Essense offers private parties by appointment.

Sharing a few hours with friends creating customized perfumes
engages all present in a magical way.

Personal attention from the master perfumer...

Because the human sense of smell is so connected with both emotion and memory, creating custom perfumes together is a unique group activity for bridal parties, friendship gatherings, anniversary gatherings, reunions & “ladies night out.”

It is no accident that odors are called “essences.” A smell fills our consciousness with the essence of memories and messengers from our past.

For Essense customers, it is this EXCHANGE of memories and perceptions that makes creating perfumes TOGETHER more than a riot of scent, but also a riot of humor, pleasure and new memories.

A bachelorette party at Essense

A group of friends enjoying a private party at Essense

The Experience

The process of creating perfumes for each member of the group can be estimated at approximately 1/2 hour each for groups making perfume together. For the 2023 season, gatherings of 1-4 may take 1-3 hours. Making a perfume is experiential, rather than an activity to be squeezed into a time-slot for a fully scheduled day.

Evening and weekend are great times for parties. Guests are welcome to bring their own snacks and beverages, as well as their own music to play. The historic barn that houses Essense has an old record collection, featuring extensive Chicago Blues, Classic Soul & 1970’s Funk music which may be played on the turntable. We also have a CD and cassette player.

For serving snack and beverages, there is an old fashioned china cabinet filled with glasses, mugs, cups, dishes and silverware. Essense provides tea & coffee for those guests who would enjoy it.

Creating Custom Perfumes

The price of a perfume depends on how many and what type of scents are blended together—whether simple single notes like Rose or Mandarin, or imported notes like Sudanese Black Coconut, Indonesian Vanilla, or Italian Bergamot.

A simple 2-note perfume might cost $20 or $25, with a matching body lotion costing $15. A more complex 3-note perfume may cost anywhere from $25 to $45. So, a bride could pre-fix the price at $40 or $60 per bridesmaid, depending on the complexity of the perfumes that will be created.

The 550 scents of Essense are arranged and priced in three tiers. Depending on which of these are chosen to be mixed into the custom perfume, the base price is $15, $25, or $40 with additional scents added for either $5 or $10. Essense house blends and Essense trademarked perfumes cost $25 for a quarter ounce of PURE perfume, and sometime you needn’t mix them with anything but just enjoy the possibility of doing so. Designer-type fragrance concentrates like Joy or Happy cost $40 for a quarter ounce and may also be customized by adding additional fragrance notes.

Dollars and Scents

Kisses from Ruggles are on the house

There are two types of private party fees:  One is a pre-arranged fixed fee for a specific number of people. For example,  a bride may pre-arrange a fee for each of her bridesmaids and pay for their perfumes ahead of time. For example, she could arrange a base private "party price" per person at $40, for a quarter ounce of custom-blended perfume.

The other type of fee is when a group comes in together, each pays their own costs; each person creates and buys their own perfume which may have different costs. This allows each to budget for themselves, how many ingredients they would like to blend together.

Because the complexity and cost of ingredients in a perfume can vary so much, per-person costs  vary depending on what is desired. For more on this, see Creating Custom Perfumes. When you talk with Tamsan she will explain all your options. A $50 non-refundable deposit for the calendar day, not per person, is required to hold your private party reservation. You may reschedule one time, with 48 hour notice, without penalty.

Your formulation of "Essense of Sharon" has been one of brilliance and true artistry. You are truly gifted and you are the only person I could ever trust with this special gift for my wife. Of all the gifts I have ever given her over the years, this was the most romantic and original ~ a custom fragrance made especially for her by one of the top perfumers, or fragrance artists, today.
                                         ~ Jim L. Parsippany, NJ

To make an appointment, email [email protected],
or call 603-409-2799
Note: Header photo above by Brendan Smith, used with permission.