Bath & Body Works Is Turning the NYC Subway Into a Giant Christmas Candle

Call us old-fashioned, but a proper subway experience should smell like mystery moisture, regret, and someone’s questionable gym socks. That’s just tradition. Heritage. Ambience.

But this holiday season, New York commuters are being assaulted in the best way possible by notes of vanilla and fresh pine, thanks to Bath & Body Works’ bold new marketing move: making part of the subway smell like Santa’s living room.

Yes, really.

If you wander through Grand Central and hop on the shuttle platform to Times Square, you might find yourself sniffing the air like a golden retriever in a Yankee Candle aisle. They’ve installed scent diffusers on the ceiling beams that gently puff out festive fragrance throughout the day — because apparently even rats deserve to feel jolly.

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The brand claims this is the first-ever smell-based ad campaign in the NYC subway system, which honestly raises a lot of questions.
Mainly: who approved this? And can they do one for “Freshly Washed Dignity” next?

One commuter told the Associated Press he’s into it, saying it smells better than the usual Eau de Sewer Surprise that New Yorkers have come to know and love. And listen — when a city famous for pizza and chaos says something smells nice underground, you know it’s serious.

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So if you’re suddenly craving peppermint lattes while waiting for your delayed train, you’re not festive…
You’re being professionally scented.