E-Mail This Article to a Friend Soak opera Feed your hungry skin a nearly edible treat BY DARCY HEITZKE

Manufacturers have always used the lure of sweet-smelling flowers and fresh-scented herbs and spices to enhance consumer attraction to bath and body products. Rose and lavender lotions and bath gels line drugstore shelves; peppermint and ginger scrubs dominate the market. But what about other smells we love? Who doesn’t salivate over the aroma of a freshly baked chocolate-chip cookie or a warm slice of pumpkin pie? Some of the newest bath products out there sound like things you might find on your favorite restaurant’s dessert menu. So treat your skin to one or more of these delectable treats — after all, they’re fat-free.

If you’re looking for a way to speed up your shower routine in the morning, you’ll love a bottle of Philosophy’s delicious three-in-one shampoo, conditioner, and body wash ($16), sold at Sephora. It comes in countless flavors, including cinnamon bun, pumpkin pie, and apple cider. Each cleverly packaged bottle includes a recipe for the sweet-scented treat that inspired it. And don’t forget to try another one of Philosophy’s seasonal goodies: the Gingerbread Man Foaming Bubble Bath and Shower Gel ($18), which is sure to spruce up your tub time.

If rich desserts are what you crave, you might find something to satisfy your skin’s appetite at Go Soak. This bath-time boutique specializes in some of the best-smelling indulgences a gal — or guy — could want. Hop online and snag yourself a bath bomb ($4) in scents like chocolate-chip cookie, angel-food cake, blueberry muffin, or crème brûlée. Don’t forget to wash everything down with Fresh Body Market’s Chocolate Milk Bath ($18) — but if you’re a true chocolate junkie, get your fix at Origins with some Cocoa Therapy body-buffing scrub ($25) or body butter ($27.50).

Need a little morning pick-me-up? Sephora’s own Coffee and Cream Morning Body Scrub ($18) might be just the thing to get you moving on a winter morning. Made from a blend of Hawaiian Kona coffee and whipped milk, this scrub is sure to give you a jump-start. Another sense-sparking option is Jaqua’s Cappuccino Shower Syrup ($17.50), available at Brookline Booksmith. If you welcomed the New Year by kicking your coffee addiction, don’t fret: Jaqua also makes a Marshmallow Cocoa Body Whip ($18) that’s sure to warm you up.

For a lighter, fruitier start to your day, check out the grapefruit-scented line of body luxuries at Origins. Start with the Gloomaway Grapefruit Body-Buffing Cleanser ($16.50), and be sure to lock in the winter season’s much-needed moisture with some Gloomaway Grapefruit Body Soufflé ($26). Or try some Banana Smoothie Soap ($7) by Fresh Body Market, available online at Go Soak.

Rough day at work? Take a load off and relax with a soothing Hot Toddy Bubble Bar ($5.45) from Lush. This skin-softening bath bar has a real warming effect, with its fruity, spicy scent. It might not be quite the same as that post-work glass of whiskey you had in mind, but it still serves as a gentle, calming agent — without the possibility of a hangover.

Where to find it:

• Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, (617) 566-6660; www.brooklinebooksmith.com

• Go Soak, www.gosoak.com

• Lush, 166 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 375-5874; www.lush.com

• Origins, various locations; www.origins.com

• Sephora, various locations; www.sephora.com