Yay Clay — Attraction in Philadelphia

Yay Clay is the best. The building, the studio, the experience, everything. I have been twice (before COVID and now) and I was fortunate enough to have had two great instructors and two great experiences each time. The instructor this time was Quentin. He was extremely helpful in making sure we were able to have fun and create the object we invision within the allowed time frame. He also dresses nicely as well. My nine year old grandson had a blast with the clay: moulding and designing it. They also have video games to keep you occupied while you wait before you get started and at the end during clean up time. I'm not sure which part he enjoyed the most as he was excited about the entire experience. It was one of the best MeMom and grandson days in a long time. I would go again and again. The only thing I was disappointed about was due to COVID you can no longer paint your own creations. You select a color, they blast and paint it for you then come back to pick it up. I torally get the rationale but we were still disappointed as my grandson was looking forward to painting his own. Thank you Quentin for making the day a great experience. OVERALL: Yay Clay and Quentin get an AAA+++++

Update: I would like to thank Keith (owner) for the call after my post. I also appreciate you trying to accommodate us painting our pottery. My comment wasn't a complaint just an observation and experience I enjoyed and to inform any previous customer whi may have also enjoyed it that painting your own pottery is no longer available. Given the circumstances the world is facing I totally understand the reason/rule why the customer cannot come back to the studio to paint their pottery. The pickup process was great and contactless, they lock your pottery in lockers with your name on it outside of the studio. You open and inspect it and tiu are done. As you can see in the additional photos despite not being able to paint our own pottery they both came out amazing.

TOTAL OVERALL RATING: (Yay Clay experience, studio, Quentin, Keith and...

We were deeply disappointed with our Valentine's Day experience at this studio. We arrived 15 minutes late due to traffic (Go Birds), within their advertised 20-minute grace period, only to find our pre-paid seats occupied. We cut our losses, received a refund, went home, and wrote a review.

Afterwards, the owner's apology felt hollow, immediately followed by a request to delete our negative review. What truly solidified our dissatisfaction was the owner's public response to our updated 2-star review. They claimed they 'intentionally' filled our seats due to high demand, citing a policy of not refunding late arrivals, which is a complete misrepresentation of what occurred. They made a mistake by not checking reservations, and we had to ask for a refund. We were not seeking special treatment, but rather an honest acknowledgment of their error. Instead, we were met with a fabricated narrative and a condescending reminder to 'always show up before the start of your scheduled class.'

This studio prioritizes saving face over genuine customer service. I strongly advise potential customers to be wary of their policies and the owner's lack of accountability. A full refund does not erase the wasted time, effort, and ruined Valentine's Day plans. The owner's dishonest public response, however, ensures we will...

I was extremely disappointed with how my pieces came out from my kiln rental. I’ve fired those specific glazes numerous times at different places and never had this severe of an issue. When I picked up my pieces the glaze had slid, crazed on the bottom and created an intense amount of bubbling. I did 3 thin coats so I know the issue wasn’t over application and I fully glazed the pieces a week before I brought them in. There was even bits of different colored glaze imbedded into one of the pieces when all I used was black glaze. I don’t know if there was an issue with this specific firing or if the temperature was put too high but, unfortunately, I will be firing my pieces elsewhere in the future. I couldn’t give a 1 star review considering how responsive and kind the workers were but other than that my experience was lackluster.

Please note: my experience was purely with a kiln rental and does not reflect Yay Clay’s other services.

Review update: I have since talked with the Yay Clay team and they have been very informative and helpful with what could have happened with my pieces. I appreciate their support and context. While I still did not have a great experience with the rental I’ve increased my rating from how genuine the team has been in improving my...