Beverly
Hills Morgue
Offers Herbal Body Wraps
In an effort to "put a better face
on death," the city morgue began a program where loved ones
may receive posthumous herbal wraps to stay fresh longer. Critics
argue that it's a dumb and revolting idea.
By George Wolfe
BEVERLY HILLS — The city morgue here will
soon begin to offer its elite clientele the service of "herbal
body wraps" for the deceased.
The Beverly Hills morgue "host", Donovan
Ogilvie III, got the idea for the new service from a brand of skin
wraps that he personally uses to keep his own skin fresh and lively.
"Just because a person dies doesn't mean we no longer treat
him as a human being possessed of dignity and good looks."
"We don't consider our clients dead
so much as we think of them as 'nearly alive.'" —
Donovan Ogilvie III, "host"
Beverly Hills city morgue
So far, response to the wraps has been
favorable. The wraps come in basil, rosemary, sage, thyme and peppermint,
with other flavors yet to come. Even
the city's mayor, Mark Egerman, proclaimed that "since many
of our citizens spend so much time during their lives tending to
their appearances, they should rest in peace knowing that it's still
being worked on… that it's never too late to look young."
"Quite frankly," says Ogilvie,
"people don't want their loved ones stinking to high heaven.
The herbs give the skin a little pizzazz. We often say that our
clients aren't really dead, but that they're 'nearly alive.' All
our staff are dedicated to this principle."
Ogilvie says he plans to introduce a follow-up
to the herbal wraps: posthumous cosmetic surgery and dental work,
combined with what he calls "designer deadwear" —
to really go out in style.
|