Hammam Bouquet Penhaligon's (1872)Eau de Toilette

Hammam Bouquet (Eau de Toilette) by Penhaligon's

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7.7 / 10 115 Ratings

Hammam Bouquet (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Penhaligon's for men and was released in 1872. The scent is floral-oriental. It is being marketed by Puig.

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Perfumer

William Penhaligon

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Bergamot, Lavender
Heart Notes	Orris root, Jasmine, Rose, Cedarwood
Base Notes	Amber, Musk, Sandalwood

Ratings

Scent

7.7 (115 Ratings)

Longevity

7.8 (92 Ratings)

Sillage

7.2 (98 Ratings)

Bottle

8.2 (102 Ratings)

Submitted by Profumo, last update on 03.11.2019.

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Reviews

10/20/2019

8.0 7.0 8.0 8.5/10

Serenissima
0 Reviews

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Serenissima

Greatly helpful Review 16

Sunday morning all by himself

Once again I am crossing the line between ladies' and gentlemen's fragrances; here I do not understand the classification at all.
But good: she may still come from a time when mistress stayed at home well-behaved and bland, her emotional life had to be limited to the three classic "K's", while the master of the house polished and refurbished the world - even if it was perhaps only half of it -.

For me this "Hammam Bouquet" is an invitation to spend most of the Sunday with pleasure doing nothing and myself: in warmth and peace, seeking relaxation and amazingly finding it.

This fragrance composition instantly lays itself on my skin like warm smooth oil: I feel as if I just got out of a steam bath (where the mirrors are mercifully fogged up and therefore useless!) and everything inside me is now ready for a soothing massage.
I can't say exactly which fragrances are responsible for this feeling of well-being: it's just relaxing all around And this is how I'd like to sigh: "Oh, James! Where's your mink glove?" (s. James Bond "Fireball")

"Hammam Bouquet" clearly signals: "Time! You've got time! Time for you!"
Tensions are slowly released, thoughts can flow freely again and a lot of garbage accumulated there is washed away; it's as if I was floating in the warm water, dissolved and safe.
("Floating" is what this is called?!)
Lavender and rose, both pleasantly tough in the scent flow, slowly penetrate through to me; cedar wood, too, feels pampered under the hands of a skilled masseur.
In the meantime, despite all welcome sloth, the senses have awakened: I now consciously perceive amber, musk and a lot of sandalwood!
Whoa! How beautifully this fragrance now caresses me: full-bodied and warm, tempting and extremely sensual.

Surely my sensual feelings do not correspond to the thoughts with which this quite opulent fragrance was created at that time.
Yes, it is sensual, this scent web, but truly "appealing to the senses"; eroticizing on the other hand, it has no effect on me.
Well, I am a woman and the Orient was thought of at the end of the 19th century, when this composition saw the light of day, certainly much more exotic and seductive than it is today - even in the world of fragrance.
How many "forbidden/ dirty" thoughts may have originated at that time with the designation "Oriental smell" in some heads.

Against this backdrop, my delight at a fragrance association of relaxing hours in the hammam, surrounded by warmth and tranquillity, where I can pamper myself and let my soul dangle, would probably be regarded as exuberant and exotic.
That's how we women are, if necessary, always: eccentric! We are seldom understood by men!
It almost seems as if I have finally found a scent of this, for me always very difficult brand, which really appeals to me, even if I had to penetrate into the "male" domain.
Yes, yes, yes! We women have been assaulted!
At some point we'll conquer your elitist clubs as well: Wait and see!

But this hour on early Sunday morning belongs entirely to me, my thoughts, wrapped in some splashes of "hammam bouquet" and a warm, soft housecoat.
The tea is freshly brewed and sits comfortably on the teapot, some little treats and the book are ready (only for emergencies) and the door is wide open for relaxation and well-being.
Just dare to come in "Hammam Bouquet"! It's Sunday!"

11 Replies

06/10/2019

8.0 7.0 7.0 7.5/10

DonJuanDeCat
0 Reviews

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DonJuanDeCat

Greatly helpful Review 8

The very first fragrance of this brand, inspired by suffocating steam baths!

Hello, snoopers! I'm coming back today for a Penhaligon's scent, the hammam bouquet. Yes, it's about Turkish sweatboxes thematically... uh, saunas I mean of course, where it's hot (in terms of hot steam, water, health and cleaning,... what did you think, what do I mean by that, tsss... as you can see, I'm not the only one who has to think of "the one" quickly because of certain terms, what? Yes, yes, yes... you piglets, you! :D).

The perfumer, William Penhaligon, got the idea for this fragrance from a hammam next to his barbarian shop, where he worked as a hairdresser for both the guests of the hammam and even Queen Victoria. While serving the guests at Haman and inspired by the scents there, he came up with the idea of developing a fragrance with which he also founded Penhaligon's, the first fragrance of this brand, Hammam Bouquet, whose recipe is said to have remained unchanged to this day and is now 150 years old. What is quite cool is that a fragrance has lasted so long and is still being sold.

...phew... I haven't been in a hamam in years. Actually not since my childhood any more... I only know that such a steam-filled bath house always came over to me very stuffy and hot, so that I always went with a cousin to a corner with cold water to cool down there :DD
Soo... now you know, how it came to this smell (and with it again something about my childhood!), therefore here comes also now the smell description!

The fragrance:

The fragrance begins with bergamot, lavender and powdery iris. It smells citrically fresh and flowery, but in a masculine way, more flowery-herb like all classic fragrances, especially from the past, with similarities to Guerlain's Habit Rouge, etc. One even smells discreet roses, which however soon become even weaker, especially when the musk appears.
While later the lavender and flowery scents weaken slightly, the woody scents that emerge strengthen the masculine character of the fragrance, especially through the use of cedar wood. The sweetness comes from a mix of musk and amber, but I think you can smell the musk a bit better. The background of the fragrance is spicy-herb and smells good not only with the woody notes, but also with the still well-smellable bergamot.
In principle it smells like described for a while. In the base, the fragrance becomes a little heavier, as both the woody notes become more intense and the fragrance becomes spicier-harsh, and the musk then really untwists so that the fragrance also appears quite animalistic. This means that the musk is then no longer more discreet as in most fragrances, where you hardly notice the animal character of the fragrance, but it almost looks like beaver horny, etc.
In any case, the fragrance remains classic, but also really old-fashioned, which means that one could sometimes even speak of the negative sounding term "Opa fragrance". All in all, but still nice, but I find other classic fragrances much better.

The Sillage and the shelf life:

The Sillage is good, or at least above average. It's not room-filling now, but it should be smelly when you walk past it, etc. The shelf life is also good, as it remains on the skin for at least eight hours.

The bottle:

The bottle is cylindrical and clear and has a rather old-fashioned looking label on the front, which is also elaborately designed to match the fragrance. The lid is round with a cylindrical base on which a red silk bow has been wrapped. All in all, a beautiful bottle that also fits well in the hand.

Ah, Hammam Bouquet is in itself a fine fragrance for gentlemen who are no longer young guys and have become more prominent (... and yes, I am getting older too,... heaven, I have even got some white beard hair!!!) Not to mention white hair!!! Aaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!).

The fragrance is very classic, but since it was developed in 1872, this is of course no wonder, especially in the base you notice that it has a really old fragrance character. However, it can still be used well today, especially if you like fragrances like Habit Rouge from Guerlain (or similar fragrances). Hammam Bouquet works like an all-rounder that can be used at any time, even if you should use it less in summer and dose it a little less at work. Spring, autumn and winter would be the seasons that I would most recommend for use.

Since the idea for the fragrance came from a Barbarian shop operator, he naturally smells of it, which is not bad. But that also means that he doesn't necessarily smell like a steaming bathhouse, or I just don't remember how it smelled like in such a bathhouse... hopefully not like sweaty guys, brrr...!

Either way, one can test it in any case, whereby I personally find Habit Rouge from Guerlain much more beautiful and elegant. That concludes my comment and I wish you all a nice evening :)

3 Replies

04/11/2019

10.0 8.0 9.0 9.0/10

Konsalik
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Konsalik

Helpful Review 11

Basically it's hard to believe...

Two of the great scents of the twentieth century that have had a decisive influence on the olfactory image of France repeatedly emerge as benchmarks when we talk about the probably first work of the old British perfume house Penhaligon's: Habit Rouge and Shalimar. The implication is astounding: Was the original French perfume invented eighty or fifty years earlier in sober, rainy England? Beside my peculiar urge to discover the old and oldest one, certainly a good reason to follow this rumour...

The similarity to Habit Rouge and Shalimar is not to be found in the prelude. At least not directly: the bite of Habit Rouge's top note, which is thoroughly citric in nature, is produced here by an almost austere, powdery-spicy interplay of iris and tart lavender, which gives the whole something "fleshy". Fleshy green leaves of an exotic plant (this is how the existing and early appearing rose "iridescesces" - a little antique-exotic and strange; a souvenir from the Orientexpress). An elegant, albeit somewhat dusty ambience is created. The little maintenance-intensive plant stands on a small smoking table in the bay window of a little inhabited town house; whitish light due to closed lace curtains. It is this association of the noble-dusty, discreet morbid that reminds me of Habit Rouge, although the A/B comparison does not reveal any direct relationship.

Already after a quarter of an hour "Hammam Bouquet" warms up and carries from "below" ambered noblesse, which in expression and gesture actually reminds of Shalimar, although the theme is again a different one; the musk strongly powdered by the iris strengthens the Morbidezza still: Warm, over-painted Animalik, not particularly urinous but rather heatedly and in a peculiar way seductively. I immediately feel reminded of the (fantastic!) film "The Death of Louis XIV" by Albert Serra - this fragrance fits perfectly to this beauty dying vision of the last days of the Sun King!

Only in the base, when the scent has calmed down a little, real (and not only indirectly associative) parallels to the mentioned grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be recognized: A certain brandiness (Habit Rouge) and an elegant sweetness (Shalimar) still carry the fragrance long and wide. Sillage and above all its durability are remarkable - not only in view of its old age. An altogether amazing, sophisticated and association-saturated fragrance - not necessarily "easy to wear", but still easily wearable in 2019.

By the way, the judgement of the lady of the house was not quite as poetic and complex as my personal impression of "Hammam Bouquet": "Actually very beautiful. But now you smell like a Persian whorehouse."

3 Replies

12/21/2018

8.0 7.0 8.0 9.5/10

Minigolf
0 Reviews

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Minigolf

Shalimar in red tailcoat... or... Who invented it?!?

Since "Hammam Bouquet" is much older, I guess the English, explicitly a certain Englishman... william Pehaligon and not a Frenchman from another well-known fragrance company. Or was it not good William, but the old Ottomans?
That would be interesting to explore, but it is logical that one comes from the other and builds on the other with common ancestry.
Maybe Mister (or Sir) Penhaligon was once in a Turkish bath and took up the fragrance idea to create his noble little water. And the Frenchman (you know who I mean...) continued the idea and created two wonderful, similar scents, some vanilla or moss and herbs and white vultures still top fragrances, which made the two then permanent burners.
But "Hammam Bouquet is at least nowadays much less known, although just as well.
First there are the fine cologne notes that make the scent of the nose tasty.
Then a very well worked out floral-powdery "aroma wave" fogt, which does not go into the puffiness, but form the slightly tart core of the whole smell.
If then the amber and the woods come into play, with § "Nitromoschus" § coordinated (§= a form of the musk scent, slightly "dirty", which today is not allowed any more or only completely limited)... the fragrance makes a slight detour into the woody-animalic without weakening the flowery powder impression.
A fragrance that man/woman should have smelled to understand this.
That's the best way to describe it: Habit Rouge, layered with Shalimar plus more wood and some lavender. Durability is very good, only the fragrance flag is "only" three and not ten meters long.
Now I have all three fragrances with "Ottoman" DNA in my collection. No one's better, just a little different. There is no need to investigate the "true inventor".....

1 Replies

10/01/2015

MasterLi
368 Reviews

MasterLi

A waxy, decadent, poetic beauty...

What an intriguing fragrance! It's hard to imagine anything like this would come out of Victorian London! So rich, so decadent! So very beautifully made!

Hammam Bouquet is an Orientalist fantasy. In the late 19th Century, the Victorians were obsessed with everything "exotic" and unusual. They had a fascination with all things from Asia and the Middle East. In this case, the ritual of the hammam (????) or what was known as the "Turkish Bathhouse". These were places where men would go for the ritual of bathing and relaxation, much like the Romans before them. Inside would be a luxury experience of high quality soap, hot scented towels, and perfumed oil. Much like a spa nowadays.

So the "hammam" which this fragrance was inspired by was located in Jermyn Street, London. The same street which William Penhaligon opened his shop. It proved the inspiration for his fragrance.

Now, for me, what I get out of this, is a beautifully made, hand crafted gem which is really of another world. It has waxy, dusty orris root and carnation, sensual, gorgeous rose and jasmine, surrounded by a base of civet, amber and sandalwood. There is something so laid back and decadent about this one, so sensual and seductive... that I am surprised it was created by a Victorian man. The Victorians themselves were repressed emotionally and sexually, and they adored tales of the 1001 Nights, tales of decadence, intrigue and exoticism. In a way, this fragrance represents that. Exoticism in a bottle I would say.

So, for me it's exactly what I like in a fragrance. It suits my taste very well. Yes, it is like Chergui by Serge Lutens, but it's also much more than that. This is like a window into the past. It transports me. Personally if you want something really different you should try it out first. 100% niche quality here. Very impressed.

01/23/2013

10.0 5.0 5.0 8.0/10

MrX
25 Reviews

MrX

Lovely

Just Lovely :) Lavender, Iris, Jasmine, Rose & Musk. Flowery & Powdery Fragrance For Men ! BIG WOW :) Just take a Hot Bath then pamper yourself with this tender art :)