Beauty Stores That Are Destinations in Their Own Right

Beautifying ourselves, and seeking out the best inventions with which to do so, has been a source of comfort for millenniums. In Egypt’s Karnak village, beginning in the 16th century B.C., temples served as early shops and produced scented oils used for perfuming the living, embalming the dead, softening the skin and hair, covering up bad breath and easing sore muscles. In 17th-century Europe, apothecaries sold raw materials — plant oils, mineral powders — that enabled patrons to whip up their own potions to disguise concerns such as gray hair and wrinkles. And as the definition of beauty has evolved, so, too, has the function of the beauty shop.

Here, as part of T’s Beauty & Luxury issue, we pay tribute to just some of our favorite beauty institutions — the sort of spots that feel like discoveries — from a centuries-old perfumery in New Delhi to a sustainably minded apothecary in Vienna to a futuristic emporium-cum-gallery in Seoul.