LUSH Hottie Massage Bar Review
UPDATE: Ok I am a world-class jackass 
I am only now realizing (thanks to your comments) that this is not meant to be used in the shower. DUH! This is my first experience with a massage bar, so color me ignorant (and there were no instructions so I made assumptions). Basically then this post is useless and I need to try it again outside the shower. 
Monday Monday, can’t trust that day,
Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be
Oh Monday Monday, how could you leave and not take me…
Oh sorry, just a little The Mamas and the Papas there for ya.
Ever feel super sleep and like you just cannot wake up on a dreary, cold Monday morning like today in the Bay? Well I think LUSH’s Hottie Massage Bar might help wake you up!
This heavy little bar is infused with black pepper oil, ginger oils and vanilla. While that may sound like some kind of food seasoning the black pepper oil supposedly helps to get your circulation going and helps aching muscles. The vanilla just smells good.
Now this bar doesn’t really smell like the typical vanilla, it’s definitely strong and takes a bit getting used to. It’s a spicy vanilla.
Also you notice one side has bumps all over it, hence the name massage bar.
So I was all excited to try this baby out last week. I stepped into the shower and grabbed the (somewhat heavy) bar. Immediately I noticed my hands felt like they were greasy. Hmmm, I thought, but I continued to use it on my arm and shoulder. Then I noticed that it was leaving this buttery/oily-like residue all over my skin and the water was actually beading up on my skin and kind of made me look like I had been shellacked. It felt a bit sticky and oily to me (the scent doesn’t lessen when it’s wet either) and I REALLY didn’t like that feeling at all.
I stopped using it and proceeded to try and get the residue off my arm with regular soap, which took some serious scrubbing and a few tries. I also noticed that this stuff immediately had coated the bottom of my shower with that same oily residue and made it a little slippery. No bueno.
I’m not a fan of anything greasy feeling or anything that leaves a residue on my skin, it just drives me insane. Plus the scent was just too strong and was definitely very detectable on my arm. They do say on their website that “The jojoba and butter base melts onto the skin quickly” but it never felt like it melted in, it just sat on top feeling gross.
Overall:
I think the IDEA of this bar is great, but the execution just doesn’t work for me. If the scent was more subdued and there was no greasy feeling on my skin or the tub, I would probably have really liked it because the massage bumps did feel nice. However nothing about it worked for me personally.
Availability: LUSH online and in stores
Price: $8.95 1 oz
Grade: C-
Have you tried this bar or any other LUSH bars? What are your thoughts on that buttery greasy feeling?
-VV
Welcome! My name is Kelly and Vampy Varnish is a animal friendly beauty blog.
Ick. I’ve tried their massage bars before and they just leave you feeling super greased up. The only time it’s good is on SUPER dry skin.
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Hi – I don’t think LUSH massage bars are meant to be used in the shower. They aren’t soap, just a moisturizer.
Mmm I dont think your suppose to use it in the shower… I usually use the massage bar to give a massage to myself (or my bf if im feeling nice). Its good because you can massage the muscle whitout having to much friction between the hand and the skin. And since its oily you dont need a lot, I usually rub my hands on it and then massage and maybee re-oil my hand once or twice…
But yeah i wouldnt use it without the massage; else it wouldnt have enough friction to sink in the skin
Yeah, that is not a “shower” product. I use it on my hands and legs during winter months when they get really dry, and otherwise save them for giving massages to the lucky few.
I love the Hottie massage bar! I work at Lush and have been telling recommending it for those sore muscles!
However, you aren’t supposed to use it in the shower. Think of it as a solid lotion bar and rub it on dry skin. It’ll melt with your body heat and leave you moisturized!
Well . . . it is a massage bar . . . so I use it for massages. I’ve only tried the heavanilli one. I think that’s what it’s called. It smells like vanilla. It’s not meant to be used in the shower or bath.
I’m going to echo the others and say that this is *not* a shower product and is meant to be used on dry skin.
My favorite shower bar of theirs is the Buffy bar. It’s wonderfully exfoliating and moisturizing. I use it about once a week and don’t have to use lotion after I get out of the shower when I use it.
I have 2 of their massage bars. Neither of which I know the names of. lol One is shaped like a heart and is scented like strawberries and chocolate – it’s delicious! (not literally, but it does have a mouth-watering scent!) I like to use it in place of lotion and even swipe it on as a solid perfume for a light scent from time to time.
The other is a light orange color and is the same size and shape as the Buffy bar. It has a light scent that reminds me of fall, almost like pumpkin pie.
Both massage bars do melt in your hands – the heart shaped one holds up better than the orange one – I have to use the orange one quickly because it really starts to melt. The orange one also feels a bit more oily than the heart one. But both are so moisturizing and leave the skin lightly scented.
I’d give this Hottie another try, this time on dry skin – maybe after you’re out of the shower. I’m really curious about that smell – pepper and vanilla? I’d be up for that!!
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I love these for my legs as they are getting drier by the day as I age…but the scent is ALWAYS too strong. I only apply to my LEGS and the scent closes up my lungs with asthma.
I’m wondering if Vanilla might be a better one to try than the strawberry one I bought. I should try before I buy next time.
p.s. Glad you figured out it’s not a shower bar.
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Looks like white chocolate with nuts.
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I gave a friend a massage bar to try without explaining what it was and she had the same greasy shower fun! It’s not obvious unless you know someone who has used them before
I don’t like greasy products on my skin, but in winter I sometimes use a massage bar before I go to bed on dry skin. When I’m asleep I don’t mind the greasiness
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I used to work at Lush – their massage bars were my favourite products there.
I won’t reiterate what everybody else has said, but please give massage bars another chance! You rub them on your skin (in circles for quicker melting) and the heat of your skin melts the cocoa butter and other ingredients into your skin as a moisturizer.
Great for your legs…especially after shaving them.
(recommended: Strawberry Feels Forever or Nutts Massage Bars)
I don’t think you’re a ‘jackass’ hon, I totally would have made the same mistake. As someone who isn’t prone to dry skin, I’ve never used this product before and would have made the same assumptions you did, lol. Thanks for sharing your shower follies with us!
Ah, that’s really cute that you did ‘fess up to not knowing and didn’t delete the whole post. Man, haven’t we all done stuff like that before? Well, ok, maybe just you and me, eh?
I have a couple of these too and they are very greasy. Not that this has to be a bad thing. I use mine mostly for my dry elbows and knees. And I’ll use it on my hands and cuticles before bed. I admit that the smell is a bit addicting for me too.
Will you do a new post when you give it a try as a moisturizer?
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Thank you for sharing your mishap. Now the rest of us won’t make the same mistake.
I just bought a solid shampoo bar, conditioner bar and they sent me a small sampler of the noubar soap.
The solid shampoo (Mr. Peppermint) is great and refreshing. I have gotten used to it very quickly (you just scrub it on your scalp and it immediately lathers).
I’m somewhat disappointed with the conditioning bar (jungle, i think). It lathers too, which is something I don’t look for in conditioners. My hair is very long and the conditioning bar (or lack thereof) isn’t a great detangler. In fact, I’ve been noticing a few more split ends lately. I just don’t feel like it offers enough protection for my fine strands.
The sample of noubar soap has unexpectedly captured my heart. It smells interesting and doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy or too dry. It leaves it feeling like skin. It’s got some nice chunkiness to it so it can scrub a bit too without scratching. It lathers easily in your hands too.
I would have totally used that in the shower too!!! Thanks for teaching me wtf a massage bar is:)
Oh, I love Lush massage bars! They feel great on dry skin and are less messy than massage oils. Strawberry Feels Forever is my favorite, but I’m obsessed strawberry scents of any sort.
I prefer the Rocky Mountain Soap massage bars to the LUSH ones, mostly because there are only a few things from LUSH that I would want to smell like. That, and everything from Rocky Mountain is 100% natural, unlike LUSH. Not that that really matters, but it means natural fragrances, not heavy perfumes. Although I still don’t understand why they come in a twist-up bar–and I worked there!–since you’re going to get it all over your hands getting massaged, anyway! I guess it just makes it less slippery to apply. I recommend the Relaxation Butter
I absolutely would have used that in the shower, too- especially if it had no instructions!
I have seen bars of soap in that shape (from other companies) with my own eyes- and they are meant to be used in the water!
Lush, c’mon- include instructions!
I’m apparently question mark happy… sorry…
I can’t do anything right today, they’re called exclamation points, not question marks, d’oh…