Tucked into a quiet corner of Taman Baloi, a short ride from the Harbour Bay ferry terminal, is a small aromatherapy studio that smells like something between a spa and a candle shop. We stopped by Aura Sanctum to see what the fuss was about, and ended up staying a lot longer than planned, sniffing our way through blends with names like Sleep Well and Baccarat while founder Selly walked us through the philosophy behind it all.
What “Aura Sanctum” Actually Means
The name itself isn’t just a nice-sounding label. Aura refers to air, which is why the brand centers around the field of aromatherapy, while Sanctum means purity or sanctuary. Put together, the brand is built as a kind of tool for calm in an otherwise hectic world, a response to modern life where everything moves fast and people rarely get the chance to slow down. Fragrance, it turns out, is really just the starting point. The actual goal is inner peace, which felt like a fitting thing to be chasing on a short trip away from home.
The Journey Behind Aura Sanctum
Before Aura Sanctum, Selly worked in banking, a career she found demanding and fast-paced. Scent-making started as a hobby on the side, but the idea for a real business came from noticing a gap in Batam’s market, where few places focused specifically on aromatherapy.
Candles had been part of her life a lot longer than the business itself. She’d been drawn to them since her school days, finding that lighting a candle had a way of setting the mood and calming her down. What started as something personal eventually turned into certified, professional training, since proper study goes far deeper than trial and error alone.
What You’ll Find at Aura Sanctum: Candles, Diffusers & More
For home and personal use, the lineup includes reed diffusers, essential oils, soy candles, car perfumes, and 3-in-1 sprays that work across body, room, and linen, genuinely easy things to pack in a suitcase back to Singapore. Every scent is pre-blended and comes with its own name, story, and intended use, with some matched to specific moods, room types, or personality profiles like floral, woody, or sweet. The current bestseller is Sleep Well, a blend designed specifically to support better rest.
For body and spa care, the lineup covers body oils, scrubs, body butter, lotions, and massage candles, a range that’s found a natural home in the hospitality industry. Aura Sanctum consistently supplies spas, resorts, and wellness centres.
Guests can also mix a custom personal perfume to take home, and businesses such as cafés, hotels, and even private islands looking for a signature identity can commission a fully bespoke scent, as Aura Sanctum has previously done for Nirup Island.
Perfume-Making Workshop at Aura Sanctum
One of the things that stood out to us was the workshop space upstairs, where visitors can actually learn the craft behind the products instead of just buying them off a shelf. Sessions run about two hours and cover the theory of aroma, including scent characteristics, longevity, and blending, before moving into hands-on practice with real materials and tools.
The perfume-making workshop is the most popular, and after watching how precise the process is, it’s easy to see why. Blending isn’t something to do by feel alone; even one or two drops can completely change a scent. Every participant leaves with both a certificate and the product they made themselves, their own custom perfume, which doubles nicely as a one-of-a-kind souvenir.
Sessions run four times a day, at 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, and 18:00. Solo bookings are welcome too, if you’d rather have a quieter, more private session, though it’s worth booking ahead, especially if you’re planning your visit around a specific ferry schedule.
Why It’s Popular with Singapore Travellers
Aura Sanctum’s reach already goes further than the shopfront suggests. Products are sold through 35 booth outlets across Batam, mostly inside hotels, alongside an outlet in Singapore focused on single-aroma essential oils, and a domestic outlet in Jakarta. Online, the brand is active on Instagram, TikTok, Shopee, and Grab, and occasionally ships as far as Turkey.
It’s the in-person workshop, though, that draws the most interest from across the strait. Singaporean travelers are known for gravitating toward aromatherapy and experience-driven activities, and the numbers back that up: roughly 80% of workshop participants are foreign visitors, mostly from Singapore and Malaysia, who typically book a private session in advance. Aura Sanctum also regularly hosts private workshops in partnership with hotels such as Montigo and Artotel.
Location: Imperium Super Blok B No. 45, Taman Baloi, Batam
Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
~15–20 minutes from Harbour Bay
Ready for a Little Calm on Your Batam Trip?
Aura Sanctum is just a short drive from the Harbour Bay ferry terminal, easy enough to fit in whether you’re planning a full day out or just have a couple of hours to spare before heading back. So the next time you’re in Batam, hop off your Horizon Fast Ferry, take a break from the usual shopping run, and go find the scent that becomes your new favourite.
Book your Singapore to Batam ferry tickets with Horizon Fast Ferry
