I really miss that grocery store. We once had a ton of them around here, but they've been long gone now.
i had a big cube of olive oil marseille soap for about 4 dollars. it lasts forever and is a good deal in my opinion.
I've been making my own soaps for about two years now. I use olive oil as the principle oil and, in declining percentages, palm oil and mango butter, along with fragrances I like. Works out pretty nicely, actually, and why I'm getting started with shaving with str8's. It's all fun.
I found another I like recently at my local Sprouts. It's called Pure & Basic. I'm very fond of the Wild Banana Vanilla scent; which uses banana leaf. Much more sophisticated of a scent than I expected.
Pre de Provence soaps have become an item that all members of my family enjoy. It's well worth the price. Creamy lather leaving behind silky soft skin.
Dr. Bronner's soap is the way to go. Bar soap or as the liquid soap. Cheap, easy to find, and I'd really be surprised if there's something that works better. Also, it's made of very simple ingredients, so you know what you're getting. It's not like an ingredient is necessarily evil if you don't know what it is, but it's still nice to be able to know all the ingredients if possible.
If you're looking for a masculine smelling soap... Molton Brown Black Pepper is as masculine as I've ever smelled. It smells fantastic, but its a gel. I don't know if thats what you're into. But, like I said, it smells really, really good!
I use Savon de Marseille 72% olive oil (body and hair), Marius Fabre 400g and like it a lot 1 bar = 6 weeks. Also they have some with scent I like the peppermint one.
I also have to say I love Dr. Bronner's soap, especially the Lavender. Reminds me of AOS lavender shave cream.
Just reading the posts and have to agree with this. I have a few of Issy's bars and rotate them with other bars. Just went back to my Bamboo and Teak bar from Issy and it is a pure luxury in the shower.
I've gotten some high end soaps from Fresh, but I still feel the best soaps are the ones from Nephria, their Jade Bar.