Zen Glass Studio & Gallery — Attraction in Saint Petersburg

I wish I could say that I actually had an opportunity to utilize this facility but it never got that far. I went there in person to inquire about both having some specialty beads made, as well as taking a torch glass-working class. I was treated pretty dismissively but just chalked it up to an artist being temperamental.

I sent several emails with examples of some beads for inspiration and when I hadn't heard back after a couple weeks I followed up with a phone call. I called and left a message to find out if they had even received my emails. No response. So I called again and got the "other" business partner and he assured me that someone would get back to me by end of day.

After a few days had gone by and again no response, I called again. This time I was treated like I was hounding them when all I wanted to know if they had received my emails and were even interested in making beads for me? I decided this was not a business I wanted to work with in any capacity.

My mom had given me $200 to take a class at Zen. Instead, I will be taking a class from the Morean Art Studio where I was treated respectfully and efficiently. I am wondering how they stay in business? Do the group activity parties really...

Pros- easy to get to, equipment and tools worked. Cons- lousy instructor with no patience, humor or guidance. He took over everyone's project within minutes and just did them himself without letting students participate or recommend what they wanted to do. Only left over limited selection of glass colors to choose from. Upon signing up and paying for class it was advertised to make beer or wine glass or pendant. When we got there I was informed we would only be making wine glass stems and had to pick out a pre-made base and glass cup. Those selections were extremely limited. I was left to choose a small wine base and big craft beer glass. No way I can drink out of it without a small breeze pushing it over. Out of the hour glass I probably was in control of my project for less than 5 minutes tops. I was there on a date otherwise I would have flipped on instructor. Not fun at all, glass in unusable. Matter of fact my wine/beer glass has a 2.5 inch base and stands almost 15 inches tall! Too top heavy to use and I wasn't allowed to make suggestions. I was literally told "no, you're done" when I told him I didn't want it so tall. Horrible experience, not worth the...

We purchased the GroupOn for the Sunday wine glass making workshop and we were not disappointed! Austen was our instructor and he was good at giving us some laughs and supporting us to ensure we were ultimately happy with our final pieces (it was our first time working with glass and, needless to say, we needed a little extra supervision and guidance). I was very nervous about the experience, but Austen helped me feel included in the process without making me do anything I wasn't comfortable with. The class took about an hour and we focused on making the stem portion of the wine glass-- not the whole thing. There isn't a ton of parking available in the area but that's not an issue since each class can only host 4 participants. There is a bathroom on site and the staff can provide water bottles since the studio you work in does not have AC (it is kind of like a garage with big fans in it). I opted to wear airy, cloth pants (not jeans) so I could stay cool and comfortable during the experience. There is a shady garden out back if you need to take a break. I can't wait for us to go pick up our final product!...