District Candle Lab — Local services in Washington

This place was so unprofessional and in considerate! It's my sister birthday she mad reservations & PAID for a party of 5 we are coming from out of town we got lost & my sister called & called to get directions no one answered the phone we finally arrived & my sister at the last minute called again and someone answered she was able to direct us to the right location Once we we arrived inside an employee let us know their policy Theres a 15 minute grace period our appointment was set at 3 we arrived at 3:20 so she told us we couldn't get serviced! My sister asked if there was any way we could be accommodated because she paid a deposit and paid for the entire party which was a total of $75 she said I can ask my manager if we can still proceed but she wasn't sure because they have. A baby shower coming in at 4 and the store would be closed off we even said we can be done in $30 minutes she left and said she would ask her manager she came back and she said her manger said no! My sister asked can she be refunded and she said no! That's not their policy you cannot be refunded if your late and pass the grace period so my sister asked to speak to the manager and the manger proceeds to come over she was very rude to all of us and said she couldn't do anything for us we told her we called she said the phone is broken then she said it wasn't broken so we were all confused Michaela the manger was so rude and disrespectful she's like well that's irrelevant so and we were like how? my sister asked for the owner email and proceeded to write a email to see if there's something that can be done! As we leaving we started to look around and Michaela the manager was being rude with her dirty looks & I said to her ya know this is so unprofessional and she shrugs her shoulders at me and I said to her ya know that's rude and the lady beside her looked at me and said ENOUGH I asked her who are you she reply's and say THE OWNER I was so shocked that she sat at her little table making jewelry while she sent Michaela to do her dirty work she never even acknowledged us at all, until the very END To let us know, she was the owner and didn't show any concerns or didn't even come to us to say anything on how we were being treated by her manager a.k.a. Michaela I mean the behavior was just so terrible and very distasteful. We came from Baltimore Maryland, and we were so excited. For making a special memory, making beautiful candles for my sister's birthday. as a WOMAN OF COLOR WE Recognize Racism when we see and FEEL IT! IF YOUR ARE BLACK DONOT SUPPORT...

I am from another town outside of DC. I scheduled for a candle making event. My family and I were scheduled for a 3pm reservation for my birthday… We were lost arriving to your location we called several times for assistance on locating where you were and the phones were busy and when they rung no one answered at all!!! I paid $75 for my family and I to enjoy this experience… I got a response via phone at 3:20 when I was in the parking lot still looking for this location… the lady who assisted getting us to the door my party of 5 greeted us friendly and told us to get checked in with the lady at the desk… the lady at the desk stated you all had a party at 4 and because it was 3:23pm she had to ask her manager if she could move forward with our reservation. She came back to tell us she could not accommodate us or reschedule us for another time or day. I asked to personally speak to the manager Mikayla… Mikayla was extremely rude nonchalant and refused to make any accommodation in regard to my birthday plans… she offend not only myself but the rest of my family and my mother. She verbally stated she was not going back and forth with us and continued to walk away while we were trying speak to her. I would like for us to at least be able to reschedule to enjoy the experience and not miss out after paying $75 Makayla stated “you all could have been making more money if we were not lost so she refuses to give us our money back or reschedule.” I understand because I am a manager myself of a corporation but I would aim to serve my guest . This was an inconvenience and a terrible experience with the way Makayla spoke to us and handled the situation. She is not equipped to be in a manger position. horrible birthday experience. I am actually appalled by Makayla’s behavior as a manager it seems she began to argue with my sister by raising and voice asserting her gesticulation and tone. I am extremely unhappy as a customer. I do believe race and discrimination played A major role. Furthermore the owner of the establishment watched Makayla continue to be disrespectful with her time and dismissive behavior and refused to insert herself to better suite or calm the circumstances. If you are against for discriminatory behavior towards ppl of color I would not support this business. She could have at the very least been respectful and showed remorse for her consumers losing out. Nothing was done aside from being treated less than!...

As a candle lover, District Candle Lab instantly caught my attention a few months ago while I was walking behind Union Market. It’s a super cute, woman-owned boutique where you can create your own custom-scented candle—and I was immediately intrigued.

The process is fun from the very beginning. You start by choosing the size of your candle: 8oz or 12oz, with one or three wicks. Then, pick your vessel color—green, blue, pink, or brown.

Next, you’re invited to explore their fragrance wall, which is packed with scents to sample. You’re given a list and asked to select your top 10, then narrow those down to your final four favorites. The variety is impressive—think Agave Lime, Cantaloupe & Lily, and Smoked Vanilla Whiskey.

Once you’ve chosen your scents, you get to mix them in a small beaker to create your perfect custom blend. When you’re done, the Candle Maker sets your wick and pours your fragrance into melted wax. The candle takes about two hours to cure—just enough time to grab a bite, sip something refreshing, or explore the Union Market area.

This experience is perfect for a solo date, girls’ night, date night, or private event. I had such a great time and absolutely love how my candle turned out. It smells amazing.

You can also name your candle and label it with your chosen scent notes. Just a heads-up: since the exact measurements aren’t recorded, recreating your scent may be tricky, but honestly, that just gives you a reason to come back and experiment with something new.

If you’re looking for a unique and creative thing to do in D.C., I definitely recommend checking out District Candle Lab.

While walk-ins are welcome, I suggest making a reservation. You can book your spot through their website with a $15 non-refundable reservation fee, which is applied to your candle purchase.

And if candle-making isn’t your thing (or you want more to explore), they also offer pre-made candles and a custom charm bar inside the space. Fawne DC Charm Bar, located on the other side of the shop, lets you design your own charm bracelet or necklace—another fun touch to this already memorable...