Discover 39BC

With 39BC, Sharmadean Reid opens a new chapter. Known for building cultural platforms and communities around women, identity and self-expression, she now turns inward, into something more sensory, more instinctive. A bathing house where beauty doesn’t begin on the skin, but in water. Rooted in memory, ritual and the intelligence of the body, 39BC repositions bathing as something essential: not a routine, but a space to return to. We spoke about water, history, pleasure and why the bath might be the most radical beauty gesture today.

 Your brand begins with water, memory and the body. Where does this relationship come from?

I have a very strong memory of my mother bathing all the time. It was something quite private, but also constant oils, perfumes, scrubs. She still has that same relationship to bathing today. When I moved from Wolverhampton to London, I suddenly found myself surrounded by so many people. Bathing became the only way for me to feel mentally and physically clean again. I would come home, run a bath, and use it to decompress. It became something I did almost obsessively. Now I take two baths a day,  one to begin, one to end. It holds a lot for me. I also gave birth in water. There’s something about being in water that makes me feel free. I often say bathing is like returning to the womb. We’re always searching for ways to come back to a space that feels like home.

 Do you feel we’re experiencing a shift today in the way we approach beauty and self-care?

 I don’t think it’s entirely new, every generation experiences its own shift. But what feels very present now, especially post-pandemic, is a move away from constant productivity and self-optimisation. People are starting to value pleasure, time, rest, and anything that creates calm or sanctuary. Bathing fits into that. It’s a space that is entirely your own, where you’re not producing, just existing.

 Why Cleopatra and Mark Antony as a starting point?

It felt incredibly modern. I started reading Cleopatra’s biographies because I felt drawn to her, and I realised how contemporary their story felt. Their relationship was intense built on power, desire, and sacrifice. I am not saying it’s bad or good. She gave up a dynasty, he gave up political power. It had real consequences on history. What I loved is that they were both deeply connected to beauty and pleasure. Cleopatra, especially, approached beauty with intelligence she was interested in science, alchemy. That intersection really resonates with me.

With 39BC, you’re moving into something more intimate. What’s your vision?

I wanted to create something that came from what I personally wanted, rather than what people expect. Something more inward. But I’ve always been someone who builds communities. So long term, I see physical spaces (retail or spa) where people can experience the philosophy in real life. Because this is something that needs to be felt, not just consumed.

What does your own ritual look like today?

Every morning, I start with music like Alice Coltrane, it feels like the day is opening. Then I run a bath, using whatever scent I’m drawn to. While it fills, I make a coffee, bring it with me, and just sit there. Sometimes in silence, sometimes with music. It’s not really about washing,  it’s about the water waking me up. At night, I do the same. Another bath, something softer. I cleanse, rinse, and go to bed. It’s simple, but it’s a rhythm. A way to begin and end the day in the same place.