City: Kansas City, MO

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (816) 753-8117

Address: 5010 Main St.

Description: “Come inside and play,” Nancy McAnany beckons to those who enter her shop of earthly and ethereal delights. Since 1989 she’s been turning customers into alchemists as they create unique body lotions, massage oils, and home products using dozens of aromatic essential oils. Nancy figures there are at least 3,424 different custom-scented products you can conjure up. Or choose one of her designer oils that smell like expensive versions without the hefty price tags.The shelves and counters reveal other treats, such as orange-flavored lip balm, gentle baby care products, lamp rings that send a subtle fragrance throughout the room, and car diffusers that do the same for that long drive home. And who could resist the red mineral facial treatment she calls the “Hoover vacuum cleaner” of masks?