Scent expert guides you through the process of finding a favorite scent, either in her shop or in a department store

• Expires Sep 26, 2012
• Limit 1 per person, may buy 3 additional as gifts. Valid only for option purchased. Limit 1 per visit. Must use promotional value in 1 visit.
• See the rules that apply to all deals.

• $39 for a scent consultation and a perfume sample set for one (a $90 value)
• $55 for the above for up to four people (a $240 value)

A scent consultation is a private, approximately 90-minute meeting with perfume pro Christen Cottam. Through conversation and sniffing, you find and eliminate scents to discover your fragrance style. This process culminates in a personalized sample kit of seven to eight scents from the boutique's collection. Afterward, your consultant will email you a list of additional options available in department stores.

• $49 for a scent concierge service and a sample set for one (a $105 value)
• $75 for above for up to four people (a $270 value)

During the scent concierge service, Christen Cottam takes you on a hunt for your signature scent through the fragrance counters and dangerous patchouli dens at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, or Sephora. After you determine a store and date, you will fill out a form to help Cottam determine your fragrance preferences and strategize about the scents she should highlight. Following the outing, you'll take home samplers procured from different counters, as well as a themed collection of seven or eight tester-size vials, such as the shop's best masculine scents or favorites from perfumier L'Artisan.

If you choose to buy your favorite fragrance at Knows, you will receive a 15% discount on the purchase.

Christen Cottam can describe scents on an atomic level, although she prefers to discuss the emotional, memory-based side of fragrance with her clients at Knows Perfume. According to the West Seattle Herald, Cottam taught high-school science and worked as a biotech sales rep, explaining complex, ethereal concepts to laypeople. Now, she helps clients discover their favorite fragrances and find words to interpret their sensory experiences. Cottam backs up her methods with hard facts: She eschews paper test strips because scents evolve when they mingle with chemicals on the skin, and explains that citrus seems fresher and lighter than musk because of its lower molecular weight and the deodorant it wears.

Cottam opened the boutique in 2010 to showcase uncommon fragrance lines such as Smell Bent and Aroma M, which are not necessarily distributed at department stores. Cottam cultivates an indie fragrance community through perfume classes, scent "tastings," and an art gallery she curates and opens for the monthly West Seattle Art Walk. Cakes from Baked Seattle grace every Knows event, as do patrons' keen-nosed, four-legged companions, who are also welcome to sojourn from the gossip at the fire hydrant into the shop's aromatic yet apolitical atmosphere.