STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING—because I just found the most unexpectedly awesome thing in Lombok, Indonesia, and I have to tell you about it.
You know how when you travel, sometimes the biggest joy isn’t a fancy resort or "top 10" beach—but like, a tiny shop selling things you’ve never seen before that smell like magic and cost less than your morning coffee?
THAT. That’s what happened to me in a sleepy street market in central Lombok at golden hour.
Okay, so picture this: it's around 5:30 PM, the air's dipped just a bit from the swelter of midday, but it’s still warm enough that the humidity hugs your skin like a cozy (slightly damp) blanket. The sky’s showing off—everything is bathed in orange-pink light, and motorbikes buzz by lazily.
I'm walking through this cluster of market stalls with my friend Amira, hunting down some fried tempeh everyone's raving about on TikTok. But then—I stop. Right in my tracks.
This tiny little warung, half hidden behind baskets of fruit and incense smoke, had shelves packed with all these impossibly photogenic bottles, pastes, powders... and the smells. Earthy, tangy, a little floral. Like a spa in the jungle.
I pick up this conditioner—no English on the label, just this lush picture of hibiscus and aloe—and the vendor smiles, nods, and makes a brushing gesture through her hair.
“Bagus,” she says. "Very soft."
I buy it. I buy two. And then I spot them: small round tins of Nin Jiom herbal candy. Remember the ones we got obsessed with in Hong Kong? Apparently they're massive in Indonesia too! Locals say they soothe your throat and make your voice sound like butter, haha.
So suddenly I’m stocking up on these candies, rose-scented shampoos, clove-flavored toothpaste, and what I thought was body oil but turned out to be massage balm with eucalyptus that made my entire backpack smell like a forest—IN A GOOD WAY.
Later I learned this street, Jalan Arya Banjar Getas, is starting to blow up on social media. Not for the usual influencer pics, but for reels of people uncovering these hyper-local beauty finds and traditional remedies. It’s becoming one of those viral Lombok Indonesia spots where everyone’s like, “Wait... how did I not know about this?”
Here’s the kicker—most tourists miss it because it’s not near the coast or the waterfall trailheads. They don’t realize that wandering inland gives you access to the parts of Lombok that people don’t Insta every five seconds. Which makes it better, IMHO.
Insider tip? Ask for “minyak telon.” Locals use it on babies, but travelers swear it keeps mosquitoes away naturally and smells like lemongrass heaven. And it’s like—$1.
Funniest part? I spent so long sniffing soaps that I lost Amira for 20 minutes and had to Google Translate “Have you seen my friend?” to ask random strangers. She, meanwhile, made friends with a family selling bamboo combs and ended up invited to dinner! 😂
But honestly? That combination of getting a little lost, discovering something totally new, and having a lowkey perfect evening—that's what made it special. I felt like I tapped into a real rhythm of Lombok life. Not curated, not #ad—just authentic, textured, unforgettable.
And get this. Later that night I saw drone footage from FlyLombok.id. From above, you can see the entire neighborhood as this beautiful web of glowing lantern-lit alleys, layered rooftops, and jungle creeping in at the edges. Stuff I never would’ve noticed from the street. It made me want to explore more, to zoom out and then really zoom in.
So yeah—next time you're in trending Lombok, Indonesia, don’t just chase waterfalls. Chase conditioner. 😉