Local Love: Beloved Bath

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This month our Local Love feature is on Beloved Bath, an on-line business for soap and bath products based in Maplewood, NJ. Enjoy the positivity, relaxation, and good energy that comes in every product.

Beloved Bath

www.belovedbath.com

Beloved Bath is a new line of soaps and bath products “created with love and made possible through the power of friendship to help all people reach their full potential – bar none.”

Beloved Bath founders are Pam Kattouf of Maplewood and Pat Miller of West Orange who met on the playground with their older children before their sons Justin and John were born. Their friendship grew over the years, and when Justin and John were both diagnosed with autism, they dove into finding ways to help their children thrive and flourish.

Both of their sons, now 16, are severely autistic and attend school programs for autistic children that are miles from their home. Knowing that most school programs for autistic children end at age 21 with few job options available, Pam and Pat knew they had to find some way for the boys to be productive members of the community.

Art had always been a special outlet for the boys, allowing them to express themselves and communicate. And, as autistic people are often highly sensory, both boys loved taking soothing lavender baths as kids. Bath time was a fun play time for both moms and their sons, and the boys enjoyed making the bath mixture with their moms. So the first Beloved Bath product was Serenity Lavender Bath Salts. The tops of the containers are custom painted by Justin and John. They have now branched out into body scrubs, soaps, bath bombs, custom party favors and gift baskets.

Their business started small with friends buying their products, and it has been growing through word-of-mouth. Most of their business is done on-line, but they are selling in Kitchen a la Mode in South Orange and in a store down the shore.

Pam and Pat want to grow slowly so that they can maintain control of the operation. Efficiency is not their prime concern; it’s giving the boys something to do no matter how long it takes. And they try to make sure the boys do as much of the production as they can.

For Pam and Pat, their ultimate goal is to employ their kids and other disabled young adults. In addition to their sons working in the business, they have an autistic intern who is in charge of packaging.

A portion of all proceeds are donated to vocational training for people with autism. They have already donated to programs at both of their son’s school.