As Father’s Day sneaks up on you (hopefully it isn’t sneaking up on you since we have been putting Father’s Day gift guides and articles with ideas for a few weeks here), there is a tendency to go for the old faithfuls dads seem to have always gotten. Ties. Mugs. Tools. And, of course, the always classic Old Spice cologne. The same cologne his dad got. The same cologne his grandfather got when your dad couldn’t figure out what to get him. It is time to do something different. Sure, a man wants to smell good, and buying him a cologne is a great gift. But you can do it the regular way, or you can go above and beyond by letting him make his own choices (I’m not talking about a gift card). Olfactory NYC is the kind of gift your dad is looking for this year.
A deeply personal experience
A man needs a good collection of colognes. In my opinion, you need a day scent and an evening scent for all four seasons. Something light and airy for the daytime (lighter in the warmer seasons and slightly heavier in the cooler seasons) and something deep, rich, and luxurious for the evening scents. There are dozens of brands you can try. You can walk around the store and smell everything under the sun if you want. Or you can have Dad do it. Or, and here is a novel idea, he can build his own.
When you walk into Olfactory NYC, you get hit with a lab feel. White coats, ingredients, eye droppers. On the far wall is a collection of base notes you can choose from. From woodsy and floral to citrus and aquatic. The next step is to consult with an expert on what you like (my suggestion is to choose some old faithful favorites and get to know their notes so you know what you like). The expert then puts together six to eight scents, and you choose your top four. Then some more Dexter’s Laboratory finagling. And you narrow your choices down.
Once you have your scent you enjoy, the final step is to bottle and name it. Yes, your dad gets to name his own scent. Sure, you can get him something basic and regular, or you can have an outing with Dad and have him create his own signature scent with Olfactory NYC…for the same price or better.
