Provençal soaps
Provençal soaps

Soap Atelier Experience in Marseille, Marseille

Overview

Explore a different art form as you learn about the region's emblematic Savon de Marseille (Marseille soap). This traditional hard soap, typically made with vegetable oils, has been around for nearly 600 years, with the first record of soap making in Marseille from 1370 CE. It was so popular and distinct that King Louis XIV copyrighted the recipe in the 17th century.

A master soapmaker will teach you about this famed soap's history, along with its manufacturing process and ancestral secrets. The most traditional Marseille soap combines seawater from the Mediterranean with olive oil from Provence and alkaline ash from sea plants. It was heated for days, cooled, pressed, and cut, often taking up to one month to create a single batch of soap. Today, only a handful of the original Marseille soap ateliers remain.

After you've observed the making and mixing procedures, you'll create and personalize a soap of your own. Enjoy a hands-on experience as you mix, heat, cool, and stamp the ingredients. 

Discover other unique experiences in Marseille.

Itineraries with Soap Atelier Experience in Marseille

France Road Trip: Ultimate Self-Drive Tour of Provence - 8 Days

Provence was once the first Roman territory beyond the Alps, and while you won't be riding in as a conqueror, you'll see why they wanted it for their own after this eight-day self-drive trip. Craft your own soap, cruise around the coast of Marseille, cook with ingredients from local markets, and more as you explore the region.

Provençal Alps Adventure: Marseille & Verdon - 7 Days

Get your French kicks on this seven-day adventure trip. After a soap-making experience in Marseille, a city known for its savon, you'll head out to Europe's largest gorge for horseback riding, river rafting, a via cordata climb, and more.