Escape Monthly is a monthly “vacation in a box” subscription. Each box comes with food, beauty items, and other souvenirs from a new destination. There are three versions – the regular box (what I’m reviewing here), a mini version, and a luxe version. In the regular subscription, you get a tour guide book, which may be of use in planning your next vacation!
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Escape Monthly
The Cost: $49.95
Ships to: US (free shipping)
The Products: Each box is a destination-inspired monthly delivery of luxury products to help you relax, renew, and escape.
Check out our past Escape Monthly reviews!
The box came with a full-color trifold brochure detailing the items included. It also had some information about the destination – California. And it reminded me of a real travel brochure.
Frommer’s Easy Guide to San Francisco – Value $10
This was the monthly travel guide (the price is for a new paper copy from Amazon). I have never been to San Francisco but I did like flipping through this and there’s always a chance I could go there one day. I think I prefer a more focused guide like this than something that tries to cover the whole state – California is a big, diverse place after all.
Goldrush Old Fashioned Sourdough Starter (1/2 oz) – Value $6.25
This is a perfect item to go with the San Francisco travel guide. I have made sourdough bread before and it’s actually pretty easy to get a culture started (it’ll go crazy with rye flour, in particular). However, I haven’t baked much bread in my new kitchen so there’s probably not a huge wild yeast population, so this will get put to good use. (I usually cheat, though – use the sourdough starter for the flavor but then throw in a packet of active dry yeast to get the bread to rise better.)
Torn Ranch Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar – Value $3
This was listed as an extra in the brochure. It was gone the same day I opened the box (can’t resist chocolate). I can’t find this exact bar listed in the Torn Ranch shop, though it does appear in some photographs (I linked to some similar bars instead). Torn Ranch is in Northern California so it’s an appropriate inclusion.
Natural Loofah Sponge – Value $0.50
This didn’t make it into the picture of all the items above because it got lost among the packing peanuts! (Sorry the photo is a little blurry.) Loofah is related to cucumbers, which I did not know before. You would want to disinfect this every once in awhile, though – apparently these things can harbor bacteria.
California Mango Cleansing Gel (9 oz) – Value $9.75
California Mango Hand and Body Lotion (9 oz) – Value $9.75
California Mango is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. I am a sucker for bath and body products and both of these will definitely get used (I have too much open right now to justify putting them in the shower right away). This is a smaller company I probably never would’ve discovered otherwise, which is nice.
Napa Organics Plum Kernel Oil (1 oz) – Value $32
This oil is produced in limited quantities in Northern California. It’s supposed to be high in antioxidants and good for reducing the appearance of scars as well as fine lines. I don’t have the best luck using oils on my face, but I do have some scars so we will see how it does with them (too soon to tell).
Napa Organics Lavender Hydrosol (1 oz) – Value $4.67
I didn’t see this exact product on the Napa Organics site, so I linked to something similar. This is a facial mist that I think will actually make a nice winter toner since it is alcohol-free and non-drying.
Exfoliating Soap Bag – Value $4 (?)
This is another non-branded item. You put a bar of soap inside and can wash up in the shower while also exfoliating. So far, I like it. And I hang the bag, soap and all, from a hook in the shower, so the soap doesn’t sit in water in a soap dish all day. I get exfoliation and longer-lasting soap!
Leather Wallet/Passport Holder – Value $19.95
This doesn’t scream “California” to me (in fact, if you look at the label I put next to it, it says “made in China”…). But it is listed as an extra on the information card so I guess that is OK. It’s supposedly big enough to hold a passport and also has spaces for other essentials (money, credit cards, etc.).
Verdict: Including the bonus items, I calculated a value of about $100 for the October Escape Monthly box. That's definitely better than some of their past boxes, even if you don’t count the non-branded wallet. I did think the box was a little heavy on bath and body items (not a problem for me), but I appreciate that Escape went with California companies – and smaller, lesser known but local brands – for these items. I feel like I made some cool discoveries – I’m liking a lot of products on the Napa Organics site, for example.
What do you think of the October 2015 Escape Monthly Box? Do you subscribe?
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