needs, with products hand-massaged to full absorption, an experience so comfortable it was likened to the feeling of writing calligraphy on skin. It’s an organic experience designed to nurture both the skin and senses, and I don’t blame Aesop for being notoriously hard to book.
We were once again graced with a neighbourhood tour curated by Dr Sampson Wong, the CUHK lecturer and urbanist who popularised the notion of city strolls to view the city from various lenses. He’s a masterful storyteller with unrivalled knowledge of Hong Kong, so if you haven’t read his books 《香港散步學》 or 《城市散步學》yet, I highly recommend picking up copies of them as these bestsellers have been flying off the bookshelves.
Our walk took us to 30 Houses on Staunton Street, allegedly one of the first Chinese neighbourhoods with 30 stone houses constructed on one street. While older generations may recognise the name, sadly, it only lives on today in the 30 Houses Kaifong Yulan Association sign. SoHo has too many flights of stairs to keep track of, and trekking through them, you would be surprised at the quiet pockets of space they hold.
A little uphill will see PMQ, the historical police quarters that paved the way for the Mark I public housing of Hong Kong, peeking through modern, private establishments driven by dreams and desires. It’s a startling juxtaposition that continues into the construction areas bordering Graham Street Market, with their soaring cranes and netting streaming down in vivid colours.
Along the way, we, too, learned a thing or two about scaffolding. Practical trivia and how it upholds Hong Kong’s spirit of non-conformity: where other regions favour steel scaffolding and planked platforms, Hong Kong remains a bamboo stronghold through and through – all in a quest for low costs and efficiency. Even so, scaffolding can be beautiful, as demonstrated by Peter Steinhauer’s Cocoon, a breathtaking photograph collection that transforms what many view as an eyesore into a remarkable metamorphosis and local aesthetic.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway is that construction is what shapes our community. Without it, space remains only a blank expanse without converging powers. And while evolution is inevitable, the dialogue between traditional and modern is what keeps the community thriving, just like the tenants of Graham Street Market, whose generations have witnessed and weathered changes through the 160 years since its establishment.
If you’re looking to recreate Aesop’s facial spa atmosphere in the comfort of your home, an effortless way is to stimulate your olfactory senses. Apart from a coveted collection of perfumes, Aesop also offers an array of home fragrances, including a trio of scented candles, each named after prominent astrologers.
Aganice, for one, was an astronomer of Ancient Greece, renowned for her knowledge of the moon and its cycles. With notes of cardamom, mimosa and tobacco in vegan formulations, the Aganice aromatique candle is floral, spicy and fresh. Deep, complex notes whirl, evoking the moonlit shores of Cape Spartel in Tangier, Morocco. It has an adventurous quality, laced with apprehension but also solace in knowing the lights will guide you home.
“Thoughts are like stars in the firmament...”
While it may be a romanticised notion to liken candlelight in our homes to the constellations in the inky skies, imparting a private glow to our personal space forms a self-care ritual that grounds us in the present. This is why Aganice is the perfect scent to set the mood for the evening before journaling or winding down for bed; its profound presence makes our solitude feel less lonely. Our candle came with a bespoke sleeve fashioned out of leftover bamboo lampshades and tied with a raw silk ribbon, a delicate reminder of the fleeting urban sights we beheld and always propelling the community forward.
For transparency, the event was a kind invite from the PR team with press products gifted but without obligation to share.
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