We Visited Lush Stores in the United States and the United Kingdom

It was an unusual move for a company with close to 1,000 stores globally, especially for one with such vibrant and visual products that seem to be made for Instagram. We visited two Lush stores — one in the UK and one in the US — to see how they stack up.

The first Lush store popped up in the town of Poole in Dorset, England, in 1995. The Lush we went to in the UK was in the city center in Leeds, northern England. Though the store didn’t have particularly eye-catching window displays, the smell of Lush’s sweet bathing products wafting down the street made it easily recognizable.

One side of the store didn’t even feature its name, and the window display was just a pile of Lush magazines.

The displays were all beautifully curated.

Behind this were rows of bubble bars, which look like bath bombs but are used by crumbling off small pieces into the tub to create a bubble bath.

At £5.95 ($7.92) each, these seemed a bit expensive, but a staff member said they could be used around eight times each.

Even if it’s not as fun as getting to watch a whole bath bomb explode, bubble bars felt much more economical than the single-use bath bombs that Lush is known for, which cost around £5 ($6.65) each.

Lush is perhaps best known for its bath bombs, but it sells loads of other products too.

The store had a display of Lush perfumes …

… and body sprays in bottles that made them look like household cleaning products.

There was a display dedicated to Lush’s beautiful wrapped gift boxes …

… soap embossed with the company’s logo …

… and a whole range of makeup products including mascara and lip products that you might not know Lush makes.

There were also not just one …

… but two displays dedicated to Snow Fairy, one of the brand’s most popular collections.

The store had a stand of gift cards for Lush’s spa, too. The company has eight spa locations in the UK, offering a range of massages and treatments.

Source: Lush

The products all looked beautiful and smelled heavenly …

… and they were largely packaging-free, too.

The products we bought were packed in individual paper bags by the cashier, who added labels with the ingredients and instructions for usage.

The packaging is recyclable, and Lush used it to show its stance against animal testing, too.

To get a sense of Lush’s presence in the US, Insider also visited a location in Indianapolis. The chain has stores across the US, including in New York, California, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois. Like with the Leeds location, the smell of soaps and cosmetics is noticeable to anyone walking by.

It was a pretty sizable shop, filled with shoppers and attentive employees.

There were also quiet a few sink stations, where shoppers can sample the products …

… as well as a DIY fragrance sampling station.

The displays were set up to look more artisanal than those in your average store’s beauty section.

We were pretty fascinated with these vegetation-wrapped cleanser products, in particular …

We also noticed unexpected offerings like these toothpaste tablets …

… and these avocado oil treatments.

The mountain of carved blocks of soap was a main focal point in the store.

But the most grabbing section were the shelves decked with these colorful shower and bath bombs, clustered near the front of the store.

These shelves held silvery bells and pink seashell-looking creations …

… mermaid-inspired bath bombs …

… strange purple monsters …

… and even these cute little gummy bears.

While the US store was filled with interesting offers, it seemed that these eye-catching bath bombs were definitely the centerpiece of the store, and a main draw for mall-goers who might happen to glance over.