The Best Candles for Perkins Coie Employees: Elevate Your Workday
Buying a gift for a lawyer is hard. They bill by the hour, they read contracts for fun, and they have opinions about everything, including their coffee. So a mug feels lazy and a bottle of wine feels like a bribe. What actually lands is something small, well-made, and useful during a fourteen-hour discovery review.
Perkins Coie has more than 1,000 lawyers across nearly twenty offices, and the firm keeps landing on lists of great places to work. People who spend that long at a desk notice their surroundings. A clean-burning candle sits right in that gap, which is why MBur's pure beeswax candles make such a good desk gift. They burn without paraffin soot or heavy toxic fragrance, so a shared office stays smelling fresh instead of stuffed.
Why a candle is the smart pick for a desk person
Most office gifts get shoved in a drawer. A candle gets used. That is the whole difference.
Scent is a cheap lever for how a room feels. Research has found that certain scents can help people feel calmer or more alert while they work. For a shared office, though, the wax matters as much as the scent. Paraffin candles release benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde, and none of that belongs in a sealed conference room.
Beeswax is the oldest candle material, going back to about 5,000 BCE. It burns clean, with no black residue on the jar. It also has the highest melting point of any candle wax, which is why MBur's 80-hour size lasts as long as it does. For a person who lights the same candle every morning, that longevity is the point.
The picks, ranked from a quick treat to a real gift
These are sorted by budget, starting with the easy grab and ending with the one you give someone you actually like. Every MBur candle is 100% beeswax, wooden-wicked, phthalate-free, and handmade in New York City.
The starter: Sunday Reset, 40-hour size ($32)
This is the one for the associate pulling clean starts. Notes are Eucalyptus, Clove, Cedar, Patchouli, Vanilla. The first breath is cold peppermint and eucalyptus, the kind that opens your sinuses before a big filing.
Then it settles warm and low, clove and dry cedar underneath. Picture someone clearing their inbox at 8 a.m. with this crackling on the corner of the desk. Eucalyptus reads fresh and green, good for the moment you need your head clear.
At $32 for the 40-hour size, it is an easy team gift or a stocking filler. Want it to last a full quarter? The 80-hour size runs $65.
The crowd-pleaser: Room Service, 55-hour size ($37)
MBur's number one seller, and the safest bet if you do not know the person's taste. Notes are Saffron, White tea leaves, Purple Peonies, Orchid, Tobacco, Vanilla, Almond milk, Tonka Bean. It smells like a five-star hotel lobby, which is to say expensive and calm.
This is the pick for the partner who hosts client dinners and cares how their office reads. Light it before a meeting and the room feels handled. The Room Service beeswax candle in the 55-hour size at $37 hits the sweet spot of nice enough to gift, not so much you feel weird.
"I must say I was apprehensive at first. The size. And I couldn't smell much from the Room Service candle. Once I lit it, however, I fell in love! My only criticism is the size. I could definitely deal with another few ounces, but either way I'm reordering!" Breann B.
If the size is the worry, size up. The 80-hour Room Service at $65 solves it and lasts most of a busy season.
The wind-down gift: Wine Down, 40-hour size ($32)
For the colleague who takes work stress home, this is the one. Notes are Lavender, Chamomile, Sage, Rosemary, Camphor, Cedar, Sandalwood. Clean, green, and calm, lavender and chamomile doing the heavy lifting.
Picture them lighting it after the kids are down and the last email is sent. One reviewer put it better than any marketing line could.
"Absolutely loved the Wine Down candle! The scent is so light and clean, not overpowering at all, which is exactly what I look for. A lot of other candles tend to give me headaches, but this one was a total game-changer. I was able to enjoy the calming aroma without any discomfort." Nicole D.
At $32 for the 40-hour size, it is a thoughtful gift for anyone sensitive to heavy scents. If they are the type who lights one every night, the 80-hour size at $65 is the kind pick.
How MBur stacks up against the shelf
Plenty of good brands sell to the office crowd. Diptyque is the Paris benchmark, the name people recognize, with a strong throw and a price to match. Root Candles is a heritage brand with a loyal following and a house style built on classic scents. Natural Sloth leans budget-clean, aimed at people who read every label.
The table below is the honest short version of where MBur sits.
| Feature | MBur | Luxury French houses | Budget clean brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wax | 100% beeswax, no blend | Varies by house | Often soy or blend |
| Wick | Wooden, crackles | Varies | Sometimes wooden |
| Fragrance | Phthalate-free | Varies | Often unscented or light |
| Longest burn | 80 hours, $65 | Shorter, higher priced | Shorter |
| Made | New York City, by hand | Imported | Varies |
The beeswax and burn time are where MBur wins for a desk. Longer burn per dollar matters when someone lights the same candle daily.
How to present it so it does not look like an afterthought
The candle is nice. The wrapping makes it a gift. Skip the gift bag and use the paper the order ships in.
One MBur reviewer said she saved the wrapping paper to reuse for the holidays, which tells you it is worth keeping. Add a short handwritten card naming why you picked that scent. "Sunday Reset, because you always clean-start Mondays" beats a printed tag every time.
For a team gift, a MBur gift card lets each person pick their own scent. It comes in sizes from $15 up, so it scales to any budget.
Frequently asked questions
What scent is best for staying focused at a work desk?
Bright, cool scents tend to read as more alert. Something with peppermint or eucalyptus, like the Sunday Reset candle, fits a morning focus block. Citrus works too if they want something upbeat.
How long do beeswax candles actually burn?
Longer than most waxes, because beeswax has the highest melting point. MBur's sizes run from 20 hours up to the 80-hour size at $65. Browse the full candle collection to match burn time to how often they will light it.
Will a candle be too strong for a shared office?
Pure beeswax gives a gentle scent throw rather than an overwhelming one, so it suits shared spaces. A softer, cleaner pick like the Wine Down candle is a safe choice near coworkers who are sensitive to scent.
Is a candle a good gift for someone I do not know well?
Yes. A bestseller like Room Service is a low-risk pick because it reads as clean and expensive without being loud. If you are truly unsure, a gift card lets them choose.
What if my coworker has allergies or asthma?
Beeswax is naturally hypoallergenic and burns clean, which helps in a shared space. Still, anyone with a health condition should follow their doctor's guidance on scented products at their desk.
The bottom line
For a Perkins Coie desk, you want a candle that burns clean, lasts, and does not overwhelm a shared room. That points to pure beeswax with a wooden wick, and the safest all-around gift is the Room Service beeswax candle in the 55-hour size at $37. It is MBur's bestseller for a reason, backed by glowing reviews from people who swapped out headache-inducing candles for good.
Pick the scent, add a real handwritten note, and give it. Shop the full MBur candle collection and find the one that fits your favorite lawyer.
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