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    Aran's Art Studio

    4.3 (127 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    My "butterfly in water reeds without the backing of chair.  There is nothing in this picture but glass of various shapes and colors.

    I have recently spent a fair amount of time at Aran's Art Studio in the Castro Valley Village. I had last been in that shop about 25 years ago, with my restless kids, so they could paint some plates to be "theirs" for dinner. I wandered in a couple of weeks ago hoping to shake off an excess of my own restlessness. I found glass fusion art. And hours of quiet contemplation of various shades of blue, the possibilities of transparent and solid colors, the trickiness and unpredictability of the shape and sizes of glass that you snip with shears. And, surprisingly for a lifelong introvert, some undemanding but interesting conversations with strangers as we sorted through broken glass. There are other art options at Aran's -- the ceramic painting I mentioned (both dishware and decorative pieces), enamel pours, painting on canvas, and probably a couple of other options I can't remember at the moment. But for now, I want the risk and light-fed beauty of glass. Glass is so sturdy, so fragile, it demands you look, it disappears, it colors what you see and feel. It's a wannabe writer's metaphor for life.

    The staff is so kind and helpful! Fun, peaceful environment. We fused glass for the first time and it was so fun

    The piece we made prior to firing.
    Crissy G.

    This place is amazing!!! If I lived closer I would be here more often! Kristi welcome us and walked us through what to do. It's a very casual environment! We went during the weekday for our anniversary. I can't wait to be back and bring my kids! There are so many fun options! So much space to be creative! Can't wait to pickup our fired product!

    Birthday party for 12 girls
    Erin M.

    I worked with Kristi for a month to plan a nice and fun afternoon for my daughter's 9th birthday and it came out perfect. They were very accommodating and gave us 2 hours. The girls painted the first hour and then cleaned up and we sang happy birthday and passed around cupcakes, juice boxes, and fruit cups. Then we took pictures and cleaned up. They don't usually allow more than 2-3 adults inside but let us have a couple extra parents stay and help. We will definitely return and hope to have more parties in the near future with them!

    My daughter did this ice cream bowl. She just loves the speckled paint they have.

    My family and I love this place. They have classes for kids and adults. And it's not very expensive. We come here at least once a month.

    Broken :(

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    4 months ago

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    24 days ago

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    3 months ago

    Such a fun and creative class. Extremely accommodating for a team outing. We loved our piece of art a week later when we picked it up.

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Great prices and kind staff. Would definitely go again! It was good fun for the family

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Aran's Art Studio

    Are there only pre made ceramics available or is there raw clay available to make anything with?

    Although I have never tried raw clay myself, I know that Aran has had some clay classes, so I know she has it available. If you have a specific day you plan to come by the shop, it would probably be best to call in advance. The shop is extremely… Read more

    How long is a glass fusion class? We're visiting from out of state, so would we be able to take our projects with us at the end of the class? How much is a class for 4 adults? Do we need to make a reservation for a Wednesday in December?

    That varies by artist could be 1 hour could be 30

    My birthday is this Tuesday April 9th and I'm wondering if you allow walk ins for a painting session. For me and my two daughters I would like us all painting the same thing like a flower perhaps.. my daughters are 6 and 10how much would that cost?

    It depends on items chose to do with pricing. Dropin is great. Kids can do glass or ceramics. Have fun

    What's a typical price range for pottery painting or the other art activities here?

    Varies from 12$ to 300 depending on what u do

    I have a three yr old grandson. Is he too young to paint a ceramic object?

    No. That is a wonderful age to start

    Are they still open during SIP?

    Yes Teresa, we are still open during shelter in place. Our hours are Monday-Friday 12pm - 5pm & Saturday 12pm - 4pm. Curbside pick up & drop offs available.… Read more

    So you have classes for stained glass making?

    Hi! We are a Paint-Your-Own-Pottery and Glass Fusing Studio. You are welcome to drop in to do a glass fusing project any time we are open. One of our staff will give you all the instruction you need. Hope to see you soon!

    Do you rent space to paint if I bring my own canvases and paint?

    there is an open paint night the 1st and 3rd friday of every month, in which you can purchase a canvas (which includes paint and materials) and paint a design from the catalog -- or freehand your own design.… Read more

    Can I bring food in (for myself) while I paint a ceramic piece?

    Yes.

    Can you buy supplies here? like acrylic paints etc?

    No.

    Are there pottery throwing classes with pottery wheels?

    we do have a pottery wheel and can offer instruction in throwing/ raw clay, by appointment only

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Aran's Art Studio

    You can paint pottery, take glass fusing classes, put kids through summer camps, and take painting classes.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

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    Créatif - Walk in & Create

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    4.6(41 reviews)
    11.3 mi
    Walk-ins welcome
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    First of all, I want to say this rating is from purely a walk-in experience and not a birthday…read moreparty. I decided to take my son here as we love crafting together. The pros: The space was bright, colorful, organized and clean. The staff were friendly and informative and didn't mind giving us extra paint when we wanted additional colors. Love that you can just walk right in without reservations. The cons: Wow is this place expensive for what you get. Most of their items that you can paint can easily be found in the dollar section at Target or for less the $5 at Michael's. The cheapest item to paint was $15 and those were very small pieces which can easily be painted in less than 10 minutes. My son chose a wooden snake and I chose a window clings wind chime. Each were $22. I would expect more expensive prices for items like this if maybe you get some special tools or paints to use. You simply get a paper plate with acrylic colors of your choice and paint brushes. I do not feel this is worth the price when I can easily replicate this experience in my own home for less than $10. Overall, the idea is great but they need to make this experience more unique in order for it to be worth the price. For example, there is another craft place in Pleasanton that you can create ceramics that have to go into a kiln for around the same price. That is not something I can replicate in my own home and is therefore worth the price.

    Very friendly and personable staff. The my Son enjoyed painting the light house ceramic. No…read morepressure. No rush. A really calm and tranquil place to just let go and be creatif.

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    The Hot Spot Studios Fremont - Final: after glazing

    The Hot Spot Studios Fremont

    4.8(41 reviews)
    11.2 mi

    We had our daughter's 6th birthday party at Hot Spot Studio over the weekend, and we were so…read moreimpressed by both the space and the staff. I honestly cannot believe I had never heard of this place before, especially living here in Fremont. The studio is adorable, clean, and very well set up for kids' activities and parties. They offer a lot of fun options, and for our party we chose pottery and slime, which was a huge hit. The full 3 hours went incredibly smoothly. We had a private room for the kids to do their activities, enjoy pizza, and have cake, and everything felt easy and well organized from start to finish. The staff was wonderful and made the whole experience feel seamless. We will definitely be back with our kids.

    Came on a Sunday afternoon and there were plenty of tables open, we have been to several other…read morepottery places so we knew the deal in general but weren't sure if this place was any different. After waiting for a while an associate comes out and roughly explains what the process is and disappears again- fine by me but I know a fist timer would be pretty confused. The color selection is very poor. They have a row of colors just plain colors, much less than what I've seen other places. The pottery options are also pretty lackluster and pricey for what they are. The positive part of this rating goes to the lovely associate that helped us the first time. She was lovely and kind, but my overall frustration that led me to this overall rating was picking up my pottery today. Again was not very fully and I see a line of people at the front. Cool I get it. But the associate had not a single sense of urgency in her. She just slowwwwwwly walked to the back looked around slowwwwly came back. Once it was my turn she didn't even ask why I was here just stared at me so I told her I was picking up and she asks for a picture of the item..? Wtf? Not even a name phone number or email that they require when dropping off my items but a picture? I had to scroll and find them. Once I show her she's like..ok when were you here? Geez do you want my outfit details that day too? How ridiculous. They need a better sorting system I saw her looking around and several pieces. Then she sloooowwlly comes over to me and dumps my plates on a table nearby and some crumpled bags next to it and just says "ok you can look at them" and leaves to the back again. Frustrated I get my pieces and dip. I don't know if it's because I've been to muuuuch better where they also treat me better. But this place was such a let down. Also picky side note the music they put sucks.

    Photos
    The Hot Spot Studios Fremont - Before glazing

    Before glazing

    The Hot Spot Studios Fremont - Painted ceramic piece, glazed but un-fired.

    Painted ceramic piece, glazed but un-fired.

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    All Fired Up - Penguin

    All Fired Up

    3.5(86 reviews)
    16.7 mi
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    This is such a fun and kid-friendly place to come in this local area…read more The instructions are simple: pick your ceramic to paint, select 6 colors, and sit down to start. They provide several different size brushes and have a great selection of colors to choose from. The inside is also spacious and open which makes the experience more pleasant. Only downside is that it takes 7 days to pick up the ceramic and their items are a bit on the pricier side. We painted a small ice cream bowl and that was $36. Overall though, will definitely be coming back again!

    I spent a relaxing hour painting w/ my gf on a Saturday afternoon. There was a birthday party going…read moreon, which took up a full table. I don't think they have enough room to fit everyone comfortably. Since one table is filled, everyone is sitting with one chair or two in between. This leaves people to succumb sitting in the middle of strangers. Who wants to sit in the middle of strangers? Do you want them to hear your conversation too? Not me! For two paintings (depicted) it costed $70 total. I thought this was pricy just for two. There was only one worker working a full birthday party, giving everyone their paint, cutting the cake, etc. I thought this was pretty understaffed for the amount of people. All in all, it was a fun and chill time despite the price and claustrophobia.

    Photos
    All Fired Up
    All Fired Up - Medium Ornament $16  Heart jewelry box $23

    Medium Ornament $16 Heart jewelry box $23

    All Fired Up - Larry, painted this one.

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    Larry, painted this one.

    Terra Mia Ceramic Studios - Cute studio

    Terra Mia Ceramic Studios

    4.4(158 reviews)
    19.8 miNoe Valley
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    Such a cute spot! It's located in a quiet suburban neighborhood but there are a few restaurants…read morenearby. Parking may be hard to find but that's most parts of SF. Came here for a birthday and it was an overall fun and easy experience. One thing I noticed is that you have to paint at least 3-4 thick layers on for full saturation.

    Came to Terra Mia to celebrate my partner and I's anniversary. It was a cold Sunday evening so it…read morewas no surprising that the shop was packed! We ended up having to wait around 20 minutes before a table freed up so I definitely suggest calling ahead to make a reservation! The owner of this business was incredibly nice. She took time to explain the glazes and how the process of painting our pieces worked. There is a flat fee of $15/person and you get unlimited time in the studio to paint your pieces. There was a wide range of glazes available for you to paint with. My only gripe was the condition the paintbrushes were in.. I was not able to find a brush for finer details and most of the paintbrushes were old with fraying brushes. The total price depends on the piece or pieces that you choose to paint. Our total ended up being $65 (you can get a 20% discount if you follow their social media or print a coupon from their website). Overall this was a great experience and I would love to visit again! I will update the photos with the finished pieces once I go pick them up!

    Photos
    Terra Mia Ceramic Studios - Gnome

    Gnome

    Terra Mia Ceramic Studios - Birthday party private event!

    Birthday party private event!

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    The Hot Spot Studio - Birthday Celebration at our studio

    The Hot Spot Studio

    5.0(4 reviews)
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    This place is such an amazing hidden gem!! We came in as a walk-in and were immediately greeted by…read morethe friendliest staff. Right away, they made us feel welcome and comfortable. We chose the paint-your-own pottery option, but they also offer so many other activities like candle making and canvas painting. There was a great variety of pottery to choose from, and we ended up picking a mix of bowls, mugs, and piggy banks. Ani was so lovely! She explained the entire process clearly, had color samples available, and literally provided every single tool you could need. The thing I loved the most was that they really let you take your time, and the atmosphere was so peaceful and relaxing, perfect for all ages. Even after they technically closed, they kept the shop open so we could finish our pieces, and we never felt rushed for even a second. They handled the firing, and we came back the following week to pick up our finished pieces. The colors came out so vibrant and perfect, and they even wrapped everything up for us!! It was my mom's birthday, and they surprised her with a free candle on the house, which was incredibly thoughtful. The staff is genuinely kind, supportive, and passionate, and I would absolutely choose to support this business over large, commercially owned art studios. We will definitely be coming back!!

    Had a great time with friends! No pressure to finish at all. Ani was helpful and explained the…read morewhole process. We all opted for painting, and I REALLY liked that they have samples of each color after the firing process is completed for the different number of coats. This was super helpful! Definitely recommend for a fun, quality activity.

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    We host team events (On-Site and off-Site).

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    Aran's Art Studio - artclasses - Updated May 2026

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