The Candle Lab OTR

The Candle Lab is so cool! They have a ton of pre-​made candles with a great variety of unique scents, but also let you pick your own scents and make your own candle (or non-​candle product)! You get to pick the size/​type of product you would like to make, with price points generally hovering in the mid-​$ 20 range. Most of their options are (obviously) candles, but they also have salt scrubs, body mists and a few other cool things you can make. After you pick what you want to make, you get to run around and pick out scents that appeal to you. From there one of the Candle Lab employees can help you pick scents from those that you liked that would go well together and set you up to mix in your scents. You then get to make a candle label. They have markers and pens out so that you can design and color your label, which was just enough creativity for our group. You have to leave your candle overnight for it to set (not sure what happens if you do a non-​candle product) and pick it up the next day.
Overall, I thought this was a really fun idea and really well executed by The Candle Lab. It was a great group activity for a girls night, and seemed like it would be accessible for kids as well as adults! I think what I liked so much about it was that it was interesting and unique but not overly involved; it was very quick and easy, and there’s help if you need it. Plus, unlike the make your own painting events, you don’t have to necessarily hang this in your house for everyone to see if it turns out to be a little bit less than a masterpiece :)
I suggest making a reservation if you’ll be bringing a large group or coming at a busy time because it did get busy!

Interiors is clean and contemporary. You can literally smell the candles from the sidewalk. The overall experience is great for a first date, or a family outing. We made two candles which were holiday themed scents. We still have them burning in our living room. It’s stores like these in OTR, which make this place such an incredible adventure!

The Candle Lab was so fun, and I’m really enjoying my beautiful candle! I can’t wait to come back to make another custom creation.
The Candle Lab offers two options: purchase any of their premade candles with any of their hundreds of really cool scents (ranging from rosemary to morning dew to fresh linen to hops to basically any smell you can think of) OR make your own custom candle! Making your own candle starts at $ 17, which I thought was reasonable considering I spend more than that at Yankee for a candle, and I don’t get to make it myself.
To make your own candle, you first pick out your scents, which is the fun part. They can combine as many scents as you want into one candle, but we went with three different scents for our candle: cannabis (don’t judge, we actually thought it smelled good!), hops, and morning dew. They surprisingly smelled really great together! With some help from the friendly people working there, we combined our scented oils and poured it into the melted wax. We also drew up our own label for our candle (now’s your time to get creative!), and then we came back when the candle was done a couple of hours later.
We’ve been burning it at home, and it smells awesome! I’m really happy with my purchase and it was a fun way to spend time before lunch in OTR.

I was really excited to see The Candle Lab opening in Over the Rhine! I hadn’t been to one previously but I love candles and who doesn’t love the idea of making your own?!
Walking into the store there’s shelving to your left with a bunch of different jar options. They range in price, size and have different metal and glass jars; lots of choices which is nice! All the scents are lined up alphabetically against the wall for you to smell. You write down your favorite scents on the mini clipboards they provide; then sit at the counter and an employee will help you!
They give you the scents and you pour the oil into a shot glass; rationing out the scents however you prefer! They fill your container of choice up with wax and you mix in the oil and design your label.
We had to pick ours up the next day because we were in there late on a Saturday! Overall, it was a lot of fun and definitely a good date night or girls night out!

Stumbled onto this place with my sisters. We had a ton of fun making candles and they made it super easy to make the candles you wanted.

I was sooo freakin’ excited when I saw The Candle Lab was coming to Cincinnati! I’ll preface by saying I’ve been going to Columbus for years, walked by the location in Short North a dozen times, but it took their Cincinnati announcement for me to suggest an afternoon outing last time I was in Columbus. And let me tell you, I was instantly obsessed.
As a candle freak, I was in heaven. Imagine an entire wall of different scented candles just waiting for you to sniff. Anything from such oddball scents as «rain» and «baked bread» to the classic «cinnamon stick» and «hydrangea», you will find everything at The Candle Lab. Plus, the concept sounds like it would be expensive, but it’s really not. The candles start at $ 15 and go up to about $ 32, which is really the price you’d already be paying for a Yankee Candle. Basically the process goes like this:
1. Grab a clipboard.
2. Smell every candle scent imaginable.
3. Write down all your faves. And I mean all of them; they don’t even have to go together! (Pro tip: Star your top 2 – 3 favorites. They will ask you for them at the counter before you begin your creation.)
4. Choose a candle jar.
5. Go to the counter and share your list of scents with an employee. They will help pair the fragrances so you get the perfect scent. Don’t worry, it will smell amazing!
6. Create your «scent story» on a sticker (to be placed on either the bottom or side of the jar). Most people just put the fragrances they chose, but you can also come up with a clever name. They provide all the crayons and markers you could ever need!
7. Start mixing your oils. You can add as little or as much of each fragrance until it’s just right for your nose.
8. Pour the oil into the jar of wax provided.
9. Come back in 60 – 90 minutes after the wax has set (they’ll give you an approximate time for pick-​up).
10. Go home, burn and enjoy your new creation.
I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of visits to this new location. Where’s my frequent buyer card? :)

Wow, what a cute addition to OTR goodness.
The candle lab offer quality candles in tens of crazy inventive fragrances.
There is a lab station where you can create your own candle with some unique scent.
Must be nice for a date opening or mom&daughter time!
Some fragrances offered are crazy! Wanna get a bacon or popcorn candle??? That’s your spot!

Such a fun activity to do! Staff is so helpful and nice. There are over 100 scents to choose from and you can pick any size candle that you would like. We will definitely go back!

Really cool new shop in OTR. The Candle Lab is a great way to make your own personal scented candles, or buy off the shelf. Super atmosphere, and a great place to spend some time with friends and family. Check out the Candle Lab, you’ll love it too.

Don’t miss this place next time you’re in OTR! Their soy candles smell amazing and come in over 100 different scents. Even the store smells good! The Hot Cocoa candle smells exactly like a good cup of hot chocolate and Pumpkin Spice smells just like your grandma’s pumpkin pie. And best part is you can pour your own candles by mixing your favorite scents together in one candle. The staff is really helpful if you want ideas about what scents go good together.
Would be really fun for girls night out or bachelorette party too!
Love The Candle Lab!