If you're feeling stressed out by pretty much everything right now, you're not alone. It's a hard time to watch the news, leave your house, make life decisions, or feel useful in general. Thankfully, self-care is all the rage these days, and brands are finding ways to bottle it up and sell it to us all. Self-care has been commercialized, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing — while no product can cure our worry, spending a little bit more time doting on yourself is something most of us could benefit from. Anthropologie's new wellness line is launching in stores, and you'll want to spend even more time in the already aesthetically pleasing store.
According to Racked, Wellness by Anthropologie is already live at stores around the country, including New York, California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Washington D.C., Oregon, and Connecticut. The Cut reports that Anthropologie's first wellness location opened in January in Palo Alto, California, and the brand is hosting a special mindfulness meditation session today in New York in celebration of the expansion. The brand plans to launch even more wellness sections in the fall, which means a physical storefront will likely arrive at a store near you very soon. Based on the pictures, the new section of the store is pretty much a wellness dream. It's also not as expensive as you'd assume, either. Of course, there are a few over-the-top products, but most of it is affordable when compared to the rest of Anthropologie's offerings.
You can shop the collection, which has nearly 500 items, on Anthropologie's website. The items range from the useful (colorful bamboo toothbrushes) to the undoubtedly extravagant (two crystal combs for $170). There are incense burners, essential oil diffusers, kinds of tea, and an "aura cleansing ritual kit" ($34). With hundreds of items to choose from, there's something for everyone. It's a strategic move for the store, in an era where almost everyone is seeking to augment their wellness arsenal.
Anthropologie joins a growing number of brands that have released wellness-themed collections in recent months, which offer solutions for stressed out millennials in an increasingly stressful environment. IKEA's HJÄRTELIG line, for example, draws on the power of plants and natural materials to ground consumers, without mentioning that it's extremely Instagrammable. It's hard to really pinpoint what self-care even means — not only does everyone interpret the term differently, but one's privilege also contributes to how you define the term. In a lot of ways, self-care done right is about self-love. Whether that's buying essential oils for yourself or going to bed a few minutes earlier, anyone can do things that make life feel more manageable.
The overwhelming majority of the items in the Anthropologie collection are under $60, and it's full of great gift ideas if you want to help a stressed friend out. Even if you don't want to spend money, the wellness sections look like calming places to hang out and browse. Shopping isn't always a relaxing experience, so having a place that's devoted to making you feel chill is a plus.
As the self-care industry continues to boom — market research company IRI says it's currently worth $400 billion — more companies will probably follow Anthropologie's lead and devote time to developing products and an in-store experience that's wellness-centered and designed to make you feel better about yourself. Some may view the commercialization of self-care as a sad commentary on our society, but in reality, it's refreshing that stores are selling products that'll actually help us relax and unwind. We could all use an occasional break — especially right now.
