05/25/2026
Wow! Thank you Mohave Insider for a nice write-up!
Come up and see us! Take a selfie with a b***o, catch a gunfight and pick up some love for your skin 🥰
🌵 The Mohave Insider Business Spotlight 🌵
Hidden Gem of Oatman: Montana Lee Soap & Suds
Along historic Route 66 in the heart of Oatman, Arizona, sits a handmade business filled with creativity, heart, and deeply personal meaning. Montana Lee Soap & Suds, owned by Nancy Blake, has become a unique hidden gem where visitors can find handcrafted soaps, lotions, body yogurts, bath products, candles, and custom creations made with care right here in Mohave County. And somehow, in a world drowning in mass-produced chemical goo with labels nobody can pronounce, there are still people handcrafting things with actual love and skill. Miraculous behavior from humanity for once. 🌵
Nancy describes herself as “a maker at heart,” someone who has spent years creating handmade products designed not only to smell beautiful, but also to help people with allergies, sensitivities, and special needs. After making handmade soaps and bath bombs years ago, she quickly fell in love with the craft and has now spent more than 12 years creating and selling her products. Her business has been in its current Oatman location for about six months, though her experience stretches far beyond that.
What makes Montana Lee Soap & Suds stand out is the personal handmade touch behind every product. Nancy specializes in small-batch creations and even offers custom orders tailored to specific allergies, ingredients, parties, showers, weddings, and special events. From coconut allergy accommodations to personalized party favors, she works hard to make products people can truly enjoy safely and comfortably.
Some of her most popular items include soap bars, lotions, body yogurts, and candles decorated with crystals and botanicals. One of her personal favorites is her Oatmeal Milk & Honey collection, available in soap, lotion, and body yogurt. She also loves creating custom party favors for weddings, birthdays, and celebrations because it gives her the chance to blend creativity with meaningful memories for her customers.
But perhaps the most touching part of the business is the story behind the name itself. Nancy named Montana Lee Soap & Suds after her late parents, honoring their memory through her work. Her father wore Old Spice cologne, inspiring one of her soaps called “The Sud-Slinger,” a scent inspired by his favorite fragrance. Outside the shop stands a life-sized cowboy sign carrying even deeper meaning, designed using her father’s Navy photo as inspiration, complete with bubbles coming out of the cowboy’s gun. Tiny desert-town soap shop somehow delivering emotional storytelling better than half the movies released lately. Incredible. 🤠
Nancy says one of the best parts about operating her business in Oatman is meeting people from all over the world while still getting to know the locals. She describes it as “the best of both worlds,” allowing her to connect with so many different people while continuing to do what she loves every day.
Her motto perfectly captures the spirit of the shop:
“Life is short, use the pretty soap!”
The community can find Montana Lee Soap & Suds directly on Route 66 in Oatman, Arizona. Visitors should keep an eye out for the large maroon sign featuring a cowgirl silhouette in a bathtub because according to Nancy, “you can’t miss it!”
The Mohave Insider loves spotlighting businesses like Montana Lee Soap & Suds because they represent what makes Mohave County so special, hardworking local people building something meaningful with creativity, passion, and heart. Hidden gems like this are part of the reason Route 66 continues to feel alive for travelers and locals alike.
— The Mohave Insider
