Olfactory NYC — Local services in New York

During a recent online search, my fondness for fragrances and my inclination for learning, directed my inquiries to Olfactory NYC (Williamsburg Brooklyn location) where one could apparently create and personalize one’s very own scent. I was instantly intrigued believing the experience would be a fun new activity I could share with my visiting visually impaired cousin, who also possesses a passion for perfume. The experience I must say, was far better than I could have imagined! The ladies at Olfactory’s Brooklyn New York location were very kind, friendly and courteous.

I was quite pleased in particular with a young lady there named Lauren, whose vast knowledge of the art of perfuming, the many different fragrance matches and blends required to achieve one’s desired scent, her overall adeptness and moreover, the kind consideration she extended while interacting with my blind cousin greatly impressed us both.

Not only did the staff make the signature perfume creating session a very enjoyable, interactive and memorable experience for us, they also extended their kind helpfulness even further by suggesting an incredible nearby homemade pasta restaurant to us when we enquired of them after the session. Lauren even giving us detailed verbal and written directions to get there.

We left Olfactory that morning with both our senses of smell tingling and tantalized by the great variety of quality fragrance combination options and with wide smiles on our faces -- our very own perfume creations beautifully gift-packaged.

Definitely an activity I will recommend to any perfume lover or to couples and friends who may wish to connect creatively or to someone who seeks a different type of gift idea that will offer a bit more than simply the usual dinner and store-bought present cliché or to anyone who is simply desirous of trying something fun and different and also to someone who may be visually impaired since my cousin says the session was truly a thrilling one for her and one she truly excelled at due in part to her enhanced sense of smell and the knowledge that she was quite capably able to create something she can now truly...

Hi: My date took me out this past weekend to Olfactory NYC and we had such a lovely time there! We had the pleasure of working with Lauren, and we both agreed mid-way through that we were enjoying her company very much! She's incredibly knowledgeable about scents and the way that they pair together. It was so cool to observe her do her work -- so seamless, unhesitant, and precise in her responses and suggestions.

I had started out with 'Hunter' as a base, but unfortunately I didn't like the way that that base paired with any of the accords on my skin (it was a bit too intense of a scent for me -- scents that are light and floral match my personality more). Lauren was very patient with me and reassured me that it's normal, and that I should go back to search for another base scent. After scouring through the scents (yet again), I picked another one that I thought would be more fitted for me. Then, I showed Lauren the notes of the signature perfume I typically use, and she pulled out a base scent ('Blake') that wasn't displayed on the shelf that she said she thought I'd enjoy more! Immediately upon smelling Blake, I knew that was the base I had to go with. I'm really happy with the scent I ended up with, and the process of it was very intimate and enjoyable:) Lauren also repackaged my bottle when I asked if I could change the color of the bottle at the end, which was very kind of her.

Overall, my date and I had such a relaxing evening and an even better memory to look back on, and to top it all off -- our ideal scents to always remind us...

So me and my two best friends reunited recently and decided to do something cute together — we booked a session at Olfactory in Brooklyn, and honestly? 10/10, no notes. 🤌🏻

The whole experience was about an hour and a half (maybe two if you’re indecisive like us), and the best part? They don’t rush you. At all. It’s very much go-at-your-own-pace, explore what you like, play around with scents, and vibe. It felt thoughtful and chill — not like one of those super commercial “experiences” where they’re just trying to push product and get you out the door.

We happened to get Walter as our guide, and let me tell you — this queen is a gem. Apparently he’s usually at the Manhattan location, but the stars aligned and we got him in Brooklyn that day. He was so kind, funny, and somehow knew exactly when to give input and when to let us just be weird little scent gremlins mixing things that probably shouldn’t go together (but some of them actually slapped). We were such fans.

It ended up being the perfect bestie outing. Whether you’re a perfume girlie or just want something more memorable than brunch — this is it. We each left with a custom scent that actually smells like us, and the memory of a really sweet day that I’m gonna keep tucked away in the mental scrapbook.

Highly recommend, especially if you’re someone who collects moments over things. Though in this case, you...