First time visiting this place, but my mom and her friend already took classes here before. We took a candle making class that lasted about 40-50 min. Rena was our instructor. She was so chill, patient, and engaging! I didn't feel embarrassed if I made mistake. Just a nice experience overall. read more

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I've been here twice. The first was a corporate event that rented out the entire shop for the evening, and it was a lot of fun. The staff were super nice and helpful and fun and engaging. They offered suggestions even though there were 25+ of us in various stages of attentiveness. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. I had such a nice time that I booked another experience to celebrate my daughter's birthday. This time was different and felt ... perfunctory. We arrived right before our scheduled time, I was starting to tell the person who received us (I was told she was the owner even) that we had arrived quite a bit early (like we got there before the store even opened so we walked around for a bit before arriving 1 min before our reservation) before she abruptly said no it was already time and everyone else had gotten started. Just reminded me of the plethora of email reminders I'd received from them reminding us to arrive on time, allow time for parking, etc. She didn't even greet us or say hello or welcome. Never introduced herself, never asked our names. Just a "do you have a reservation?" And told us to put our stuff down (didn't tell us where) and put on an apron. We ended up putting our things down on someone else's seats because others were standing in front of ours while four others were choosing their scents for their candles. Told us we'd have to wait since there was no room for us to choose our scents so we just stood there. No one even said, hey why don't you wander around the store for a bit until space clears up. And why rudely tell us they'd already started when we just had to stand there and wait anyway? I really felt like we were in the way rather than paying customers, so I told my girls they could look around the shop for a minute rather than awkwardly stand there in front of someone else's seats. The person who helped us with our candle making was nice but kind of just gave us instructions of what to do. One of the girls mentioned how it was kind of like chemistry class so we all talked about science for a bit. I reminded the staff that the day was for my daughter's birthday (I had specified on the reservation) so she gave a quick little happy birthday before moving on. I didn't feel she was particularly helpful though. I asked how we can decide how much of one scent versus another and she just said you kind of just smell it. My daughter asked if she could make the color of her candle a little lighter and the person was just like, well, we can't guarantee what it will look like, but she was very helpful in breaking up the colored wax for her. When we returned to pick up our candles, that was it, they were just sitting there on the counter, packaged up and crammed into one little bag. I wanted to ask for another bag since each candle was going to a different household, but the staff gave off vibes of "go away". I distinctly remember the first time, each candle was packaged in their own little bag with the lid off the candle and they told us it was really important to let the candle "cure" and completely dry for three days before putting the lid on or lighting it. This time the candles were sealed up, no thank you for coming. No I hope you enjoy your candles. I can only assume this day was an outlier and maybe the staff were having a not great day. The experience is not cheap at $60 for which you create a 7 oz candle. I understand the cost isn't just for a candle, but for the experience of creating. The cost of the materials was probably minimal. But for that expense, I would have expected the experience to be a little less icy and a little more friendly (like during my first visit). Thankfully, my girls enjoyed their candles and had fun and were super thankful. read more

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It was my first time at Banter & Bliss and overall the experience was a bit mixed. Rena was incredibly kind and professional. She took great care of us and made us feel comfortable throughout the process. About halfway through, I realized I didn't love my scent and felt bad asking to adjust it, but Rena was more than happy to help and offered a solution right away. I truly appreciated her patience and professionalism. Unfortunately, a second employee came over and spoke to Rena in a way that felt very uncomfortable and unprofessional including curse words. I will say it was still a fun activity to do. However, I was expecting more of a "from scratch" perfume-making experience. Some of the oils were already pre-mixed, which made it harder to create what felt like a truly signature scent. I do think the candle making class would be a better activity to do. Overall, it was a good experience, and I'm thankful for Rena's professionalism. read more

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My friends and I used a groupon for the candle making class, and it was SUCH a fun experience! The store is located right outside the Macy's, and the mall parking was really convenient. We had Victoria as our guide, and she was super funny, helpful, friendly, and patient with us. She let us try multiple combinations to find our perfect scent for our candles, and even gave us some suggestions when we were stuck on what scent would go best with what. She walked us through how to adjust the color of the wax, and educated us on the general candle making process. The candles only took an hour to solidify and were ready for pickup, so we just grabbed a quick bite while waiting. Would 10/10 bring a friend here to do this again, and HIGHLY recommend taking a class with Victoria! She knows how to work a crowd and made the experience 10x better! read more

Banter & Bliss Candle - Candle Stores Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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Located in Manhattan Village A shopping mall inside the mall structure. My daughter and I had so much fun making candles at this clean well stocked quaint and beautiful store. She found this awesome place on Groupon of all places booked a visit and here we are celebrating her birthday doing what she loves and that is getting out and making things. My daughter is a laidback chill soul making candles is perfect for her I'm along for the ride to celebrate and I'm loving it. This store is beautiful. We arrive on time are handed aprons a set of items we will need to make candles the process is explained we choose our scents, the container to house our homemade candles, a label and a color for our wax. The candle making process is very relaxing the scents we chose for our individual candles smelled so nice mine was fresh and fruity. My daughter's scent a fresh and bold linen scent. I dedicated my candle to my mom orange was her favorite color so choosing that was easy for me it smells fruity and the orange wax is a perfect choice as my tribute candle to mom. My daughter chose a bright pink container a rose gold lid and pink colored wax very pretty and decorated for her Tortie triplet kittens Summer Daisy & Tulip. The class had in total 7 guests including me and my daughter it was a short fun class there are no interactions with the other guests just ourselves individually with the instructors. After the class concluded we left our candles and told to return after 1 1/2 hours to pick up our handmade candle. As you can see they all turned out nice. If you would like to book a class please call the number above. Just me Shawn C. read more

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Lady who helped us was polite and very patient with us, we have a group that can be somewhat indecisive at times. Place smelled lightly compared to other places that hit you when you walk by or walk in. It was nice cause I have a sensitive nose/smell so I didn't get a headache from being inside. Was a cool experience read more

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I would not have paid $60 to make a small candle. My husband and I went because we had a gift certificate. The class was about 45 minutes and then you wait about 1 hour to pick up the candle. The instructor was rather abrasive. Maybe we would have had a better experience if we'd had a different instructor. read more

We had a good time crafting candles, though navigating the reservation system was a bit of a hurdle, and the ambiance wasn't particularly warm. read more

Had a candle making class @3pm, for a party of 4. Kathy, our guide, was sooo nice and friendly. She was so patient and walked us through every step and was so nice enough to take pictures of us doing our candles. I truly enjoyed the class because of her and truly just a fun experiment to do. So many scents to choose from and being able to customize your own style with what you'd like name your candle. Kathy made our experience a 10/10. They were ready for pick up within a hour and able to take home. Truly amazing and will recommend anyone to give it a try! read more

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The experience at Banter and Bliss was super fun! I was able to make a candle for myself and a gift for my office clerk for the holidays. The store has some of the cutest things. Victoria was great!!! read more

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The perfume and candle making classes are fun and interactive! Instructors are friendly and knowledgeable to candles and fragrances. This place is a unique fun activity for hobbyist and beginners! read more

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Really interesting concept of making your own candles. Great idea for a date night or a group activity. We had a blast and really enjoyed the process of selecting and mixing scents, as well as picking the candle "vessel" design and personalization options. read more

I was planning to buy in bulk but the second I walked in no worker greeted me or offered any help, not sure if it's because of the way I look since I was not dressed up, but they completely ignored me as I was waiting for someone to offer assistance. read more

Would definitely recommend for a girls day or perfect for a date night. The instructor was very informative about the candle making process and made the experience great. read more

Banter & Bliss Candle - Candle Stores Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

The overall experience was pretty lackluster - we felt that our instructor was rushing us and generally peeved that we were even there. Most of the fragrances we were interested in using for our candles were out of stock - apparently taken to an event, causing more of a strain on time and we were unable to leave with a product we were excited/happy with. Would probably say to avoid the candle making experience until some of the kinks are sorted out. read more