This was the perfect girl's day out! When I tell you this was one of the most fun experiences I've had in the DMV, that's no lie. We were walk ins and didn't have to wait long for our custom experience. While we waited, we started deciding what fragrances were most appealing. Almost every seat was filled when we arrived, but we only had to wait about 15 min for people to finish and make space for us. It's such a cute little shop! However, if you more than a couple people in your group, try to make a reservation in advance. The previous to make the fragrance was really cool. The associate who helped us listened and made helpful recommendations that resulted in us making the perfect fragrance. Is really cool too that every custom scent is saved in their database, so if you ever want to get more out make the scent into a soap, lotion, spray, etc, they can recreate it for you. 10/10 recommend! read more

See all

This was a fun experience to have for my friend's birthday. Although the place was small, they had seats for us for our scheduled appointment. I will say there are a lot of scents and mixes, so it was challenging trying to pick the perfect one for my customized cologne. Overall they had many fragrances, from sweet to spicy and everything in between. The fragrances smell natural and high quality, similar to the big brands out there. The cologne is also priced like a premium; around $130 I believe. The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of for the price is that the customized title of the cologne is a basic sticker. I wish the sticker had some kind of logo or design. read more

Olfactory NYC - Cologne - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came to Olfactory NYC on a Saturday afternoon for a friend's birthday party, and we had such a wonderful time! We were a pretty large group, and the staff could not have been more accommodating. From the moment we walked in, everyone was friendly, welcoming, and clearly passionate about what they do. They managed to make our group feel taken care of while keeping the whole experience personal and fun. The space itself is cozy and stylish, and as soon as you get close to the shop you can smell the amazing fragrances wafting outside. Once we got started, we each picked a base scent from the wall, then worked with a fragrance expert who helped us build our perfect custom perfume. They asked questions about what kinds of scents we liked, guided us through testing them on our skin, and made sure we were happy with our final blend. It was so cool getting to name our perfume and choose the bottle color. The little personalized details made it feel extra special! Even with a big group, the process felt smooth and organized. We all loved comparing our creations and seeing how unique each one turned out. It's such a creative and interactive experience and definitely something different from your typical outing. At around $85, it felt totally worth it for the quality of the perfume and the experience itself. Whether you're celebrating something or just looking for a fun activity with friends, Olfactory NYC is such a cool experience. I'll absolutely be back to create a new scent or refill the one I made that day! read more

See all

I'm always looking for fun things to do that are crafty like. After doing research on Yelp for things to do in Georgetown, Olfactory came up. About a month in advance I made an appointment for an afternoon in a Saturday. They do take walk in's but, I was not going to chance not having an opportunity to do this. As you got closer to the store you could smell it. It was beautiful! We walked in and checked in. We were instructed to spare 10-12 perfumes on a separate tab paper. Turns out there was seasonal sent just past the row, but so was unaware of that. They you take those papers outside and start smelling. We were out there for maybe 5-7 minutes smelling away picking ones we liked and disliked. Back inside we went with our choices. From there we were asked questions in scents we like and disliked. From there our mixologist out samples together. We smelled again, picked ones we like. Then from there were did the skin test. It's important to let that dry and work with your body's chemistry. Once that's done, viola! You were able to name your scent , pick out a color for the tape in the bottle and the tape in your box. The details that went into making this "yours" was special. When done you have an account that saves items bought and they can mail you more if you want. I did opt for a hair spay/body mist of the scent I liked at my #2. The staff were engaging and polite. The , I'll call her "mixologist", was great. She really seemed to know her stuff. Which made us feel comfortable that the job was being done right. She listened to our like and dislikes and was able to pull things from that. The store is small and is very cramped. It makes me think of a long galley kitchen. I understand offering to walk-ins, but it was just too much. People everywhere. It was hard to hear at times. It felt personal and intimate, but like at a wedding reception where everyone is around and watching you. I think I'd like to come back and bring my daughter. She would enjoy this activity. read more

See all

Came here with a few friends and it was so fun! We made our own perfumes and the workers were very patient and helpful as we built our scents. I love the fragrance I was able to make! read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

What a great experience! So, I first heard about Olfactory NYC late last year, but missed the opportunity to attend with my friends. All of my friends who previously attended the girl's night at Olfactory NYC had nothing but great things to say about their experience. I must say, when I eventually got the opportunity to go, it definitely lived up to the hype. I went as a walk in on Sunday and had the best experience! All the workers here were genuine, engaging, and warm. Since we went as a walk in, we had a bit of a wait, however, the hard decision of picking one scent for the base definitely made the wait go by fast. Eventually, we were seated and asked a series of questions to get to our perfect, personalized scent. Then, after those questions, we got the opportunity to smell each paired scent on our skin to make our final decision. My scent came out absolutely lovely with other options that made my decision hard. After we were committed to our scent, our perfume was packaged in a personalized manner via the picking of a bottle and the creation of our scents name. They also saved the scent in their system for when our perfume runs out, which is super great! Needless to say, I will be back. The experience's total cost was $85. read more

See all

I loved my first time here! I've done a perfume class before but I really appreciated the approach here. The space was clean, vibrant and had good energy. It wasn't too busy even though it was a holiday week, but they provided us with great customer service! Shoutout to Morgan who helped us out! Her attention to detail was amazing! She carefully explained how the process works and took her time every step of the way. I would highly recommend visiting and please ask for Morgan! I love my new custom scent and lotion! read more

See all

This is a very cool concept to to as a solo date , couples date or girls night / day out . You make your own scent and body just . Plenty of options to choose from . A overall very cool experience z read more

See all

Came here to create my wedding scent for my wedding in Greece! From the moment I walked in, all the staff were welcoming and helpful. You start by picking a base scent (they encourage you to also step outside to smell as well). Then I was able to tell them what type of scent notes I was going for. I loved that you also get to choose a name and color for the bottle. At $85, it absolutely was worth the price. I am already planning on ordering another bottle! read more

Olfactory NYC - Interior - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Booked an appointment for my wife and to creat a fragrance. Pretty fun process. You get a choice of a base and then they help you narrow down your choices by asking you for your favorite smells and combining them with the base you picked. You can even pick a name for your fragrance. They got us out in around 30 minutes and you leave with a 50ml bottle of your own personal cologne/perfume. Definitely worth doing as a date. read more

I wish I had better things to say about Olfactory because it's such a cool concept! I went with my sister for her birthday and it was just not a good experience. We both agreed halfway through to actually leave- luckily it got better. She had a reservation for her birthday and things just didn't start on a good note. They told her to start with the samples on the wall but the staff seemed too busy to really explain why. Because it was full the store was really loud and it was hard for us to talk to each other. When an employee came to get her for her reservation, we sat at the counter. The chairs are flimsy and tightly packed together- we felt very squished. Again, it was so loud it was hard to hear the employee. The first employee that helped us was kind but checked out. She would set up the samples without explanation and then chat with her coworkers in a different language while we waited for the samples to dry. She named each scent but didn't explain anything else. She made some awkward small talk but spent more time talking with her coworkers. It turns out you need to pick at least 4 samples the employee prepares for you. My sister only picked two. She sent my sister back to the start with some brief suggestions. After going through another round of samples without at least 4 selections, she turned to another employee and walked away without explanation. My sister and I agreed that at this point we were both ready to leave. Luckily the new employee was super helpful. She had in depth knowledge of the scents, gave many suggestions of what to look for, and offered general tips about perfume. She guided my sister successfully through finding the right scent. The final product was beautifully packaged and my sister was happy with the results. Personally, I think it wasn't a lot of customization and the perfume could match something else you purchase for a lower price. We both agreed that this experience depends on which employee helps you. I would add that the cramped and loud store means you should try to come by at a less busy time. read more

See all

Very neat experience, love the aesthetic inside the shop, we decided to create our own fragrance. Nearly $200 for 2 perfumes but I think that's reasonable considering you'd spend that even without the experience. We did have to wait 30 minutes+ even with a reservation, and I wish it was more hands on for the customer. As a customer you only get to smell and choose the best smell and they mix it for you and do the rest. read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

My sister and I booked online. We had to book months in advance as the times filled up pretty quickly. We ended running late due to parking, but discovered they take walk-ins! The wait isn't long at all either. The shop is quite small but the counter seats about a dozen people at a time and there are multiple associates that help you mix your custom scent. You start with a base scent from the options on the wall. I do wish there were more options. Then you take that scent to the counter and start building based on your preference (i.e. floral, smoky, fruity, etc.). The associate helping us out was nice but seemed distracted at the beginning! She let us take our time, smell the scents on our skin inside the store and also recommend we step outside the store to see how the scents change while outside. It was a fun and quick experience. Funny enough, my sister and I picked the exact same concoction. We got to name our scents and were also told we could return for a refill, which I definitely will. I highly recommend. It's great for guys and girls (perfume and cologne). read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

This is such a fun experience! I got a gift certificate for Christmas and I was so excited! I went online to schedule a time, which I highly recommend because they are super busy. Parking in Georgetown is terrible, but there is a parking garage right around the corner. You pick your base scent and from there, the employee will add some notes for you. The employee who helped me was named Doug and he was super cool! He put some great combinations together for me. I ended up with a cherry and pear fresh scent that smells amazing. Overall, such a fun experience and also an experience you can do multiple times. I would recommend going during the week because Georgetown is just super busy on the weekends. read more

See all

So obsessed with the energy and vibes in this place. We made a reservation to create our own perfume and got started right on time. Our rep (I wish I caught his name) was funny, attentive, and explained everything in great detail. My friend and I both made a scent that we loved, and we were so happy with the overall experience. It is pricey, but the perfume is good quality and the experience is worth it! read more

See all

Amazing experience! Brought my best friend here for her bday and she absolutely loved it, Kristian was amazing and made the experience Memorable we had so much fun! Would def recommend ! read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Olfactory was a lovely experience! My sister and I had a fabulous time with Brianna our fragrance expert. First starters, the vibe was on point. The music was selection was perfect while were creating our new fragrances. You start off by picking your base scent from the fragrance wall. After that, your fragrance expert will asks what other type of scents you like. This helps build your perfume with other complimenting notes. From there, you end up going outside to test the different scents. Once you pick your signature scent, you get to select your bottle and name the fragrance. This was a fun and unique activity to do in the city! read more

See all

My brothers and I were in Georgetown for a day trip and decided to check out this shop while window shopping. The store had a nice selection of scents mounted on the wall for sampling. We didn't buy anything initially but couldn't stop thinking about one of the colognes, so we came back later the same day to purchase it. The staff was friendly, though it took a moment for them to acknowledge us when we were ready to make the purchase. However, the process was quick and simple once we were attended to. I'd recommend this place if you're visiting Georgetown. It's a cute spot with unique scents, perfect for a quick stop whether you're exploring the area or on a date. read more

See all

We had such a wonderful experience at Olfactory NYC! My sister and I went together as a little gift to ourselves and we just loved it. Kristian helped us through the process and we can't say enough amazing things about him-he was so great at explaining the process, picking out accords that he thought we might like, all while being so lovely and conversational and just delightful. We loved the perfumes we made-they are gorgeous. So fun to personalize the names too (we named both of ours for features/nicknames for our dogs which is just so sweet). We actually went to Sephora the day before to see what perfumes we were drawn to and I can confidently say that we both liked the perfumes we made at Olfactory more than any of the 30+ we smelled at Sephora. Super fun! Highly recommend. Kristian if you ever see this you are the best and we are so grateful we got to work with you!!! read more

Olfactory NYC - Finished perfumes! - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Super friendly service. Great customer care. You nose pick the scents you like the most and concoct your tailor made fragrance! Unfortunately I find that the scent isn't as long lasting as I'd like it to be. Fragrance cost $85 and up read more

See all

Friendly Staff, exciting experience step by step! For my birthday my family of 6 came in from Chicago to make our own perfume. It's not just for women!! They have cologne as well! You pick your base scent, you name your fragrance, you pick 4 notes to add to your signature perfume fragrance that you create. Lots of sniff tests, lots of tests to guess what you're actually smelling like is that really amber or bergamot!? So fun! You get to pick what color bottle you want also! Affordable and overall a wonderful, interesting and fun experience. Highly recommend! read more

See all

I visited Olfactory for a custom fragrance experience, and it was truly unique. Although our appointments were set for 3:30, we arrived a bit early and were accommodated ahead of schedule, which was greatly appreciated. The fragrance-making process is straightforward: you select one base and one accent, so while it isn't the most versatile, it's still enjoyable to explore. Our assistant, Katia, wasn't overly personable, but she did allow us to take our time and move through the process thoroughly and the space was tight and they didn't offer any palate cleanser while smell multiple fragrances.Overall, it was a fun and different activity that I would recommend for girlfriends or couples looking for something special to do together. read more

See all

Loved it - it was such a FUN experience!! Adore the custom perfumes we made - so unique and delicious. Perfect date spot with ur bestie, significant other or anyone really before grabbing a bite in Georgetown. What made it 10x better was the staff- so warm, friendly and skilled. They guided us through so smoothly - it's like they knew me. Special shout out to Nati & Sabrina. Will def be back! read more

Olfactory NYC - Two women holding custom perfumes - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is so tiny. There is not enough room for anyone to sit. Even if you get there on time, you are still waiting around for a seat. They need to do a better time with time slots. It also feels like you're being rushed. The perfume you smell is hard to smell in the room so you have to go out. Then you have to smell notes but it was hard to narrow down. They had like citrusy, manly, floral or smoky. Many of their scents were made by popular perfume designers like Marc Jacob's. Not sure if this is worth $85 read more

See all

I went here toward the end of March during their soft opening, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I created a custom fragrance for $85. I also got to choose the name and the color of the label. I thought the service was so friendly, patient, and helpful. Because it was their soft opening, there were basically no other customers in there. That definitely helped with my customer service experience. I had all the workers' attention helping me. I saw good reviews of their other locations, so when I had time to kill in Georgetown I stepped inside and started the process. You start with one of their base fragrances. Then, they mix it with other pre-set scent combinations (fragrance accords) and let you smell all of them. They started me off with maybe 9 combinations. In their web site, I think they list over 25 of these fragrance accords you can play with. You eventually narrow it down to one that you like. The experience took me maybe about 30min altogether. The fragrance accords were all over the place, so they can definitely find something for you. I told them I didn't like masculine or musky scents in general so I think that helped them narrow down which ones to show me. Something worth pointing out is that this isn't a custom fragrance you build entirely from scratch. I've done something like that to make a custom candle, but this is different. You should come in expecting to simply layer one of the fragrance accords they have on top of the base fragrance you choose. It's still fun, but keep that in mind! I created a beachy scent. I started with the Ashton base fragrance (citrus notes and white tea) and added the fragrance accord that had driftwood and sea salt. I named it Alki after a beach I enjoyed in my previous city, Seattle. read more

Olfactory NYC - my customer fragrance - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Outside if having to wait 45 min after our reservation, the experience was well worth It. The staff was very knowledgeable, friendly and fun to work with. If you're an indecisive person, the experience may take you longer since there are many variations of scents to choose from. I left with two scents because I couldn't decide and they were both great! read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

A great and fun experience, it was a fun process picking a base and then coming over to the mixer tech who helped mix scents to help you make a decision and narrow it down to a top 4. From there getting them sprayed on areas on you and making your final decision! read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

INCREDIBLE experience!!! From the moment we stepped in, the staff was so kind & incredibly helpful..Kristian was SO patient with us as we struggled to choose our favorite combinations because there were SO many delicious scents to choose from! 10/10 recommend for girls night, date night, etc!! read more

Sister Date! This was a rather unique experience! Olfactory DC is located in Georgetown directly across from Sephora. We were a tad bit early for our reservation, so we were told to wait about ten minutes. When it was time Nati welcomed us in with his warm demeanor. He introduced our scent specialist, Diamond. She explained the process of choosing a base, which would be the foundation of our scent. All of the bases are labeled with their fragrance notes and respective perfumer. After choosing our preference, she then developed our fragrance by adding elements for your notes. Then we tested the fragrances on the skin for the best match to our body chemistry. Once you chose the scent, you get to choose the color and name it. Overall great experience! read more

See all

Great perfume making experience but way too small. I would suggest relocating to a bigger location . All those smells in a small space can be overwhelming and we were instructed to go outside in the cold to try to smell the samples. Besides that, I loved the process of making my own unique scent and the custom label was a nice touch. Friendly warm staff members are an extra bonus! read more

See all

I went to Olfactory NYC with my mom to make perfume for her birthday and it was an amazing experience! She is a big perfume fan so I was excited for us to make perfume instead of going out and buying her a bottle. To start we picked out base scents by spraying them on test strips and stepping outside to smell them. Once we had our base scents picked we talked with our mixologist on the scent notes we liked and she gave us 6 strips with different scents on them that we could mix with our base scent. From there we had to choose our top 4 scents and our mixologist layered our base scent on top of them to help us narrow down what we would like in our perfume. Once we chose our top scent our mixologist combined our base scent with our mix-in and bottled it up. We also got to name our perfumes which was really cool! My only piece of advice is that because there is so many scents in the studio at times you will be asked to walk outside to smell them to really get the scents fragrance notes. There's a couple steps that lead into the studio so if you have limited mobility it may be a challenge to keep going back and forth. But overall I had an amazing experience and our mixologist was the best! I would definitely come again! read more

BELLA! She is such a vibe! Great energy and kind. My bestie and I walked in and we were instructed to select a base scent from the wall area and then she asked what we usually wear to look up the notes in our other perfumes. Bella explained everything she was doing to prepare a custom scent and my bestie and I were out of there in less than an hour with our own bottled perfumes! Great experience overall, very memorable, and can't wait to be back for my next bottle. They also make lotions and body washes to match you perfume. read more

I came here for my birthday and had a great time. I had the pleasure of working with Diamond! She was super nice & helped me choose something a little different than my go to which I absolutely love. Very good experience & would do it again! read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Visited Olfactory in Georgetown for a girl's group activity and appreciated their flexibility with our appointment time. After a short 10-minute wait, we explored the base scents on the wall. The custom perfume-making experience was fun and unique but felt a bit short for the $85 price tag. Overall, it's a nice one-time experience. read more

See all

This was sooo much fun. I learned so much about different scents and tried something new that I am loving. Tor was amazinggg !!! She is soo sweet and made the experience even better. She gave the best recommendations. read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

The experience was hosted by our tech Kristian and he really made us feel so special throughout. We chose a base and after a consultation Kristian created 9 mixtures for us to sample and narrow down to 4. At this time he applied the 4 to our skin and had us blindly choose which one spoke to us most, then revealed the notes. I was shocked I choose the notes I did because i wouldn't usually gravitate to those if I had know so I feel like I learned something about myself !! read more

See all

You can walk in, but recommend making a reservation. Very cool experience that takes roughly 30-45 minutes, and once you have your scent you can re-order or add to other items (lotions, bath wash). Thoroughly enjoyed read more

Olfactory NYC - Perfume Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Very fun experience!! The space was very small and busy but the staff was so attentive and helpful with any questions!

Went to the fragrance making class and met with Diamond. Diamond was warm, funny and very patient. She helped us make our ideal fragrance and allowed for us to change our minds multiple times with grace. I enjoyed the experience and would come again. read more

Visited Olfactory in Georgetown on a Sunday to celebrate my cousins birthday. The location is small with a bar that seats about 10-12ish people. It was a busy Sunday, so the shop was packed. When we arrived we immediately were assisted and told to begin picking out a base scent. The shop is extremely fragrant, it smells like a million scents so there was a lot of going in and out of the shop in order to fully understand what scent we liked and didn't like. When we finished picking out our scent, it took a minute to get seated because others were finishing their experience. When we did begin the process, it was different than I expected. The base scent ended up being the foundation of the perfume and we had to determine what scent to add to it in order to create ours. Out of all the base scents, the one I chose was the one I liked best but I didn't necessarily want my scent to have to include it. The attendants do all of the "creating", they gave us more scents to sniff and decide if we liked or disliked them. After that they have us clean our arms and combine four of the secondary scents with the base scent. We had to go outside (again) to determine which scent combination we liked best and that was basically the end of it. My cousin didn't end up liking any of the four scents she paired and had to try again with new scents, she did two more rounds of trying pairings but when we were comparing them outside most of her combinations smelled like aggressive cleaning solutions. She was very disappointed and didn't end up finding a combination that worked (even with multiple attendants trying to assist) so she didn't leave with one. I noticed that for the mixtures they do 50/50 of your base scent and secondary and she might've benefited from them doing more of the base and less secondary or vice versa. Also, I feel like I would've liked to have more hands on participation (similar to the other create your own experiences I've done) but it was not that. The scent I ended up creating was nice, but after a few weeks of wearing it daily I find that for the $85 price it does not last. I can put the scent on in my house and by the time I make it outside, I feel its gone. Even dousing myself in the scent, it doesn't last more than 30 minutes. Which makes it unlikely that I'd recommend this experience to others especially considering the price. read more