If you are reading this it is probably that you are among the few that are not  mesmerized by science and technology. Those who refuse to  slowly forget the wonders of the spiritual part of the human experience. We are few but not alone: many anthropologists and philosophers of the past century dedicated their lives to collecting and understanding the beliefs, myths, legends, rites and rituals of the human cultures across geographies and times. This is not about naively seeking to reintroduce fairy tales into our contemporary lives. Rather, it is about recognizing a fundamental truth: while science excels at uncovering the laws of nature, it often overlooks the vast spectrum of phenomena experienced by human beings. By exploring the spaces where logic meets intuition and where the material intersects with the mystical, we open ourselves to a richer, more holistic way of understanding the world—a perspective that honors not just the observable, but also the deeply felt.

Mircea was born after a year of profound researches and interviews about one of our oldest daily ritual: bathing.

Bathing has always been far more than a means of cleansing. It is an act of self-renewal, rooted in humanity’s recognition of water as the prime element. Water dissolves impurity and grants new life, symbolizing the profound cycles of transformation and rebirth.

Our homes have been equipped with running water for less than a century, and sleek ceramic bathrooms for only a few decades more. The modern shower, first conceived in a French prison in the 19th century, is a recent innovation. In the context of 300,000 years of Homo sapiens history, this is but the blink of an eye. To truly understand the essence of bathing, we must look to its origins: the authentic human experience of immersion in nature.

As anthropologist Mary Douglas noted in Purity and Danger, ancient cultures often recognized bathing as central to achieving the highest states of religious purity. “Three degrees of religious purity,” she wrote, culminated in rites of bathing, underscoring the sacred role of water in spiritual transformation.
In early human societies, rivers, lakes, and streams served as the natural sanctuaries for cleansing and renewal. Archaeological evidence, such as offerings left near water sources, suggests that these places were imbued with ritual significance. Early humans also enhanced their bathing practices with materials from their surroundings: plants, sands, and ashes for their abrasive qualities, and herbs for their soothing or invigorating properties. Springs and waterfalls, often viewed as sacred or inhabited by spirits, became focal points of cultural reverence. These sites reflected the rhythms of nature and served as venues for rites of passage—moments marking transitions such as the journey into adulthood.

Mircea Eliade, in The Sacred and the Profane, sheds light on humanity's timeless relationship with natural places. He writes: "The sacred can be manifested in stones or trees […] what is involved is not a veneration of the stone in itself, a cult of the tree in itself. The sacred tree, the sacred stone are not adored as stone or tree; they are worshiped precisely because they are hierophanies, because they show something that is no longer stone or tree but the sacred. »
In this framework, water, too, is a hierophany—a manifestation of the sacred within the natural world. Its movement and presence evoke a deep sense of mystery, transcendence, and connection to the divine.

What is striking about these sacred places is how they transcend the boundaries of time and culture. Throughout history, landscapes have served as archetypes, resonating across human myths and narratives. Wether in the myths of the 6th century BC India or the tales of the Round Table, a forest is always a land of deep mystery, a mountain a place of elevated contemplation. These archetypes act as gateways to transcendental experiences, connecting humans to the eternal cycles of life and the cosmos. Whether bathing in a sacred spring or standing in awe of a towering waterfall, the interaction with these natural landmarks becomes a moment of profound renewal and connection to something greater than ourselves. Something that has totally vanished from our lives, creating an immense void.

Bathing in its truest form is a bridge between the physical and spiritual, the mundane and the transcendent. By immersing ourselves in water, we participate in an ancient tradition that speaks to the core of what it means to be human. As modern conveniences continue to reshape our lives, the timeless essence of bathing in nature serves as a reminder of our deep-seated connection to the world around us and the sacred truths it reveals. A moment where space and time disappear. A place with no distance between yourself, the experience and the present.

Mircea awakens our ancestral connection to nature through bathing
In collaboration with the perfume house that has honed its expertise in natural essences for over 200 years, we have meticulously studied the interplay between scent and place. Each of our aromatic blend is intricately layered with dozens of essential oils, designed to awaken the age-old olfactory memory of bathing rituals in a forest, on a mountain, in a valley, or amidst an orchard.