I stood in the doorway, ready to step over the threshold, the familiar sense of anticipation building. I frequent establishments like this one at home in Australia, but I was overseas, and these places are always different in a foreign country.
I moved inside. I noted the glowing lights, the queues of people jostling, the glistening bottles that lined the shelves. I could see drugs being exchanged, oils being rubbed into skin, secret shames being whispered into ears. I shivered with excitement and began browsing the shelves. There are always treasures to be found in a pharmacy.
I love a good pharmacy, particularly the chain-store variety. At home, I get my (multiple and multiplying!) scripts filled by my lovely local chemist, who knows my name and is aware of all of my (multiple and multiplying!) ailments.
For recreation, however, I visit my local Priceline or Chemist Warehouse, and will do so with even the faintest whiff of an excuse.
My tub of hair gel is almost empty? I’d better run to the pharmacy. My heels feel a little dry? I’ll check out the foot balms at the pharmacy. I didn’t sleep well last night? I’ll look for a herbal remedy at the pharmacy.
The mission gets me in the door. Then, once I’ve secured whatever lotion or potion I require, I’ll take a leisurely look around. I’ll examine the face masks and serums, consider the vitamin gummies and protein drinks, and marvel at the new and fascinating products.
I know other travellers get excited about museums or ancient churches. What really excites me is looking at fungal cream and nail polishes and hair dyes.
KERRI SACKVILLE
A heat pack disguised as a teddy bear? Amazing. A scrunchie the size of my head? So stylish! A face cream made of snail mucin? No thanks.
Occasionally, I’ll pause in an aisle for several minutes, fact-checking the promising product I have found. Can an ear candle really remove my ear wax, or will it simply fill it with more wax? Is it safe to spray water up my nose to clear my sinuses, or can the water leak into my brain? Will pro-collagen peptides erase the wrinkles around my eyes, and if so, how quickly?
If pharmacies are entertaining at home, they are utterly irresistible overseas. I know other travellers get excited about museums or ancient churches, and yes, I enjoy those places too. What really excites me in other countries, however, is looking at fungal cream and nail polishes and hair dyes.
I’ve spent countless hours at chain stores like CVS and Dis-Chem and Boots, perusing and admiring the wares as one might appreciate fine works of art. Their merch is comfortingly familiar, but exotic enough to be compelling. Products I use regularly are wrapped in labels with foreign languages, and feature logos I do not recognise. Sometimes, familiar brands offer different ranges in different countries, or promote special features we cannot get at home.
Some products have slightly different names in other countries. In South Africa, for example, my beloved Panadol is called “Panado”, leading me to spend many a happy hour wondering why they chose to drop the “l”.
On holidays, pharmacies provide a rich source of souvenirs. Over the years, I have brought home flavoured Vaselines from New York, Thai-language shampoo from Bangkok and organic face mists from New Zealand. While they’re generally no better than the home-grown versions, they are far more practical than a fridge magnet or figurine.
Pharmacies aren’t a traditional tourist destination, but they do offer an insight into sociological and cultural norms. In Asia, I saw pharmacies stocked with dozens of skin lighteners. In the US, I walked down aisles packed entirely with laxatives. In France, I gazed at high-end skin products more expensive than my plane ticket home. In some countries, you can buy pseudoephedrine or high-dose melatonin over the counter. In others, pharmacists stand behind bulletproof glass.
Mostly, however, pharmacies remind me that we humans are more similar than we are different. They are a testament to the wild and wonderful quirks of the human body, and the ways in which we all want to be a little bit more groomed. I can step into any pharmacy in the world and be reassured that we all get nail fungus and dandruff, and that we are all prone to headaches and low iron. We will always need pregnancy tests and toothpaste, and we will always want eyelash curlers and Listerine.
My partner loves going to hardware stores, and will disappear for twenty minutes at a time when we’ve just popped in for some fertiliser. I’ve seen pharmacies referred to as “Girl Bunnings”, and that does have an element of truth.
Still, I like to believe that there is something in a pharmacy for everyone, regardless of gender, age, or political persuasion. Whether you’re after diet shakes or jellybeans, hair thickeners or hair removers, jock-itch cream or nipple balm, teeth whitener or denture cleaner, there is something there for you. There is certainly always something there for me.
Speaking of which, I’m running a little low on pro-collagen peptides. I might take a stroll around a pharmacy.
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Kerri Sackville is an author, columnist and mother of three. Her new book is The Secret Life of You: How a bit of alone time can change your life, relationships and maybe the world.Connect via X or Facebook.
