The women’s bathroom nearest my study carrel at school, it smells. Not of human waste, but of various fragrances which might be pleasant if they weren’t so overpowering. It has one of those wall-mounted dispensers that releases a squirt of pungent oil into the air every few minutes. Judging by the strength of the scent, it seems the dispenser was designed for a much larger area.

I wonder who picks the scents. Is it someone at the university’s actual job to make that decision, or does the pungent oil warehouse just send out their leftovers? Last semester it was cupcakes. This semester we started out with generic disinfectant, then recently swapped to floral explosion. Keeps you guessing, that bathroom.

I suspect one of my favorite Chinese restaurants (Auntie Chang’s) uses the same system, but in an even smaller room. The combination of MANGO MADNESS and the flickering fluorescent light in that bathroom is a wee bit nauseating. The rest of the place—tables, dishes, everything—smells strongly of lemony disinfectant, but hey, they have good moo shu pork at very reasonable prices. It’s a compromise.

In the same vein, I’d like to put Skintimate on notice that the scent level in their shave gels is insane. Are they aware that the recommended use of these products involves spreading them over a large surface area in a warm, humid, enclosed area? A little goes a long way, guys. I know Raspberry Rain sounds more refreshing* than Raspberry Syrup Up Your Nose, but it borders on false advertising. I’m just saying.

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* Does it really sound refreshing? I can imagine Spring Rain smelling refreshing, and something like Raspberry Shortcake sounds delicious, at least, but if it really rained raspberries, wouldn’t they rot after a while? Putrid != refreshing.

Tags: scent, school, smell

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