Pottery studio 1 - Pottery classes and events — Local services in New York

EDIT* after the response from the owner.

*Would like to clarify in case there was some misinformation- only 2/4 people in the group arrived about 25 min late due to delays with Uber, not 40 min. Again, traveling from Jersey and the weather was awful. We explained this to the instructors and asked multiple times if we could get started to save time. They asked if we could wait for the whole group since it would be easier for them to teach.

Not once was I advised against making a mug, let alone kindly. In fact half the group planned to make mugs and no one told us that it was a more complicated project.

There was no graciousness with waiting an extra 15 min, they kept reminding us until the last minute to finish up and only waited past 10pm for us to wash our hands. I’m not sure if the response to my review was misinformation from the instructors or some attempt at making my group look like poor customers, but we were nothing but respectful to the instructors until the very end. This response has only frustated us further*

Original Review: We felt like WE were a burden to THEM this whole experience, and felt completely rushed so they could clock out.

Our time slot was 8-10pm, and they let us know clearly that the shop closes at 10 so that’s all the time we would have. We understood and obviously wanted to respect them and their time, so we worked on trying to finish up in the given time period. Session started off alright but as it got closer to close the instructors were more and more impatient with us. They answered our questions with rude responses, even rolling their eyes at some points if we asked about how to fix any mistakes we made (which is bound to happen since it is very clearly an intro class). Destiny specifically had an irritated tone with us, responding to our questions with curt responses. When one of us had a crack in the pot she sighed out loud about having to help fix it. They kept reminding us of the time and said they only get paid until 10:30 so that’s as long as they’d be staying (which is odd to be saying in front of customers in general).

My piece specifically broke while trying to take it off the wheel which they fixed but it took till 9:50 to finish up fixing. Which left 10 minutes to paint because of something out of my control. Having paid $120 for this experience it was frustrating to try and make the most out of the money you’re paying to get a good piece at the end, so being practically rushed out the door was unpleasant and made the whole experience stressful. It’s not like I could specifically say I didn’t want to paint anymore since if the group paid for painting then everyone has to individually pay for that, so I wanted to be able to make my money’s worth. We felt bad and didn’t want to keep them late but the entire tone and atmosphere was as if they wanted us out of there and we couldn’t fully enjoy the experience.

At the end I was genuinely unhappy about my piece and how rushed the entire thing felt, it was supposed to be a mug but with the time limit I just improvised it to be a bowl to save time for THEIR sake. With 10 minutes of painting I was only able to paint half the cup, which literally looked terrible. I asked if I chose not to keep the cup since it was broken and unfinished if it was possible to have some sort of refund, but they said that wasn’t possible. This whole experience was money down the drain I definitely won’t be recommending anyone to come. We traveled all the way from Jersey to attend this class and to be rushed out the door with a half-made piece as an end product…just an absolute shame that there was no hospitality or empathy about the ordeal. It was just clear that our presence was a burden for them even though we paid for a full 2 hours. A little courtesy or grace and letting us stay another 10 min to properly finish up (since there were cracks and holes in the piece) would have been all we needed. We were paying for the experience and somehow we felt like we were...

We had a corporate team building event at the Upper West Side location of Pottery Studio 1 and we absolutely had a blast!!! First of all, demand was huge. EVERYONE on our team attended - a testament to the studio's magnetic appeal. And the experience itself transcended mere fun - it was a DELIGHTFUL blend of entertainment, education, and a surprising element of meditation. The experience fostered a sense of unity, sparking endless laughter and camaraderie among the team.

A heartfelt shoutout to EZRA, whose exceptional guidance was the cornerstone of our experience. Ezra's approach, characterized by INDIVIDUAL attention, elaborate explanations, and ever-present smile :), made the learning process both enjoyable and easy to grasp. The initial inspiration drawn from example pictures Ezra provided allowed everyone to unleash their creativity – resulting in an array of personalized pottery pieces, from mugs to bowls and plates. The painting session that followed revealed hidden artistic talents within our team, a delightful discovery.

I would 150% RECOMMEND this place for anything pottery and painting - but especially recommend for corporate events because it definitely fosters team bonding. If you're looking to blend creativity, teamwork, and fun, this is the...

I booked a 10-person group class at NYC Pottery 1 in Bowery to celebrate my 35th birthday, and it was an amazing experience from start to finish!

Our instructors Chris, Meghan, and Fatima were patient, supportive, and very hands-on throughout the entire class, helping us bring our creative ideas to life. Svitlana, the host/cashier, was also incredibly pleasant and helpful, making the checkout process smooth and easy once the class ended.

Because I had a private group of 10, we were allowed to bring our own snacks, cake, and even personal music, which made it feel extra special. The studio provided a large rectangular table that fit everything perfectly. The class lasted about two hours, and they even supplied aprons to keep our clothes clean.

Parking in the area wasn’t bad at all I paid for metered two-hour parking, which covered the entire session. The price was very reasonable; we did the basic package at $100 per person, and it was absolutely worth it.

Overall, I give NYC Pottery 1 a 10/10! It was such a fun and memorable experience, perfect for birthdays, girls’ outings, or even a date night. I’d definitely do it again! FYI it’s my birthday they let me wear the instructor...