Visiting Rampal Latour: a French Soap Factory and Museum in Salon-de-Provence
Certain places in Provence feel rooted in tradition, where craftsmanship isn’t on display just for visitors, but there as they always have been. Rampal Latour soap factory in Salon-de-Provence is one of those places. Known for its long history of producing traditional French soap, it offers both a glimpse into the past and a look at modern manufacturing that carries on tradition in an environmentally friendly way.
We stopped at the Rampal Latour soap factory museum and flagship store while exploring the Provence region. The company is still known for making authentic Savon de Marseille. What we found, though, was more than just a shop; it’s also home to a small museum that walks you through the history and process of soap making in Provence. Between the displays, the factory setting, and the rows of neatly stacked soaps in muted, earthy tones, it’s a place that gives you a sense of how things were.
If you’re planning a trip to Provence and looking for something a little different from markets and hilltop villages, a visit to Rampal Latour in Salon-de-Provence is well worth adding to your itinerary.
A brief history of Rampal Latour
The company’s origins date all the way back to 1828, when Pierre Rampal became a master soapmaker at a soap factory in Marseille. From that point on, the craft stayed in the family and was passed down through five generations.
One of his descendants, also named Pierre Rampal, helped bring wider recognition to the family’s work, earning gold medals at the 1900 Universal Exhibition. A few years later, in 1907, the family established its own soap factory in Salon-de-Provence, marking the beginning of a lasting connection to the region.
Nearly 100 years later, the Rampal family legacy was entrusted to Jean-Louis Plot, who carried it forward under a new name, Rampal Latour. While the name evolved, the focus remained the same: preserving the traditional craftsmanship behind authentic Savon de Marseille.
Today, Rampal Latour continues to produce its soaps in Salon-de-Provence, using the classic “à la Marseillaise” method in modern facilities. The brand has also embraced innovation in thoughtful ways, developing environmentally conscious techniques and expanding into organic products, while staying true to the heritage that defines it.
Inside the Rampal Latour soap museum
The museum itself is in a different location from the flagship store. It’s small and intimate, and feels like stepping back 100 years in time. Black-and-white photographs of soap making hang on the walls. Wooden shelves hold large squares of soap stacked one on top of another. There are small tables and chairs with stacks of old newspapers, and large blocks of soap sold by weight that you can actually cut and buy, with a cutting knife stuck in the block of soap. There are also soap pellets, sold by weight, that you can buy and melt into your own bars of soap. The worn concrete floors and aged wooden door frames add to the feeling that not much has changed.
Mixed into all the nostalgia are tasteful displays of the new products they manufacture today. They’ve done a great job with blending the old with the current day.
Inside the Rampal Latour factory store
Inside the factory store, you’ll find more soap than you’ve ever imagined. There are soaps scented with everything you can find in the region: all kinds of herbs, lemon, olive oil, and lavender. Bars of all shapes and sizes, shower gels, shampoo, dish soap, and hand soap line the shelves and walls.
In one section, there is an old metal sink with old-fashioned faucets that runs the length of the table, with hand soap you can actually sample.
Since you’re there, pick up a few samples to take home for yourself as well as for a few of your friends.
Planning a visit to Rampal Latour
Salon-de-Provence is centrally located and right off the highway that leads to many of the famous hilltop villages that Provence is known for. You don’t need a lot of time here. You could see the museum and the factory store in about an hour.
So if you find yourself driving through Provence, think about a quick detour. It is well worth your time.
Savonnerie Rampal Latour museum:
71 rue Félix PYAT
Salon-de-Provence
TEL: +33 4 90 56 07 28
Hours of operation:
Monday-Saturday: 9 am to 12:30 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm
Closed on Sundays and bank holidays
Free parking: at the top of Rue Félix PYAT
Website: www.rampal-latour.fr
Rampal Latour modern factory and shop
201 Impasse Monge
Salon-de-Provence
TEL: +33 4 90 56 07 28
Hours of operation:
Monday-Friday 9 am to 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm
Closed on Sundays and bank holidays
Free parking at the entrance of the building
Website: www.rampal-latour.fr
Why Rampal Latour is worth visiting
There’s no shortage of beautiful places to visit in Provence, from open-air markets to hilltop villages, but Rampal Latour offers something a little different.
What stands out most is the contrast between past and present. The museum gives you a look into the history of soap-making in the region, while the working factory shop shows how those traditions continue today.
It’s also an easy stop to fit into a day of exploring. It’s centrally located in Salon-de-Provence, and it’s the kind of place you can visit in under an hour, but still walk away feeling like you’ve seen something meaningful and specific to the region. Rampal Latour is well worth a visit, given that soap-making in this region is so famous with such a rich history.
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