Been here before and had a really great time. Then i came here yesterday for my birthday, the whole point of coming to your business was to make something peppermint scented, one of the girls said "just let them use a few drops" the other girl was not having it. My partner is very sick and he was able to get out for my birthday and try to make something that will help him and that was not allowed. But we were welcome to buy tons of things to go home and do it. We would have bought the bottle they let us use, we were planning on not only making things for my birthday, but buying home kits and investing in oils. Your employee was shallow and ignorant and did not care at all for what we wanted to do and really wouldn't let us get a word in edge wise until i had enough and said my peace and walked out. Read Less

Drove 50 miles one way to get there to buy lye. There was 3 people in the store but the gal told me they were closed. According to the hours posted on the door they were supposed to be open. Despite telling her how far we drove she said to return in about 45 minutes. We left never to return! Read Less

I just received my 1st order from Bramble Berry and couldn't be happier. I ordered the Foaming Bath Butter to help in my scrubs and have been playing with it all day and doing recipes. I got a mica sampler and that is REALLY fun! The Daisy Chain freebie was awesome and really worked well. Not to mention watching the Soap Queen lol....looking forward to a great future working together! ;) Read Less

Could have better advertising about when they are going to be closed, I drove 60 miles to the store all for it to be closed, could carry more items in the store that they advertise online only. Instead of having to order it to the store and having to make another trip, shipping is also slow, but overall the products are great, the staff isn't as knowledgeable on soap making as I wish they were. Read Less

My first order and got a Welcome discount! My first attempt at making bath items and decided we needed a preservative. I missed the option for rush shipment but added a note, just hoping it might go out faster. They processed my order as a rush anyways and shipped same day as a courtesy! I think we will be good friends from here on out! Read Less

They do have a great selection, but I expected that their prices would be the same as the website, they are NOT, they are higher (enough so that if you don't live extremely close you might as well pay for shipping!). For example one of the molds I got was $8.50 online, but $9.50 in store, a few little items were $4 instead if $3 (it adds up!). Overall though it's a nice store, and it's nice to be able to touch the products before you buy, though it is very perfumey in there. Read Less

OTION: The Soap Bar is now Bramble Berry's Bellingham Retail store!I met Anne Marie Faiola, the owner and soap queen at Village Books when she was launching her new book. She had a beautiful slide presentation sharing her passion for soap making and how she got started. We even received two bars of soap to take home :-)  She is dedicated and professional in all aspects of her business.As a Newbie to the soapmaking world, the Otion staff is patient, kind and informative Yes, the store is small but organized and well-stocked with everything you need and more for your soapy adventures. They offer DYI classes beyond soaps-scrubs, lotions, lip balm,candle making and more! Private classes, girls nights and birthday parties too. Parking can be tight, so here's an inside tip: ***M-F all Bramble Berry customers can park in the Diamond parking lot behind the building for no more than 2 hours*** Read Less

I was at the store with my aunt this last weekend for the cold process bootcamp, which included both beginners cold process, and a class just for learning swirling techniques. Our instructor was wonderful and super patient, and the staff was fabulous with answering questions from a bunch of newbies. The ladies taking the classes this weekend were awesome to work with too. I spent FAR more than I probably should have, but far less than I wanted to, and we had a wonderful time, thanks to everyone there!Read Less

Awesome! Came all the way from NY and was so excited to see all of Brambleberry's stuff in one place. Being able to smell ALL the fragrance oils (and I did smell them all) made the experience out of this world. The staff was awesome and answered all my questions as I scurried around snagging so much stuff for my business back east. In fact, I already want to come back!Read Less

I found myself in Bellingham for a couple days visiting, and as a handcrafted soaper I had to stop in and check it out. I spent quite a bit of time in there sniffing FOs and EOs, and checking out all the other things they carry. Samantha was the clerk working when I went in and she was wonderful to talk with, great with my kiddos (who were getting bored...and a little obnoxious...while I was looking around) and super helpful. I found a few new FOs to try and I can't wait to try them! Read Less

We took a Natural Clean Home class. Karly was great, her class was fun and informative, and all of her research was really appreciated! After the class I took a little time to peruse the selections available. Wow! So much, and so complete! From individual ingredients to kits. There are even kits for making your own nail polishes! I will be back. Thank you Karly.Read Less

I really wish there was a place like this closer to my neck of the woods. I love being able to smell all the scents before committing to a purchase. They have basically everything Brambleberry sells on their site as long as it's in stock. They have in shop crafting stations for easier to make (15 minute) items as well as classes for more advanced soap making recipes. The staff was very nice and helpful. Read Less

I've never felt more inconvenient to someone as a paying customer. From the moment we walked in we were treated rudely. The snide remarks about "not following directions" and "not listening" when we were first time visitors to the crafters corner with our young girls were rude and uncalled for. Will never visit again. The last straw was asking a question and getting no answer since the person checking us out was texting instead of helping us. Read Less

I love having Otion here in Bellingham!! The staff are wonderfully helpful, super friendly and are amazing!! I just took the facial product class tonight and loved it!! It was so easy and Callie explained everything perfectly. Thank you! Read Less

I broke out in a horribly itchy rash that started to spread across my chest and arms.  To add to the complications of not knowing what was happening to me, I was on a road trip. We happened to stop by Rocket Donuts and I noticed this shop. I ran in to see if they could help me. Immediately the helpful clerk showed me my options and told me which oils to use. These oils helped so much with my itching and my rash eventually went away.  This was two years ago and I happened to be road tripping it again drove by and saw that this place was still in business. I figured I should tell others that they can help you if you need it too. Read Less

I am in love with this store. For starters they have so many fragrances to choose from. I can spend hours just trying to decide which fragrances to purchase. Then they have all the other supplies you need to make soap, bath oils, bubble bath. Read Less

My wife and I really like this store. The location is a bit small, but packed with all of the goodies that you want to make your own soap and bath products. It's a fantastic way to sniff-test the amazing line of scents from Brambleberry. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They also offer classes to help you learn the process. If you're in the area and enjoy soaping or want to learn, this stop is highly recommended. :) Read Less

What can't I say about this place?I make soap.  I believe the term is 'Soaper'.  This store carries everything by Brambleberry, which is one of the premier soap supply companies in the US.  Brambleberry only does mail order, and does not maintain a storefront, as far as I can tell.So, this place is really neat.  Being able to go in and smell all the scents to devise my next masterpiece of cleaning agents; as well as getting different oils, bases, molds, and colorants is brilliant.  I make the trip from Seattle to Bellingham just to come to this place.  It's worth the trek.  Everyone here has always been very helpful and pleasant.Parking is on the street, and sometimes difficult to come by, just as a warning. Read Less

This place makes me happy. As someone who makes their own lotions and cosmetics, it's nice to have a place to buy beeswax, shea butter, bottles, oils, fragrances, flavors, and all manner of supplies. A bit spendy, but not much more than your would have to pay if ordering online. They have an excellent selection and friendly staff.Note for Disabled: Reasonably accessible, aisles are a bit narrow, some merchandise is up on a raised platform area and may require staff assistance for wheelchair patrons. Metered street parking or pay lot only. Read Less

Otions is on of the only places I know where you can buy already made cold press, soap, ingredients to make cold press soap and classes on how to make soap, if you want to get your hand a little dirty.Customer Service is number one here and I have never been disappointed. Read Less

I attended you're skin care class today with my mom and we LOVED your class! Alecia was the class instructor and she was very knowledgeable with the products and how they are used. You can feel the passion she has for the natural beauty industry and empowering the rest of us to make healthier smarter choices. I will be back to take more classes and am going to educate myself so that I can make my own products. Thank you! :-) Read Less

I took a cold-process soap class here last month because my dad is interested in soap-making as a side to his bee-keeping. Elizabeth our instructor and I had a great time and feel like I learned a lot.  Definitely looking forward to trying out some recipes in the future. Read Less

"One sniffy sniff & your hooked!!"  LOLLooking for a local place to find the most amazing oils and base products to make soaps, lotions, potions, chap sticks, sprays & perfumes?  And love 100% Shea Butter?  Ummm... wow... you won't believe this, super cheap price for this stuff @ ONLY $8 bucks a pound!  This place is the ONLY place to go!Super friendly staff & just oodles and oodles of delicious scents and products to try and buy.  You'll absolutely fall in love with this place. Read Less

My wife is a passionate and talented maker of soap and beauty supplies.  This means, through the process of osmosis, I can speak intelligently to the processes and ingredients involved.I have Otion to thank, first off, for my discovery of the wonders of Bellingham.  When we moved to the PNW, my wife had heard good things about Otion and wanted to stop by for some hard-to-order supplies (such as lye, key to saponification.  Bet you didn't know that was a word).The store itself is in old downtown Bellingham.  The selection: excellent... tons of fragrances and essential oils, oils, fats, micas, powders, and other chemistry, molds, melt-and-pour bases, colors, and the like.  Lots of instructional books and videos.  Containers for stuff like lip balms, powders, salves, unguents, etc.  Tools for cutting and weighing.  All in quantities from "maybe I'd like to play with this" to "I need a shit-ton, thanks very much".More important: the staff are awesome.  Friendly, chatty and helpful without being intrusive, and they all seem to know the soap-making process well -- they give demos and instruction at the "soap bar" (available 11-4pm most days, or by appt).  You can also apparently have "parties" (much like places like Build-a-Bear Workshop) where people come out and make bath and beauty products at the bar.There are a few pre-made soaps and bulk soap as well -- but if you're making your own, this probably isn't as appealing.There are probably closer soaping stores to where I live, but we go to Bellingham all the time for the selection and service.  And for the sheer laid-back beauty and awesomeness that is Bellingham.Thanks to Otion for giving my wife an easy, comfortable place to buy her supplies, and for helping us find such a wonderful town (and area). Read Less