Hotsy Totsy Haus Is Heaven Scent

WHEN LOS ANGELES NATIVE Christi Leonardi moved to New Mexico seven years ago, she found the perfect climate for crafting her delicate handmade bath bombs. “It’s much easier,” says Leonardi. “When it’s humid, sometimes they just don’t set right, but when it’s dry, they get really hard.”

Leonardi, owner of Albuquerque–based Hotsy Totsy Haus luxury bath bombs and self-care products, starts with baking soda and citric acid. From there, her imagination takes off into a world scented with lavender, rose, pomegranate, and other essential oils and botanicals. She then shapes them into mermaid tails, crescent moons, and palm-size Victorian cameos.

Leonardi wants her customers to indulge in a ritual that has always been her sanctuary from stress. “If I know I can go home and run a nice bath and have things that smell good, I can get through whatever I need to,” she says. As a deaf single mother, Leonardi began crafting vegan small-batch bath bombs in her garage and selling them on Etsy.

Ten years later, Leonardi’s determination has paid off, expanding her business to include handmade whipped body butters, lotion bars, soaps, and scrubs. Since 2020, her products have also been included in the Academy Awards gift bags. This year’s recipients received Hotsy Totsy’s Deafinitly Divine Glow Kits, which were developed in collaboration with the performance team Deafies in Drag.

“Every day I want to make something new,” says Leonardi. “The artistic process is where I’m strongest.”

Read more: Create a home spa with these made-in-New Mexico bath and body products.