PHOTO BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Scatter rose petals around the abode to help set the tone for a romantic Valentine's evening.
Set the mood Stuck again a week before Valentine's Day with florists refraining from taking orders and your sweetie's top three restaurants booked? No need for panic; there's still time to plan for an amorous Friday evening.
for amour
By Ruby Mata-Viti
ruby@starbulletin.comThink of rose petals and you can't forget images of "American Beauty" star Mena Suvari bathing in a bed of them coming to mind. Or Harrison Ford in the "Fugitive," coming home from work to find a trail of rose petals left by his wife leading up the stairs into the bedroom. (Forget the plot of mid-life crises in the first and murder in the second.)
Beretania Florists sells petals by the bagful at $10 a pound. A quarter pound is about the size of a Meadow Gold box of ice cream.
Owner June Nakamoto said, "Red rose petals are sexy and sensuous; you could use them to scatter on the bed. We sell them year 'round. All florists sell them, at least I think they would."
They're used to make lei, she added, but petals are especially popular for weddings, tossed instead of rice, by guests at the bride and groom, or scattered around centerpieces to add more color to tables.
The petals sell for $7.95 a pound at Watanabe Florists on Nimitz Highway, a few dollars saved for the drive out of town.
Lighting can definitely set the stage for romance, as scriptwriters of the sitcom "Friends" knew when they had Chandler set the entire apartment aglow with candles the evening he proposed to Monica.
Even so, there's something to be said for the adage less is more. "Just one of our lavendar scented candles on a table top would work as a beautiful centerpiece" said Jessica Cruz, a sales associate at McQuaid's Fine Living. The glow of a few candles in the darkness create the perfect ambience for sharing a bottle of wine and intimate conversation.
The Ward Warehouse store has a variety of scented oils and room sprays from France. "You have to be relaxed so you can express yourself and feel the love around the room," said Cruz.
There's logic to aroma and its hint to amour that makes sense. Lindsay Schwinck, manager of Aveda Lifestyle Salon and Spa at Ala Moana, said, "Aromas create a memory response. Scent goes to the olfactory system which links to the limbic system, the part of the brain associated with emotional behavior and memory. Pleasant scents are usually associated with pleasurable memories."
And because each of us has our own memory banks, "the nice thing is you get to choose whatever you like," she said. Aveda staffers can customize a scent to your specifications.
"Maybe its vanilla or rose that reminds you of the first time you met your loved one, or some home-baked cookies they made for you that sparks a warmth," Schwinck said
Scents said to evoke passion in men are sandalwood and cinnamon.
"Cinnamon is a 'hot' oil without being heated up. If you have cold hands or feet, just a little of that will warm you up quick," Schwinck says with authority. Patchouli is another scent both men and women consider sultry.
Stacy Siu, manager of Sedona at Ward Centre, which sells incense, oils, candles and diffusers, said spicy food scents are considered to have an aphrodisiac quality for men. "Pumpkin pie, with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, those kind of scents. Women go for the more floral ones, like rose or ylang ylang."
Schwink suggests putting some scented massage oil near the bed, or dabbing some on bed sheets and pillows, especially one particular scent -- a mix of jasmine and rose -- Aveda sells, which is fittingly called "Love."
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