Love love this place! Was my second time shopping with them…read moreThe candles and diffusers are so divine and what a fragrance I am very satisfied and my husband loves it too given he is so picky I will definitely keep coming back to gift friends and family

I love the candles and incense from here. There's a wide range of scents to choose from, mostly…read moreearthy and nature-based, but a few light floral scents. Candles come in a range of sizes, as do the incense (cone and stick). They have a standard set of scents that are always available, as well as seasonal and limited edition ones. There's usually a candle or incense stick burning right outside the main door so you can get a sniff and lured in by the promise of more. Prices are a bit up there, but I think it matches the quality. These aren't cheap candles and incense sticks that are overpowering and strong, and they don't burn fast. You'll get your money's worth out of them.

I absolutely adore this store. I took a trip to San Francisco with a particular mission one…read moreweekend; find lots of candles, and plenty of jewelry. One of the first recommendations that was given to me was Often Wander. It is a tiny store, but the selection is amazing. There are so many candles to choose from, and so many delicious scents! They also have a wide variety of crystals, rocks, and quality hand-crafted jewelry. The store may be small, but you could still get lost! The workers are also very friendly and seek to help wherever they can. My one suggestion is that there be a bit more transparency about the "50% off candle refill" offer. There are more fees and stipulations than advertised, and I don't think that is entirely fair. But other than that, the store is lovely, and I will certainly be a regular!

This store is so aptly named. How many of us Often Wander, and as one of the more famous saying…read moregoes, "Not all those who wander are lost . . . " J.R.R. Tolkien. With that said, we wander in and found so many beautiful things in this store. The gem shaped soaps, the beautifully arranged wall of necklaces, the astrological candles, and these cool looking locks.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this store!! It's the cutest shop with a wide variety of scents. They…read morehave a focus on non-alcoholic and organic smells, which isn't a priority for me, but it's nice. I absolutely love the gardenia scent and am hoping it holds! The prices here are not too crazy. A lot of these essential oil/soap stores will overcharge, but I thought this place was reasonable. You can get a small bundle of items for $28, a potent diffuser with 15 mL of essential oil for $18, and the soap bars are around $5. They also have a happy hour sale! Very worth it for local, small batch scents, which I usually see going for more. The two women working there today were super welcoming and sweet as well. I will definitely be coming back :)

I had the most enriching fragrance-blending class experience at Scents By the Bay! The moment I…read morewalk-in, Tarah and Kiki made me feel at home. They were super friendly, highly knowledgable, & answered all my questions. Their passion & positive vibes were contagious. Being a fragrance lover who blends scents at home, I appreciated the clear, beautifully crafted guidance. The class balanced simplicity for beginners with deep educational insights. On top of that, their fragrance selection was unbelievable--literally a library of scents! They had over 700 options, from designer oils to pure essential and aromatherapy scents. As someone who's taken other classes with fairly small options, having such an eclectic, rare selection to choose from was next level. This was a perfect act of self-care after a busy weekend, and I left with new knowledge, a beautiful custom fragrance, and immense joy. This truly was a one-of-a-kind experience. Highly recommend! I love supporting local businesses and see myself being a frequent customer--probably will pop-in once or twice a month! I am excited to bring friends here for birthdays and special occasions. Already, planning to bring my husband for a date--so we can create a fragrance together! I'm just thrilled that something like this exists right here in the East Bay. This experience was a gem, and I can't wait to return again and again!

I love Diptyque, but this specific branch was awesome. I initially came in the smell the new…read morechinese new year candle but unfortunately it was not in stock. But Connor, the staff there, was so awesome and pulled it from the back for me to smell! We also smelled some fragrances and he help us find some scents that suit us! I appreciate the lovely conversation we had! Give this man a raise! He was very attentive!

Fragrance is one of our most powerful senses…read more I love fragrance. I wear fragrances. I am not shy about this. The beauty of Diptyque is their fragrances smell "clean" - not like freshness, but more like what you smell in nature. I'm not explaining it well - er, it's nothing like say, Tom Ford before the corporate buyout. Diptyque fragrance on the skin is clean, light, polished, it whispers. On the day we visited there were 2 women at the register,.both very friendly and professional. I wanted to buy my younger daughter her first bottles of the brand for her birthday so she chose EHWT she wanted and the ladies let her choose her courtesy gift wrapping. I bought fragrance for my home because I already have bottles of this brand in my wardrobe. The in p-person experience was really nice, unrushed, easy. I am delighted to share yet another thing I love with my daughter. Oh! If you register online you're gifted a complementary candle for your birthday. Of course the gift wrap and 2 samples are free every purchase. If you don't care for overpowering fragrance - try Diptyque. It's really lovely. Fiver for excellence

After traveling in Europe to shop for scents, I can appreciate ZGO Perfumery even more. They bring…read moremany international perfume brands to me in an adorable setting. Plus, charming young men will guide you in discovering new treasures. Which is why I attended the special event focusing on Editions de Parfum Frédéric Malle perfumes. A new perfume was introduced - Contre Jour (which means Light Against Shadow). This perfume has radiance and depth. Check it out. The owner also unveiled the news that Frédéric Malle was now an established brand at the boutique; it has its own wall cabinet to showcase the perfumes! Event attendees enjoyed champagne & macaron treats. It was a party for perfume lovers! I found a new perfume to enjoy while perusing the selection. Plus: everyone on their invite list got a parting gift: a bag with EdP Frédéric Malle perfume samples and a notebook.

Awesome place. Amazing helpful and friendly service. My go to for the latest and hard to find.read more

They say it's always Halloween in San Francisco and you will see some interesting costumes from…read moreperformative people everyday because life is a performance. There are events in SF where everyone knows it involves some type of costume. An annual event which involves performative running of over seven miles and resembles a mix of a flash mob, rave, fraternity and sorority Greek gathering and those who like to show their fun spirit in San Francisco at the Bay to Breakers run. Some years Karl the Fog accompanies the runners on a Sunday morning and some years the sun shines bright through the entire path. There is a place where you can gear up and show your San Francisco free spirit. Located on Clement street it's called Foggy Notion. On a San Francisco Karl The Fog stroll I landed inside Foggy Notion. Inside you will find candles and natural skincare products along with gifts with some San Francisco representation. The products are made by local artisans . Get a towel of Sutro Tower and salty waters of the Pacific Ocean on the both sides of the Bay Bridge. After the Bay to Breakers run come and get some soap. They also have San Francisco scented candles which doesn't stink like parts of Fisherman's Wharf in SF. Come here if you want feel refreshed after over a seven mile cheesy run through San Francisco at the Bay to Breakers. There is place which has a "devotion" to the city of San Francisco with products giving the city some publicity and some"promotion "with sites and symbols of the San Francisco city landscape along with the "Pacific Ocean " you can find candles , hats, greeting cards and bags at "Foggy Notion" When it comes to Bay to Breakers it is not a breakdancing "event" just don't break a bone on your body running over 7 miles of San Francisco "cement"make sure wear good shoes so injuries you can "prevent" and make sure to gear up at Foggy Notion in SF on "Clement"

Love their candles and home goods like incense sticks here I always come here for their stuff…read more Super dope stuff they have a lot of home goods and their candles and incense sticks smell great make sure to come check them out

Ministry of Scent has an incredible selection of niche perfumes. I was overwhelmed with the…read moreoptions. It was really busy when I visited (probably because it was Valentine's Day), so I could tell the workers were feeling a bit overwhelmed. Nevertheless, I had a great time sniffing all the perfumes they had. Because it was so busy, the smell inside the store was pretty overpowering. I had to step outside quite often to sniff the perfumes I was testing. It also ended up giving me a headache. I'm sure they're not used to having so many people in the store at once, but it would be nice if they had a better air filtration system. I was hoping to purchase a few samples so I could test out some of the perfumes I was considering, but was sad to hear that they weren't doing that on the day I visited.

Vanessa and her teammate were extremely helpful! Both of them lined up a few fragrances for me as I…read morewas exploring something new outside of my standard OUD fragrances. I ended up getting the Santalum Slivers for its unique notes. At Checkout Vanessa handed me a sample of Maison Crivelli Oud Maracuja Extrait to try out sweet OUD, I literally came back in 30 mins and bought that one as well! I'm absolutely thankful for the staff and their dedication to the beautiful products in store. I can't wait to be back for more.

My partner and I had a great time doing this over the weekend…read more The ambience, scents, and just the overall experience is a must try. You're paying for THE experience, memories, and a gorgeous candle to boot - can you really put a price on that? The owner was also very pleasant, patient, and friendly. I'd definitely go back.

If I told you learning how to make a candle was on my creativity/hobby goals for 2023, would you…read morebelieve me?! I LUCKED OUT! Stumbling across this new business just in time for Mother's Day. It's so hard to figure out what to do with my mom each year and this was special and unique and even a bonding experience. Today in honor is Mother's Day, Saint Sage Candle Bar hosted their first ever private event. I found out about this via social media. I thought this would be the perfect way to spend Mother's Day with my mom because we both like candles--so why not learn how to make our own together!!!!?? I believe the owners name is Kat. She opened Saint sage I believe sometime in April 2023. Trust me! This is such a unique and fun experience, you have to try it. I'll definitely be back. I had such a great time. The Mother's Day event was about $120-130 for both my mom and I, this included supplies to make our own candles as well was light snacks like charcuterie & mimosas. Kat was really nice and a great teacher. She made it really easy to follow the steps to create our candles and the store is just super cute too. You get to choose your own scents and vessel to create your candle in. We even got to put some floral, glitter and crystals in the candle as well. My candle came out LOVELY! I'm obsessed. I mixed Black Opium, White Sage, and Lavender Honey. My mom enjoyed herself as well. I believe she used mostly musk scents.