'Good Stuff Only' As Manhattan Tobacco Shop Adds Bath, Body Products

MANHATTAN, IL — Linsey Piszczek loves a good DIY project. The Elwood woman has tackled projects like stained glass, crochet, art—and lately she's been dabbling in a bigger creative endeavor.

Piszczek and fiancé Scott Coveny have launched Chill Pill Bath Co., a line of locally sourced and handmade bath and body products. Each element—the scents, ingredients, label—have been created or curated by the pair, and the finished product now available at Coveny's Manhattan business, Southside Tobacco & Vape, at 24520 US 52.

It's a project and location close to both of their hearts — Piszczek, who has suffered from sensitive skin, and Coveny, whose family has deep roots in Manhattan.

"We were talking about expanding the shop offerings a while back and while I always have been an avid DIY-er, we were talking about adding some handcrafted bath and body products," Piszczek said.

" ... And he advised my continuous purchases as LUSH and Bath & Body Works are not sustainable," she joked.

That got the Elwood residents thinking.

"While I have made a lot of personal items in the past, I thought his idea was great," Piszczek said. "I have suffered from skin irritation in the past, so crafting really quality items I saw as a win-win, but I really wanted to do it right and create a curated brand, as well."

The two jumped in last fall and started researching products and methods.

"We wanted to make something more than boring soap—something based around quality, fun, design, fragrance—products with a purpose," she said.

The two learned that many commercially made soaps contain heavy detergents/surfactants that strip the skin of the natural oils that are crucial to healthy skin, she said.

"So we based our recipes on this info, making everything from scratch ... Emphasizing on natural, good stuff only," Piszczek said. "Ingredients like milks, butters, herbs, clays, botanicals, essential oils and more that are skin-loving and beneficial to the body."

They strive to use ingredients produced locally and ethically, she added. All base oils used in the soaps are sourced from a local, women-owned company based in Chicago, for instance.

"Our honey we get from someone in Manhattan," she added, "Also, most of the herbs used I grew in our garden. The pumpkin purée I canned from last fall.

"We're trying to do that with all of our stuff, if possible."

Currently, Chill Pill Bath Co. offers bath bombs, bath bomb dust, CBD-infused bath bombs, cold processed soap and soap scrubs, face soaps, decorative hand soaps, solid lotion bars, whipped body butter and accessories like hand-crocheted soap savers and soap dishes. In the future, they hope to add lip butters, sugar/salt scrubs, shampoo bars, whipped soaps & herbal healing salves.

"The fun part is really being able to customize the products," Piszczek said. "... Being able to add cocoa butter, peppermint, knowing what I like, what other people like."

They also are focused on products marketed for men, she said, with some items geared toward more unisex fragrances, and some fragrance-free.

"I’ve gotten some awesome men’s stuff that’s unisex," she said. "I made an oat milk soap with homemade oat milk and stout, and actually had positive feedback from the women’s side."

Ask her to name a few favorites, and she'll happily tick them off.

Aglow: A cold processed soap, gentle enough for face and body. Crafted with mango butter, jojoba oil, shea butter, organic carrot juice, pumpkin purée, Manhattan-sourced honey and sweet orange essential oils. While the oils/butters have many benefits for skin, Piszczek said the carrot juice and pumpkin are both packed with antioxidants, a wide array of vitamins and minerals that promote healthy, glowing, moisturized skin. For sale in full-size body bars, and smaller, hand-held size for the face.

Lemon Creme: A cold processed double milk scrub, available in full-size bars.

"This multi-benefit soap scrub has both goat & butter milks, so it's ultra-moisturizing, and we added poppy seeds and clay for a gentle exfoliation," she said.

"Packed with skin-loving butters and oils, we have also added an essential oil and fragrance pil blend for a fresh, long-lasting aroma."

A staff favorite, Spicy Island Rum is a men's cold processed goat milk soap incorporating mango and shea butter. It includes brightening turmeric, anti-inflammatory spirulina, cleansing madder root and kaolin clay, topped off with a Bay Rum fragrance oil. Also available in full-size bars.

Other products include solid body bar moisturizers in large and small, and assorted fragrances like Sweet Orange, Lemon Lavender, Lush Lime (staff fav), Berry Lemonade, Citrus & Kiwi Watermelon.

The whipped body butters are her personal favorite.

"They have a soft whipped consistency but melt with skin contact," she said. "These are based around shea and mango butter plus jojoba oil, which is amazing for the skin."

Bath bombs—including aromatherapy, CBD, essential oils, fragrance oils, infused with safe colorants and botanicals—features scents such as sandalwood vanilla, lime, orange creamsicle, calming lavender vanilla, lemongrass, sweet strawberry eucalyptus spearmint, raspberry lemonade and more.

They hope to further expand the store's offerings, as well.

"If there are local artists, we’d love to keep the store local, welcoming any artists that want to showcase their work," she said. "We don’t want to keep it just tobacco and vape, we want to have a lot of other items, too, make it community-focused."

Coveny said the town carries deep significance for him.

"My family grew up here," he said. "I love it there."

The two welcome shoppers to stop in and take a sniff of the products.

"We would love any feedback from the community and would gladly make any fragrances/aromas that are requested," Piszczek said.

"I packed up hundreds of samples, if people want to stop in and grab some."

Southside Tobacco & Vape is located at 24520 US 52. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., open 7 days a week.