The Soap Opera

Madison, United States

4.5

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 608-251-4051
Website:
www.thesoapopera.com
Address:
319 State St, Madison, WI, 53703
Capitol
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.4 miIntercity Buses
0.5 miPark at State
0.5 miPark at University
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
By Appointment Only
No

Today

Today 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Madison) 10:33 Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Since 1972 our company has offered Discounts for Quantity and Service, Selection and Quality second to none. We have products ranging from Soaps by the Slice to Private Label Wholesale, as well as various types of Custom Scenting options you will find nowhere else. Our broad selection of Badger Shave Brushes and Custom Perfume is just the start of your wonderful journey at The Soap Opera. Please call us toll free 800−251−7627

History

Established in 1972.

At The Soap Opera, you will find the best possible service, and widest possible choice. Your order is shipped quickly, all products are of the highest quality, and we offer discounts for quantity purchase, including the flexibility to make fragrance assortments when purchasing multiples of one product.

We are always eager to communicate with you, and we are responsive to your needs. Sending us an order does NOT automatically charge your credit card: every order passes through human hands before any credit cards are charged. Security is the best available, and you are fully protected.

We are pleased to be helping YOU.

Thanks for your faith in us.

Chuck Bauer & Chuck Beckwith,

co-​owners and co-​founders 1972

Meet the Business Owner

Chuck Bauer B.

Business Owner

Art Major to Business Owner or «Luck is the residue of design.»

These remarks were delivered to UW class Art 508 «Art Colloquium» at Granger Hall in Madison April 11, 2006.

Course website: www​.art​.wisc​.edu/​A​r​t​5​0​8​/​A​r​t​5​0​8.htm

Good afternoon. The university has asked me to speak to you today on how I use aesthetics in my business and my life, because, like so many graduates, especially in the fine arts, I chose a career other than my major. When asked to title my talk many things sprang to mind: «Art and business in bed together,» «Ignorance can be your ally,» «Start by being laughed at, and then have the last laugh all the rest of your life,» «Sculpt a business just like clay» because I really do wonder what happened to me. I still make art regularly (still feel like an art student, in fact), yet I own and operate The Soap Opera (www​.the​soap​opera​.com) a retail store in downtown Madison selling all kinds of natural body care products which my partner and I founded in 1972.

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20 reviews of The Soap Opera

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Madison, WI
I hadn’t been into the Soap Opera since probably 2002 so I thought it was time to pop back in. I don’t know why I waited so long in between visits — for some reason I was under the impression that they were pretty high-​end, but in truth they’ve got a wide range of products and prices.
First: the obvious — they’ve got soap. All the soap. From bars to bottles, they’ve got it all. I probably smelled 30+ bars in ten minutes and the worst offenders were just that I couldn’t smell them through the wrappers — no clunkers in the bunch. Some of my favorite bars were the pearlescent swirled soaps — I can’t recall the brand but they were super pretty.
The next most common item was probably lotions — testers abound! I was maxed out on smells with the parade of soaps so I didn’t sniff out many, but they have plenty for you to choose from. There are also several essential oils and things like witch hazel, rubber duckies, and bath accessories.
Stop in next time you want to find a nice gift or impress your guests with some quality toiletries on their next stay!
Place rating: 4
Madison, WI
Love walking through here to check out all of the fun stuff. They always have great window displays!
Place rating: 4
Milwaukee, WI
This place is just darling! They have tons of great soaps and rubber duckies :) I bought a bunch for my little girl, and some rubber duckie soap. I swear that girl spent over an hour and a half in the bathtub, washing with her rubber duckie soap over and over again.
I would say that some of the prices are a bit high, particularly on some of the things you can get at target, it’s probably understandable. They do have a huge selection of different types of soap that I have never seen before.
The only thing is it’s kind of hard to figure out what’s where? I guess if I went in multiple times I would probably figure it out.
I can say that the bag I bought smelled divine and I would go back again.
The shopkeepers were VERY nice and helpful.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Stocking stuffers. Great gifts and absolutely beautiful gift wrapping! Everyone is always extremely helpful and patient.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
The Soap Opera has EVERYTHING bath related, in a nice variety of brands too! If you like nice smelling fun bath supplies, be prepared to spend a lot of time (and some money) here!
I was very pleasantly surprised by the variety of products at this shop. Not only do they have soaps, shampoos, lotions, soap dishes, and sponges/​loofahs, they also carry lip balms, candles, tiger balm (who knew?!), tons of essential oils, bath fizzies, bath salts, and much more. They have small local brands and high-​end well known brands and everything in between, and it’s all very reasonably priced. I found a French dry shampoo here that I tried years ago and loved that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else!
They have some lovely gift boxes and very helpful staff, so I highly recommend coming here to buy gifts for the people in your life who like bath stuff (or just smelling good in general). I was thrilled to learn that the staff is happy to give you samples to take home of any items that have a «try me» sticker. They also put some bar soap samples in my bag with the items I purchased!
Overall, this is the perfect stop for all your bath needs, and just a fun place to get gifts or samples and browse!
Place rating: 3
Madison, WI
So… not really a place that dudes would initially be drawn in to, but they do have some awesome stuff here. Looking for a badger hair shaving brush? They have a nice selection. Looking for some good soaps that aren’t too scented? They’ll take care of you.
I’m really particular about my soaps, shaving stuff, and scents… I’m normally a Nancy Boy (soap), Truefitt & Hill (shaving), and Bond No 9 (scent) guy, but I found a few new and interesting things here while wandering around State Street on a lazy Sunday.
Definitely a fun store. Lots of samplers, good staff, and fair prices.
Place rating: 5
Madison, WI
I’ve been coming to this store since I was ten years old. It was a magical place that a special aunt would take me, and I was instantly in love. A heavenly cloud of magical scents for a girly girl. Years later, I brought my own little daughter here, and one of her favorite activities was sorting all the shaped soaps into their correct locations. This place has barely changed in all that time. A million choices in soaps, lotions, perfumes, massage oils and tools, every imaginable bath product to delight the olfactory and tactile senses, custom blends made to order, what’s not to love? ‘Tis the season, go get a special person something delightful here. You’ll love it as much as they will.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
A lovely business with knowledgeable staff. They stock a plethora of high quality and natural cosmetics. I’m most impressed with the selection of pure oils (more than the standard jojoba and sesame oils you’ll see at Whole Foods). Prices are great. One of my favorite places to shop when visiting Madison.
Place rating: 5
Tampa, FL
This is a very nice store with an amazing amount of soaps, lotions, chap sticks, etc. We were greeted by a friendly and helpful staff member. There are a bunch of different products and they seemed to be, from what I looked at, all natural-​no garbage ingredients.
They have some samples if you’re not quite ready to decide or are looking to try something new.
Great products, friendly staff, and all kinds of products to keep you feeling fresh.
Place rating: 5
Boise, ID
One of my favorite stores on State Street. One of the only places I have found the oil bathtub bomb things (very technical term, I know). I also love the Pacifica, Alba and Burt’s Bees selection they have. The store itself is small and can be pretty busy but there is so much to look at, you hardly notice the other people.
They also have a great selection of soaps, rubber duckies, massage items, oils, lotions, and organic hygiene items. I am a little bit of a deodorant snob and they have options I have never seen before!
The staff is helpful and passionate about what they do. It is a fun place to stop in!
Place rating: 5
Mount Horeb, WI
This place is excellent. The people they chose to work here are awesome. Good choice. The selections of soaps and oils that you can personalize is amazing!
Place rating: 5
Madison, WI
«A rose by any other name would smell as sweet»…or would it?
I mean, The Soap Opera is just such an adorably proper name for a store so closely reminiscent of the celestial sounds that an opera singer can conceive. Their beautiful vocal harmony is a direct parallel to the extraordinary bouquet of aromas that graces each unsuspecting patron of this remarkable shop.
Alluring perfumes of lilac, eucalyptus & mint, and coconut milk float freely and intermingle to concoct a resplendent aura of delight.
Much like the beautiful scents which characterize The Soap Opera, the workers here are wonderful. They have always been very approachable and whenever I’ve gone to them with a question, they have always provided candid advice and are more than willing to help. Their knowledge of product makes shopping here a more than pleasant experience.
Place rating: 5
Lawrence, KS
As a newbie to buying any sort of fancier beauty/​hygiene supply, I first went into The Soap Opera thinking «Well, I walk by it everyday, might as well check it out and hope I don’t get ripped off!». When I went in, I was pleasantly surprised at every aspect of the store.
For a tiny space, they manage to still keep in stock a very nice selection of a wide variety of products. They have even more items available online or for order if you’re looking for something very specific. In addition, the prices are all reasonable. That last statement probably means nothing coming from a guy whose expectation was for everything to be over twice as much as it actually was. But really, I feel like I got a quality product for a good price, and in addition everything I bought from there has lasted me a good while.
The crowned jewel of this store has to lie in its service. Every time I’ve gone in, i’ve been completely unaware of what I was really shopping for, but the employees all helped me out a ton in making a selection I was satisfied with in every way. In my most recent interaction, the gentleman behind the counter spent a good 20 minutes helping me choose a scent combination for a $ 13 oil I was purchasing. It’s hardly worth his time to actually do that, but in the end I left with an extremely pleasant scented oil. I get this type of dedication every time I go here. I get the feeling that the staff not only know what they’re doing, but also that they care enough to make sure you know what you’re doing in the future as well.
After buying cologne, various lotions, facial wash, creams, and oils here, i’ve never left without thinking that I had a good experience. I can’t recommend The Soap Opera enough.
Place rating: 5
Madison, WI
Overview: It is more than soap — it is about finding ways to make daily rituals relaxing, revitalizing, and generally awesome.
Hits: Amazingly helpful staff, a wide range of price points, custom products, and flexible hours (M-​F 10 – 8, Sat 10 – 6, Sun 11 – 5).
Misses: Nothing. Literally. Never had a single bad experience.
Hints:Take advantage of their online options and bulk buying discounts.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
This is the best place to get soap.
Tons of free samples, helpful service, and don’t forget to sent your own products. Its a bit pricey, but for what it is (especially the house-​made stuff) totally worth it.
I spent maybe way too much time there today making my own perfumes. Great selection!
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. i have the best smelling hands ever now.
there is a HUGE variety of soaps, as well as other products, here. for someone that doesn’t even own a soap dish, i really really really enjoyed this store. it was fun to smell all the different scents. i finally settled on a beautifully scented soap and a beautiful rose-​shaped soap. everything here seems very natural, and i overheard an employee helping someone pick out a soap specifically to her organic-​soap tastes.
the only con is that, though i know soap can be expensive, it seemed a little overpriced — but well worth it.
Place rating: 5
Madison, WI
I was happily surprised that the scents didn’t overwhelm me when I walked into this place, and that’s probably why I dinked around for almost an hour with my lady friend. The place feels like an apothecary, and you can concoct your own products. I created a scented lotion of my own, and five hours after putting it on, I can still smell it. $ 7 well spent!
I was happy to see that there’s a nice selection of men’s products too. I’m probably going to go back and get the black mud soap for my husband, because holy shit – that has got to be what James Bond smells like. Adiós, Irish Spring.
The products are high quality and come in various price points, so even broke college kids can smell fabulous. The gentlemen working there were friendly and helpful, but like their products, they weren’t overwhelming or in your face. They just let you poke around and enjoy yourself. And they were playing the Pet Shop Boys! Seriously, I think I found my new favorite store.
Place rating: 4
Wauwatosa, WI
Less girly than most «bath & body» shops, this store on State stocks both well known and more obscure brands. Most of my favorites are well represented including Porto, Occitaine and Mistral. They have more for men than most places, but manly men will probably prefer to wait outside for their better half.
I don’t love that the store is always packed and there’s no clear way to figure out who’s working the checkout, etc. If you need help or have questions, don’t come on a weekend because it’s not going to happen.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
Funny how I’m always writing reviews on here about the various restaurants I’ve eaten at, always looking for the next great thing to taste. Seems like in the process of stimulating all my other senses, I neglected to take into consideration my sense of smell. I always ignored this «girly» little shop and didn’t pay much notice even as a window shopper later on, but that all changed when I decided to grab a Ginger Bear soap bar for my girlfriend one day.
Ginger Bear is the best fucking thing I have ever smelled in my life. Ever. It kind of smells like a tray full of fresh-​baked gingerbread cookies, possibly baked by a consortium of 1000 of Europe’s finest German grandmothers. I look forward to bowel movements just so I can get to wash my hands with a slice of this olfactory crack. And it permeates its wonderful odor throughout what used to be a very unpleasant bathroom, lifting my spirits whenever I am nearby.
The bar of soap is seemingly neverending. It’s as big as two regular bars of soap and would wear down very slowly if it didn’t cause me to wash my hands 3 times every time I use the bathroom. All this for $ 5…I don’t think I’m ever going back to normal soap.
Place rating: 4
Minneapolis, MN
Bath and Body works makes you smell like a gang of teenage prostitute, while L’Occitane makes you feel even poorer than you are, and Crabtree and Evelyn makes you feel you should only put their stuff out for overnight guests. And all three make guys feel like total pansies for being even within five feet of the doorway.
Soap Opera is that happy medium, my friends. It always smells good in there, but in a non-​distracting, general way. They have a decent men’s grooming section — razors, brushes, other manly grooming items — but more importantly, they have a lot of interesting toothpastes, soaps, and oils. It feels a little like an apothecary.
They also have a lot of perfume oils you can buy, which you can then use as perfume, in lotions, in shampoo, as a room freshener, or what have you. You can blend your own scents or choose a pre-​made one. The fig/​moss scent is the best and I don’t even wear fragrance.
Service is always good. They’re nice and helpful even if you have a dumb question. If you need a gift in a pinch, this is the place to go.
Also if this is important to you, they’re local.