Scent is one of the most personal memories you can take home from a trip. In the perfume workshop you compose your own.
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Blend scent notes and compose your own perfume: an elegant indoor experience for couples and friends. What the offer includes.
Istanbul has a long history of scent
In Ottoman culture, scents were more than a personal perfume. At ceremonies at the Ottoman court, rose water was distributed and an incense ritual (buhur) was performed. Trade and prices of various fragrances are also documented: a price register (Narh Defteri) of 1640 contains important information on the perfumes ordinary people used.
Rose water, musk, amber and incense
Traditional scent materials of the region include rose water, musk, amber and incense. Whether these traditional materials are used in today's workshop is not confirmed; we mention them only as historical context, not as an ingredient list. The Spice Bazaar in Eminönü still reminds you that goods, spices and fragrances came together in Istanbul from many directions.
Istanbul as a trading city
As a trading metropolis between Europe, Anatolia, the Mediterranean and trade networks further east, Istanbul brought people and goods together. You do not need to embellish this into a Silk Road fairy tale: it is enough to know that fragrances have long been traded here.
What the offer includes
According to the offer description, you get to know scent notes and essences, blend them under guidance and take your own bottled perfume home. The provider states about two hours. According to the offer the studio has a view of the Bosphorus; please check teaching language and what the take-home perfume contains beforehand.
If you would like to compose your own fragrance, you can find current dates here.
What does this have to do with today's workshop?
The workshop is modern perfumery, not a reconstruction of Ottoman perfume making. But the idea of linking scent with memory, atmosphere and identity suits a city with a long tradition of fragrance and bathing. Perfume is usually divided into top, heart and base notes, from the fleeting first impression to the lingering finish; how exactly the offer teaches this is in the booking description.
Elegant and calm
The workshop takes place indoors, is quiet and suits couples, friends or solo travellers looking for something special. A good plan for a rainy day.
What guests highlight
Reviews often mention the guidance, trying out the essences and the personal result, in our own summary.
Who is it for?
For scent lovers, couples and friends. Less suitable if you are sensitive to strong smells.
In short
- About 2 hours according to the provider, indoors
- The Bosphorus itself is best experienced on the water: Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul
More creative experiences in Istanbul
Also calm and sensual: the coffee workshop and the mosaic lamp workshop.
All experiences, tickets and tours are collected on our activities page.
– Amra
