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We interview the owner of Brutal Bathory and talk to her about her handmade, horror-inspired, sinfully indulgent bath products

Halloween may be over, but we hardcore horror fans like to stay spooky all year round. Personally, I like to extend my love of horror into all aspects of my life  — especially adding a bit of the macabre into my bath and self care routine. I recently discovered this amazing female-owned small business called Brutal Bathory, and the products targeted at horror-loving ladies (and men!) like myself are absolutely to die for.

After placing my first order and falling head over heels in love, I personally reached out to the wonderfully talented Seliena (aka The Bath Bomb Baroness) to learn more about the mastermind behind one of my new favorite shops. 


INTERVIEW WITH SELIENA, OWNER, BRUTAL BATHORY

Would you start by telling me a little about yourself and your background as an artist/creator?

I have always been attracted to every aspect of art from as far as I can remember. I have the privilege of having a mother and grandmother that are amazing painters and sculpture artists.  From a very early age, I’ve been painting and drawing as well as working on a potters wheel and many other kinds of multi media forms of expression.

For the last 10 years, I have been the CO owner and operator of a very busy tattoo studio  that has allowed me to further explore other areas of expression. The tattooing industry has also introduced me to many amazing artists that have become great friends and also offer so much inspiration and spark so many creative ideas.

I have the type of Personality that is attracted to Art in various different forms of expression. So I always need to be creating something or making something more beautiful no matter what it is that I’m doing. Even something as simple as soaking in a hot bath can be made better when you add pigment and scented oils and moisturizers. Everything is better when you just add those special little touches to everything to make them your own.

What inspired you to start Brutal Bathory? 

I’ve been making spooky themed bath bombs and body scrubs for years for myself and for friends as gifts. Over and over again I was hearing that I need to market these items. The items I made for everyone were all gothic spooky themed goodies that couldn’t be purchased anywhere else, so I knew instantly I had found my target customer base.

The Goth girls just like me that love long hot baths with bath products that pamper that pale skin! After a long night of brainstorming, I gathered all my favorite recipes and began creating and taking photos and immediately began uploading to social media. The response was immediate and fantastic! I began selling items on Instagram, eBay and Etsy. After a long approval process, I was invited by Amazon Handmade to be a part of their exclusive seller community, where I currently have all my items listed for sale.

You specialize in darker/horror-themed bath products. What made you get into that particular style of products?

Everything is do is centered around horror and Halloween. From day one.  Being born on October 30th at the witching hour of 3am has predestined me to live that spooky life. I’m an avid horror fan, so naturally I gravitate towards the macabre.

I found there wasn’t a huge market for cool spooky bath products that I personally would buy. So I decided to fill the gap and take a leap into the bloody waters and try to swim! And swim I have! The response to my products has been amazing and humbling at the same time. I had no idea there would be such a fantastic response. I simply made items that I would personally find amazing and would want to spend my hard earned coin for.

When and how did you fall in love with horror?

As a kid, I was obsessed with shows like Tales From the Crypt , Creepshow, and Tales From the Darkside. Vampira and Elvira has always been my icons, as well as old black and white Vincent Price films. Cheesy horror movies and Slasher flicks were the best! My Bloody Valentine was one of the first movies that totally got me hooked. But I’d say ultimately finding punk rock, horror Punk specifically, was what really opened my heart to horror. The Misfits were truly singing the lyrics to everything that I loved.

So, from about the age of 13 or 14, I’ve been into horror Punk, monsters and theatrical movie makeup  and anything macabre.

Brutal Bathory products are all vegan/non GMO. Can you tell me why that’s important to you?

Creating quality products that are cruelty free and chemical free is extremely important to me. I don’t agree with animal testing or the insane chemicals used in so many products that people use every day. So when it comes to something that a person is literally going to soak in,  such as a hot bath, I feel it’s very important to have the purest ingredients one can find. Simple ingredients that you can pronounce.

All my body scrubs are also made using the purest ingredients and essential oils. Since I use Simple sourced products, my items are safe for those with very sensitive skin as well as children.

What do you think differentiates your shop from other handmade bath product shops?

Most definitely what differentiates me from other shops is my love of anything creepy.  I love to make very girly sparkling delicious scented bath bombs and scrubs,  but I also have a beautiful creepy hand painted black widow spider seated comfortably on top. I pay a lot of attention to detail in all that do.  In turn, I make everything in small batches when someone orders so my clients receive the most ghoulish bath delights.

Two part question: What’s your favorite product in the shop and what is the most popular/best-selling product?

My absolute favorite item has got to be my Reanimator Hazel Nut Coffee Corpse Scrub. It’s a moisturizing exfoliating miracle for skin. My best selling item is without a doubt my Blood Orange Blood Bomb. That’s my signature item that I’m most well known for. It’s jam packed with coconut and grape seed oils,  magnesium salts and blood orange essential oils plus a few extras that make my signature blends so unique. Everything all vegan and non gmo.

[Editor’s note: I’ve tried both of these products, and I can’t say enough wonderful things about them. That Reanimator Scrub gives me life! It smells heavenly and works wonders on my skin.]

What do you love most about making and selling your bath creations?

Most definitely I love working from my home. Taking the time to make sure that everything is just right. There’s something special about listening to horror movies or a serial killer documentary while creating all my ghoulish scrubs and bath bombs. I thoroughly love what I do, so I find that I very rarely take time off from Brutal Bathory. I don’t have a lot of downtime.

I find I’m most happy when I’m creating or brainstorming new ideas or new recipes, or sketching a design for a promotion that I’m doing. Mostly, what I love about what I do is being able to take charge of my future by harnessing my creativity and my desire to succeed and do well for my family.

Any plans to expand your product line? If so, can we get a tease about what may be coming soon?

I’m always brainstorming ideas for new products. I’m constantly inspired by other shops. Lately a few have popped up that are pretty awesome.  I absolutely do plan to expand my products, too! Soaps and body sprays are definitely coming in the near future.

Besides making amazing bath products for Brutal Bathory, what are a few of your hobbies and interests?

I have a passion for revamping old furniture making it creepy and cool. Whether it be adding a new finish or decoupaging old monster magazines onto the surface of tables or taking the time to reupholster something old and make it new again. Painting and drawing are huge for me. I’ll admit I don’t get to do that as often as I would like because I very rarely have free time anymore. I also love the Paranormal. I enjoy  traveling around to find abandoned places, sometimes trespassing a little to get some amazing photos.

Taking photographs of a beautiful abandoned place is something that I love very much. An overgrown Cemetery in the fall when the trees have no leaves is one of the most beautiful things I love to capture. I love spending time at home cooking while monster movies play in the background, and I can hear my family enjoying themselves. It’s a really nice feeling to be able to do what I love from my home and not miss time with my family.

Where can people go to purchase Brutal Bathory and how can people follow and interact with you?

You can find all my products on Amazon Handmade. You can also find my products through Instagram and on Facebook as well as Etsy. Many people choose to contact me directly to do custom orders for something that they would like that maybe isn’t listed on any of my pages, and that’s just fine. I do a custom order for someone at least twice a week, so all custom orders are welcome. I’m also reachable by email at [email protected].

Is there anything you’d like to add?

Thanks so much for taking the time to be curious about my little shop and the creepy things that I do. I appreciate very much the exposure that this will bring and hopefully encourage someone to have that little glimmer of an idea and run with it the way I did and create something amazing that other people love.


Stay tuned to our Instagram page for an amazing giveaway and special promotion coming soon from Brutal Bathory! And be sure to show some support for this amazing shop. Tell them Morbidly Beautiful sent you! 

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