Not to alarm you, but what historians say that our ancestors hesitated to bathe is quite true. Hygiene among noble people was rare to find, and therefore we can only imagine what they would have smelled like. But believe me, it wasn’t so bad after all because we are talking about the court of King Louis and it was known for its extensive use of perfumes and everything that smelled good. What few of us are aware of is that our nobility had a great fear of water. Back then, people had a common belief that diseases traveled through water. Now this is what led them to stay away and ultimately prevented them from bathing. They thought that the less they bathed, the healthier they would stay. They couldn’t be further from the truth, but now we know, so let’s give them some slack this time. This is the reason why perfumes were used on a large scale during the reign of King Louis XIV to perfume every corner of the castle and everything possible. This actually happened and the air in and around the castle became so fragrant that the French court gradually came to be known as “the perfumed court”.

So was that it? Is that what they did all the time, day after day? Trying to hide and cover up unpleasant and pungent smells? Wouldn’t that be redundant and they didn’t have better things to do? Didn’t they have a kingdom to take care of? The answer is yes and no. The truth is that they were not only used to hide unpleasant odours. In fact, perfumes were quite expensive to produce and were clearly considered a sign of luxury. For example, perfume on clothing was worn everywhere as a telltale sign of one’s wealth. So this was not just a means to smell good, but to portray a grander image.

Imagine that the place where you live is filled with several bowls full of flower petals that sweeten the air. It’s still a bit over the top but it’s a castle, remember. In the same way, your furniture was given the same opportunity to smell good while generous amounts of perfume were sprayed on it. Not only this, but any visitor who came to the palace was sprayed with perfume before entering. Even the fountains that were scattered around the palace had scented water in them. Such was the impact of perfumes and fragrances on King Louis that he eventually became extremely sensitive to all kinds of smells and would get migraines even at the slightest hint of smell. This constant exposure to perfume did this to her and we don’t want any of that. Perfumes and fragrances were so essential at that time and the constant need to smell good was so intense that it almost became an obsession. Well, I’d say it’s still a bit of an obsession, but to a much lesser extent and we definitely don’t douse ourselves in perfume anymore.