At Appalachian Goat by Essential Journeys®, founder and creative designer Kimberly Masters has discovered a way to combine her passions – bicycling, traveling, and creating – by handcrafting soaps and body care products inspired by scouring the planet, mostly on the seat of a bicycle.

Kimberly has always been intrigued to follow her nose, whether it is getting lost in the fragrance filled souks of the Marrakesh Medina, cycling through Argon Tree orchards along the Moroccan Coast, visiting cosmetic seaweed farms in Nusa Lembongan, Bali, hiking through wild arnica flowers blooming throughout the Dolomites in the Italian Alps, or the production pottery in Baktupur, Nepal. Ideas are born in every corner of the world and Kimberly has a desire to discover the world for herself, meeting local people living off the land and creating handmade products. By capturing these scents, experiences or landscapes in a slice of soap or a jar of salve, Essential Journeys® brings these inspired formulations to you.

As a child, Kimberly’s parents grew their own vegetables, her father kept bees and her mother, an accomplished painter, also sewed most of her clothes. Kimberly enjoyed the process of designing outfits, spending afternoons at the fabric store looking for just the right buttons. Finding herself both lost and found in painting, pottery, batik, and book binding classes, she discovered Inspiration is everywhere. The more you know the more there is to know. For Kimberly, Essential Journeys® is a journey of discovery.

Certainly, a woman who lived in the Alaskan wilderness for five summers with no water or electricity understands the importance of a fine slice of soap. During the Alaskan winters, Kimberly, would travel to Asia and Central America as well as pedal her bike thousands of miles across the United States. In 1999, Kimberly moved from Alaska to Asheville. Now she makes her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, the place where she learned the art of soap making and began another chapter in her journey.

Memories of the crisp air of Alaska, the rich textures of Thailand, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of her home inspire the innovative designs and luxurious scents you will discover in Essential Journeys® handcrafted soap and body care products. Website: https://essentialjourneys.com/