The Candle Lab

The staff here are so helpful and attentive. They aren’t overbearing, they give you time and space to decide which scents you would like, and are helpful throughout the candle making experience. The candles are a bit pricy, around $ 15-​$ 18, but it’s worth the experience and added kindness. I would recommend The Candle Lab to anyone looking for something somewhat creative and fun on the weekend!

The Candle Lab is a little known Columbus treasure. I try to tell anyone coming in to make sure to visit one of the two locations. When you arrive you are given a clip board and then encouraged to smell all of the time 120-​ish fragrances they offer. You take note of all your favorites. *Make sure you decide which will be your #1 favorite scent*. Scents range from Baby Powder to Bourbon, to leather, to hops, to watermelon… anything really. You then pick out what you want your candle to be made in to, this determines the price. Next you sit with one of the Candle Lab mad scientists (that’s not what they are… that’s what I call them). You pick your #1 scent and they help you go through your list to figure out what works best with your main scent. Now comes the fun part. You get to mix your own fragrances. You get a bottle per scent and then you create your mix. It’s all up to you, or your nose! The magic happens when you disappear for 90 minutes, you come back… and you have a candle! Seriously. Great idea for a girls night, bachlorette party, or just a relaxing night!

Such a fun spot! Went today for early Valentine’s Day and it was packed! We made candles — Got to sniff, then pick two-​three scents, mix oils, candle! Can’t wait to go back to make other gifts.

The Candle Lab quickly became a part of my monthly routine, usually buying 3 – 4 candles. I take the time to smell almost every candle from A-​Z as if the scents had changed since the last time I had smelt them. I prefer the clean and fresh scents like Morning Dew, Yuzu, Bonsai. Every now and then I will get a Lavender or Gardenia Scent for the warm sunny days.
I have yet to make my own candle/​scent but from a friend I heard that it is enjoyable and your candle turns out well but not as good as the official scents.
I really like the clean layout of the stores and the standard pricing across the board. The employees are always helpful even though I come in knowing what I need.

I always have a stock of at least 3 candles from The Candle Lab in my home. There’s a scent for everyone! I’m not a huge fan of single-​scent candles, and only about 10 of the many, many offerings suit my taste, but I *really* enjoy the ones that do. I’m a big fan of Cotton, Lavendar, Gardina, and Sandalwood. (I don’t tend to like candles that smell like food, for instance, and there’s a lot of that.)
You can make your own candles here, which is a cute little date idea. You can blend several scents together, if you wish.
The scent of the store itself is a little much for me — I’m more of a dash-​in, dash-​out patron. They’re often running specials if you buy multiples. I’ll also look near the front, where they have packs of 4 mini candles in a theme (like «winter» for instance, with gingerbread, fir tree, snow, etc.) in an organza bag. With the attractive Candle Lab bag and their signature black tissue (it’s more of a sturdy cloth-​like paper), it’s the perfect hostess gift for someone you might not know that well.
Plus, if you’re putting together a little gift basket or care package centered around local-​to-​Columbus companies and products, a Candle Lab candle would be an excellent contribution. The local-​economy aspect is a big draw for me.

As soon as I saw The Candle Lab was opening a location in Cincinnati, I knew I had to visit the one in Short North to see what the fuss was about (because undoubtedly, the new one in OTR will be packed for months). It didn’t take long for me to figure out why it’s making it’s way to the Queen City.
For starters, the concept is genius. I mean, I burn candles year-​round, but have never had the opportunity to make my own scent. So fun! Upon arrival, you grab a clipboard and start smelling the dozens of candle scents along the wall. They recommend writing down 6+ scents (regardless of if they go together), and making note of your favorites, to bring back and share with the staff. They’ll suggest the scents that go together best, then the real fun begins. You start mixing oils until you get your perfect scent, and make your label to tell your «scent story» (don’t worry, it’s only on the bottom of the candle — if you’re not art-​inclined). The longest part of the process is allowing the candle to scent and wax to harden, which takes between 60 – 90 minutes. So, good thing there are plenty of restaurants and shops aren’t to keep you occupied in the Short North!
I know what you’re thinking: What if I create a candle that smells terrible? Have no fear because the staff is here! In fact, at one point my friend was less than enthused about how hers was smelling, so all it took was some additional stirring (and the addition of a little vanilla) to make it all better.
Plus, the price tag wasn’t nearly as high as I was expecting. I paid $ 16 for the standard size, which I am more than willing to pay for the experience and being able to walk away with my own custom scent. I’m already raving about The Candle Lab to my Cincinnati friends, and demanding a visit when it opens soon!

This place is so much fun! We’ve made candles here before, but it’s been a few years. My mom and I stopped by short North tonight and decided to make some candles. The staff is always so friendly and helpful! They have all of their candle scents out for you to smell and you make a list of the scents you like. Once you’re done, the staff helps you pair scents that go well together. Then you pick your favorite combo and mix the oils in a small cup. You get to pick the candle jar and size, then you mix your oil with the wax. It takes about an hour and a half for the candles to cool, so you have to come back later to get your finished candle. You can also buy the candles, but they aren’t in combinations. This is a great place to spend time with some friends and hang out around the area!

Fun and unique experience! My husband and I just stopped in here randomly while walking around in the short north and were impressed with all the aromas so we decided to make some candles! Only took like 15 minutes and decently priced. We each blended 3 scents and made 2 candles for $ 30. Definitely worth a visit!

We went to Candle Lab for their Valentines package and had a great time! Was so fun picking our own scents to combine and create our own candle. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and fun. Will definitely be doing this again!

They had so many scents to choose from and helped us put together a candle that smelled so great and with scents that complimented each other really well. It was a fun experience and led to a great reward of candle at the end.

Second visit. First time made candles. This time bought already made single scent candles. The candles are wonderful, was just burning them extensively at home last weekend when we were without power for over a day. They have a clean burn, bright light, and can fill the room with their scent. The jars are simple and not very decorative. They do have a few other options if you make your own. If you want to make candles, you need time for them to cool. Stop here first, before your other High Street fun. I came back because of the quality product, but the service here has been friendly and helpful both times. The lovely ladies have the right level of attentiveness, allowing you to enjoy your working/​sniffing at your own pace while being ready to answer any questions you may have. A great local business!

Everytime we come to Columbus we make a point to stop and make a candle. There are many candles to choose from, or you can choose your own fragrances and make your own. You can create not only a candle, but essential oils, room spray, soap, and bath salts. There are many fragrances to choose and mix together. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They offer great assistance if needed. The candles smell great when burning. You can actually smell the fragrance in the room when the candle is burning. This place is a must when in Columbus.

On our trip in Columbus we walked the Short North area. We found this little candle shop and my girlfriend asked to go in. Glad we did, they have so many unique scents you typically don’t see at your typical candle shop including mowed lawn and cannabis. The prices were a little hefty, but I am not a candle coniseuir so I have no clue what the typical price is.
We then found out you can make your own candle which we decided to both do. You pick your candle holder (mason jars, small holders, etc.) and then you pick your three favorite scents. You get to design a label, mix your three scents, and then stop back 90 minutes later and your candle is ready! We had fun, candles turned out well… I used coffee and hazelnut it was really nice.
Worth a visit if you’re walking the Short North area!

Lots of smell good to break the bank. Too rich for my blood, but hey, you fancy, huh?

I thought this was just another candle place like Yankee Candle. We were eating at Deweys pizza, the new one that just opened up and I couldn’t pass up the chance to get a new candle as I love candles (Yankee Candle makes way too much money off of me!). When we went in we were greeted nicely and explained how the process worked.
At first I wasn’t going to buy anything as the prices are pretty high, even compared to Yankee Candle but then once I understood what it was and how long some of the candles burned I decided to go ahead and make my own candle. I chose the $ 25 candle which is in a steel jar and provides 160 burn hours. I mixed Leather, Dad’s Den and Camp Fire and it turned out wonderful! I also enjoyed creating my own label as I’m artistic and that adds a nice flair to it.
I did have to come back and get the candle a couple of days later (be aware they are not open on Mondays!) and once I got my candle burning at home I was very impressed. The scent is very strong, even without burning the candle, just with the lid open it’s strong. I wonder if the folks here who didn’t get much of a scent from their candle did not mix the final batch well enough as it must be stirred evenly or you won’t get the scent from some burnings.
This would be a wonderful place to take younger children as a nice time doing something creative and different. And it gives the child something they can be proud of as well.
Although the prices are a little high I will be back just for the fact that I’m such a great candlemaker (apparently) and cannot resist the opportunity to do it again!

A friend living abroad requested autumny scented candles in a care package. I’d been in Candle Lab before and new it was too expensive for me independently, but a few friends had thrown in cash, so it seemed like a good time to get fancy.
They had an autumn collection on offer but were out of the smaller size, so she offered to make me a set to pick up the next day. I mentioned I’d be shipping them across the world and she thought for a sec before offering to pour them in a metal container. She also upgraded them to the next biggest size because the receiver was doing volunteer work. Lovely gesture.
They were ready as promised, smelled amazing and were packaged adorably.
I’ll become a regular here as soon as I have disposable income for loads of awesome candles!

Amazing! Simply awesome! I’m a huge cologne buff and I have never been able to make my own scent before! It was so amazing! I got to make my own cologne using their body friendly oils. So cool and the fragrance I made is beyond awesome! It smells better than most that I had at home. I’ll be making more ASAP!
Also the candle and body soap collections are amazing! This place truly is killer!
A must do!

I came here to make a candle a while ago with a group of people and the staff working here were so friendly to us. I had a great time here because I love candles and I have always wanted to make my own! So this was a great combination for me. It was great testing the aromas first to see which I like to mix together. I can attest that my candle didn’t actually come out the best for the first time but in my opinion it’s the experience of actually making it that counts. I can’t wait to come back and do this again! It was so much fun!

A variety of scents; you will find something you like.
I liked the fact that it is all soy oil based. Considering these are soy candles their price is very competitive. They do buy 3 and get 1 free — I did take this deal once when I and my friend picked two of our favorites, then split the check.
I wish though that the label has info on what kinds of essences/​oils were used for each candle — since I have a cat, and there are some oils that I should avoid.
One more thing: I recently learned that they will discount $ 1 if you return the jar on your next buy. I will be definitely coming back!

I just want to update that I came in after a few months to notice they have new awesome jars for pouring. Large rainbow mason jars, and even a larger jar that resembles their standard size.
I STILL haven’t gotten around to pouring my own candle but I did buy four more candles when I was in there this past weekend. One is for a gift (the leather scented one) and I had to splurge and get «buckeye», «cotton candy», and «pizzelle».
Awesome as usual.