Photos by Samantha Geiger
From candles to body scrub, Scent & Sip offers a unique experience to create the ideal fragrance in a variety of forms.
You’ve heard of paint and sip nights, but how about Scent & Sip? This one-of-a-kind experience combines two of life’s greatest pleasures: good drinks and even better smells.
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Scent & Sip in Lansdale is a BYOB experience that gives guests the opportunity to create their own fragrance. Choose from various options, including candles all the way to pet shampoo!
There are a few steps in the process. First, guests will walk over to the wall of scents, where there are over 160 fragrances to smell. They are all in candle form and labeled alphabetically. Ranging from fruity, sweet or like your favorite food, there are plenty of scents for each preference. A personal favorite is “Monkey Fart,” which smells like bananas.
On the sheet provided, guests will write down 10-12 of their favorite scents. The experts then bring all these smells in their pure, full-strength, liquid form. This is when guests experiment with the blends and decide which pairings go together the best. Guests usually pick two to four scents to blend and then choose whichever product they’d like to create. Whether you create a sugar scrub, aloe gel or cologne, the last step is to design a label and choose a unique name for your special creation.
Jen Burnley, the owner of Scent & Sip, tells us about the wide variety of fragrances to choose from. “We have between 160-170 fragrances available to blend with. Our standard, 140 fragrances range from absinthe to yuzu and everything in between,” explains Burnley. “These standard fragrances are always available for guests to blend with. There is at least a little something for all tastes.”
Whether you prefer a fresh or sweet scent, there is something for everyone. “We offer loads of sweet treats like icing and fruity cereal. If you are a floral lover, we have bouquets of wonderful smells like roses, lilac and lavender. Our masculine and woody fragrances slate, mahogany, leather and bourbon are always in season,” says Burnley. “The most intriguing fragrances are the sentimental notes, like the smell of old books, race fuel and butter. In addition, we rotate out seasonal collections throughout the year. We are currently working on summer—spoiler alert—guava is amazing!”
The Fragrance Lab welcomes guests to bring their own drinks and snacks, with cups and wine openers readily available. Plan any type of special event here, like a birthday party, date night, baby shower and more with a private space.
The process takes around 45-60 minutes (depending how decisive you are). If guests create a wax product, like a candle or wax melt, they may have to come back to retrieve the item after it cools. There is also an option to get the gift sent home, with a small shipping fee.
When asked what the inspiration behind Scent & Sip is, Jen says, “I wanted my next career move to be rooted in community and centered around creativity. After loads of research into various ideas and looking around, no one else was doing something just like this.”
Now open for five years, Scent & Sip currently has a team of eight people, but ideally would like 12-14. Burnley says the dream would be to expand after the pandemic.
Jen’s favorite scent is R&B. “I can’t get enough of it right now! It is a clean and masculine scent that seems to blend well with everything. I love my R&B and amber musk sugar scrub. I have it blended with [the] elevator [scent] all over the house. I could go on, but you have to smell it to understand,” explains Burnley.
Scent & Sip is nestled in the town of Lansdale at 323 W. Main Street. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Call ahead to schedule your upcoming experience.
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