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Header image courtesy of @thistle.candle (via Instagram)
Scented candles are the trendy must-have items with which to personalise your home or office space. While there are a plethora of candle shops in the city for you to browse for your perfect scent, nothing says customisation more than a homemade candle with an aroma specially crafted by you. Check out the best candle-making workshops in Hong Kong and find the best one for your next aromatic adventure!
Located in Tuen Mun, Nineteen Studio is a convenient, 24-hour, self-service workshop space. If you’re a seasoned candle artisan, Nineteen Studio is the perfect place for you to rent out as you work on your creations! Get unlimited access to the workshop space for a monthly fee. If you’re not so sure about frequent visits, you can also book the studio on an hourly basis.
If you’re new to the candle-making scene, Nineteen Studio also offers a selection of regular and one-off classes for everyone to experience the warmth and joy of the candle-making process. The container candle workshop is the perfect segue into candle-making for beginners, where you get to create a scented candle with a unique smell specially blended at the workshop! Each session lasts for around two hours, and you get five percent off when booking for a class for two.
How to sign up: Direct message on Instagram, Telegram, or WhatsApp at (+852) 6478 4414
Nineteen Studio, D1, 19/F, Mai Kei Industrial Building, San Hop Lane, Tuen Mun
Hiraya Scented is a small local business striving to provide unique and perfectly scented experiences fit for every occasion. Its workshops are helmed by expert artisans in the candle-making scene, where you can learn how to create a candle of your own with like-minded individuals and lots of wine to make the process even more fun!
In the candle-making and wine workshops at Hiraya Scented, you can learn the basics of candle-making, from the boiling to the pouring to the blending. Choose from 12 fragrance oils and create the scent that most represents personal comfort for your space! All candles made at Hiraya are non-toxic, ingredients are sustainably sourced, and Hiraya always makes sure its oils are phthalate-free. While you’re waiting for the wax to cool and solidify, take the time to socialise with your candle-making pals with a glass of complimentary wine! Participants will take home a 220-gramme candle encased in an elegant glass amber jar complete with a black lid. A Christmas candle with mulled wine workshop is available for the month of December. You can learn more and sign up here.
How to sign up: Direct message on Instagram
Hiraya Scented, The Hive, 33–35 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan
At Nightwave Candles, you can let your imagination run wild as you mould your candles! Using ingredients sourced from Korea and the US and led by KCCA-certified tutors, you are guaranteed a quality candle-making experience at Nightwave’s workshops.
Particularly at the container candle workshops, you don’t just learn how to make a candle. Nightwave tutors aim for a sustainable approach when it comes to passing on the candle craft. You also get to learn how to order ingredients and tools for an ultimate DIY at home experience, how to clean your containers, how to light your candles in a way that doesn’t leave behind massive chunks of wax, and what you need to be aware of when buying candles. Bring your own container or let experts at Nightwave pick one out for you as you come in for a relaxing and fun candle-making workshop!
This December, Nightwaves Candles only takes private and group bookings. Regular workshops will resume after the festive season.
How to sign up: Direct message on Instagram
Nightwave Candles, locations across Hong Kong | (+852) 6435 0309
Championing the motto “Light Up Your Peaceful Moment,” Peaceful Candles practices what it preaches, spreading peacefulness and calm through its workshops and products. You can choose from a variety of candle-making classes here, including everything from the basic container candle to the advanced crystal candle.
True to its name, this studio space a peaceful environment. Whilst students are encouraged to engage fully in the candle-making process, they are first and foremost welcomed to enjoy the cosy environment and décor in the studio. Founders of Peaceful Candles aims to provide city dwellers in Hong Kong with an oasis amidst the routines of urban living. All materials are provided in this workshop, so simply sign up, make your booking, and show up for a day of relaxing candle-making.
This December, Peaceful Candles is offering a series of festive candle-making workshops, where participants can create adorable Christmas tree-shaped candles, as well as hot chocolate- and cinnamon-scented candles. Learn more here.
How to sign up: Click here
Peaceful Candles, Room 40, 10/F, Block F, Wah Hing Industrial, 36 Tai Yau Street, San Po Kong | (+852) 5982 3549
Organised by KCCA-certified candle-making tutors, embarking on your candle crafting journey is simple at Light Garden Candles. Simply choose the product that you like on the studio’s website and book your slot at the workshop! Apart from a wide range of designs and shapes, you also get to blend your own unique fragrance from over 40 types of scents, all IFRA-certified to ensure optimum safety when inhaled.
How to sign up: Direct message on Instagram
Local artisan brand BeCandle is your one-stop shop for quality handmade goods, from ceramics made using Sai Kung soil to scented candles. Currently, two workshops are on offer at BeCandle’s Sai Kung shop. Make your own festive candles at the “Formulate” candle workshop and craft a pine needle or Tipsy Toast scented candle and a room spray to add a festive aroma to your home.
Alternatively, check out the limited-time “Blend Your Own Gin + Formulate” candle workshop. Participants will explore herbs and botanicals to blend their own gin and bring it home with a label and wax seal for the bottle. The second half of the session is a candle-making workshop.
BeCandle, G/F, 102 Man Nin Street, Sai Kung
Aiming to let students create lasting memories and a one-of-a-kind candle, Thistle Studio offers a wide range of candle-making workshop experiences for you and your loved ones. Not only will you leave with a special candle and the knowledge of how a candle is made, but you will also take away trade secrets in the craft.
Highlights from its workshop series include the sakura candle workshop, where students get the chance to familiarise themselves with a special marbling colour technique that creates astonishing effects. With this three-hour workshop, you get to take home three sakura-shaped candles! You can also join the upcycling candle workshop, a unique option for candle lovers with a passion for living green and a hankering for coffee. Candles in this workshop are created from upcycled coffee bean waste, so students can bring in your own coffee blend to create a customised candle.
Apart from public workshops, Thistle Studio also offers private classes and other events for you and your loved ones to dip your toes into the art of candle-making. What’s more, you get 20 percent off when you apply for two classes at the same time!
How to sign up: Click here for more information
Thistle Studio, E Tat Factory Building, 16 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang | (+852) 6726 7766
As the first-ever studio to offer candle-making workshops helmed by Korean and Japanese specialists, you are guaranteed a complete and well-informed workshop experience at Jello Candle Studio. Its tutors have over 19 years of experience working as candle artisans and merchants locally and overseas. Jello also offers JCA-certificate classes for candle makers who want to take their passion to the next level.
All workshops at Jello are KCCA-certified, and for the festive season, the studio is rolling out a series of Christmas workshops for the public to indulge in some festive and cosy fun! At these seasonal workshops, students can create all types of winter-themed candles, from Christmas tree silhouettes to snowflakes and everything in-between! If you’ve run out of gift ideas this Christmas, give Jello’s Christmas workshops a try for the perfect heart-warming gift for your loved ones this winter.
How to sign up: Click here or direct message on Instagram
Jello Candle Studio, Room I, 13/F, Yip Win Factory Building, 10 Tsun Yip Lane, Kwun Tong | (+852) 6035 3660
Sure, sitting down to craft a candle sounds like a cinch, but here are a few things to keep in mind while browsing for the suitable candle-making workshop for you.
When searching for candle-making workshops in Hong Kong, you will often come across the acronym “KCCA,” which stands for “Korea Candle Craft Association.” If your workshop is helmed by tutors holding this certificate—or the Japanese equivalent, the Japanese Candle Association (JCA) aroma candle certificate—you’re in safe hands!
Instructors holding these certifications are guaranteed to have a strong foundation in the basics of candle-making, from boiling and pouring wax, to moulding and scent mixing. What’s more, these tutors can also let you in on useful tips and hacks known by candle artisans in the trade. If you want to learn more about candle-making, choosing a workshop with a KCCA or JCA certification will guarantee the best results!
Traditionally, candles are made of a variety of natural ingredients, which included everything from animal fat to tree nuts. Eventually beeswax was used in candle-making to create more aromatic, sophisticated scents. However, the twentieth century saw a mass popularisation of candles as a gift for many occasions, and this wave of consumer demand led to the use of cost-effective materials in candle-making, like paraffin.
We now know substances like paraffin are harmful when burnt, as the chemical undergoes a reaction that releases carcinogenic fumes. So, it is unlikely that you will find paraffin wax as the major ingredient in your neighbourhood candle-making workshop. Instead, you might find a few alternatives, the most common being soy wax, with coconut and apricot wax following closely behind.
If you think all you can make at candle workshops are container candles (literally candles in a cylindrical container), then you’re in for a surprise! At the candle-making workshops listed above, you have the chance to create a variety of shapes with the choice of wax on offer. From desserts to succulent terrariums, from miniature planets to animals, you can let your creativity flow to create your perfect candle.
Born and raised in Hong Kong and educated in the UK, Celia is passionate about culture, food, and different happenings in the city. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her scouting for new and trendy restaurants, getting lost in a bookstore, or baking up a storm at home.
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