One of the most creative and fun facets, as an aromatherapist, is designing custom scents. I am honored to offer this service for both personal and commercial purpose. When the owners of The Graham and Co, an upscale boutique hotel located in Phoenicia, New York asked me to create one, I was super thrilled. Aromatic signature blends lends to the three dimensionality of an entity through olfaction.
Entities, like people also have a personality, a flavor, a vibe and we explore this together through the Root and Resin intake process. With Martin Torres and Joseph DiThomas, owners of The Graham and Co, we sat down for a dialogue to learn about who and what The Graham is to them. For Martin and Joe, who are partners in business as well as in life, it has been their lifelong passion to own and run their own hotel. Both New York City transplants, Martin with his background in corporate advertising and Joe with his background in real estate, acquiring the hotel was a natural trajectory for them.
The key elements important in their signature scent were pine resin notes with an infusion of citrus. Since Palo Santo is a wood incense that is lit and burned in the reception area daily, it was easy to build and layer onto Palo Santo, in an essential oil form. (For more information on Palo Santo, refer to a previous blog post dedicated to Palo Santo, https://rootandresin.com/blogs/news/palo-santo-and-the-sacred-powers)
Another important feature for their signature scent was to capture the olfactory reminiscence of a time and place once visited. Phoenicia, New York is located in the northeastern part of the United States, in the Catskill region where there is a prolific variety of pine, oak, and fir trees, glorious mountains, freshwater rivers and streams that extend out like tentacles to connect to neighboring towns. One such waterway, Stony Clove, is a 10- mile long creek that runs alongside the hotel, also a tributary of the gushing Esopus which then joins the infamous Hudson River of New York State.
In homage to this waterway, Stoney Clove (with an “e”) is the named signature scent to evoke fantasies of deep forest, refreshing sunsets, and skinny dips through the delicious blend of the essential oils of Palo Santo, Balsam fir, Vetiver, and Wild Orange. Stoney Clove Blend has been formulated in a 10 ml rollerball amber glass bottle for easy application onto the skin and easy travel to transport one back to that moment in time in the Catskills.
Coming soon, are Stoney Clove Room Sprays guests can enjoy and bask in their hotel room and beyond. Pick up a Stoney Clove blend, https://rootandresin.com/products/stoney-clove-blend so that you may prep for a stay at the beautiful The Graham and Co. for your getaway.