Wow wow wooooow!! I can't recommend The Hot Spot enough! Every staff member I've interacted with…read morehas been so kind, welcoming, helpful, and incredibly knowledgeable. They truly make every visit such a fun and relaxing experience. A special thank you to MJ for going above and beyond. She is one of the sweetest people I've met and generously offered to do a photoshoot for me and my two friends. She even surprised us by making our pottery on the house! It was such a thoughtful gesture that made the entire experience even more memorable Thank you, MJ, for creating such a welcoming space where I've been able to make my Miffy bowl series, with many more pieces to come. As a frequent customer, I'll definitely be back!!

Pottery Painting at The Hot Spot in Liberty Station…read more We took our team of 15 to do pottery painting and it pains me to say that for groups, it was a bit of a let down. I've been here before with a friend and I'd say this location/company does better with smaller groups and not larger groups. I pre-booked our reservation and when we arrived, they had our large table with the paper on it with most things needed except paper towels. The seats felt really close together even with fitting all 15 of us so some had to sit on other tables since it's pretty crammed. For groups over 6 (I believe it was), they charge a 15% service charge and I completely understand and am happy to pay it if a decent experience is provided but it was basically self-service so I'm wondering what should have been included. The employee introduced herself who was "assigned to us" and handed out the cards to put paint on and added our pottery selections to her notepad. That was the extent of her help. I ended up going around to our table asking if anyone needed paper towels (since they weren't provided) or more paint. If our table was a small group, I could see that not being necessary but we were a large group who was paying a premium. The employee didn't come back to check on us as it got close to finishing. I went up to get ready to check out and find out where everyone needs to bring over their pottery and the employee remembered that people should write their initials with a special pencil. It was a bit disorganized and I had higher expectations with what we were paying. Is the service fee just for the extra paper on the tables because the other groups/individuals who didn't "get someone assigned to them" got the same level of service our group did. Our reservation was in the early afternoon and with this July heat, it did get hot. The shop had doors and windows open but 1 small fan in the corner of the room that didn't make much of an impact. I'd suggest more fans because this place makes great margins for what they offer. Overall, I wouldn't suggest this place for a group activity over 6 people. The service isn't worth it for the service fee. You're better off to have the group go in as individuals unfortunately.

Tariq taught my friends and me (group of 5) on a Saturday at 5pm. We appreciated the clarity of…read more his instructions and ability to identify what to correct in our technique (we were all beginners haha). I am inspired to try to take more classes after this session!

Had an amazing time with my daughters on Mother's Day weekend with our first pottery throwing…read moreexperience. All the ladies there were very friendly and our instructor was very helpful! Definitely inspired us to continue our pottery journey! Thank you again Handled Pottery!! We even brought our own custom aprons!

My daughter is 7 and really enjoyed her first pottery throwing experience! I purchased her a 1 on 1…read morelesson. She's HOOKED! We will be back with the whole family!! My daughter wanted to type something "thank you for making me having the BEST pottery throwing class EVER definitely 5 STARS"

My wife just finished our ceramics class for my birthday and we had an amazing time! Emory was so…read moresweet and helpful. We will 100% be coming back for more classes. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun date night.

I had an amazing time at The Hot Spot in 4S Ranch!!…read more I took my friend for her birthday and we had a blast. A fun, creative art workshop where you can pick from a variety of options from painting pottery to making candles to building your own garden pot. The prices are clearly written on the item and it's all inclusive (the item, all materials, and use of their facility) so no additional fees other than tax. Most items were between $20-35. The owner was friendly and welcoming. There's plenty of free parking in the large shared lot. You're allowed to bring your own drinks and food as well. We opted to make candles and it was really fun. You start with picking out your glassware, then cutting up the colored wax pieces you want to use and fill them in your glassware, then choosing which glitter color and scent you want. They pour hot wax to mold it all together and the candles ready to go within 15 mins. A great activity for all ages including adults. This would be a great option for any type of celebration, date night, hang out with friends, or spending time with your kids. There's something for everyone.

I made a reservation here for me and my friends for my birthday and it was such a fun activity! We…read moreall did the ceramic painting pottery and chose our own ceramics and colors. The process was easy and there weren't many directions aside from picking out a piece and colors and the rest was left up to you. They do take about 2 days to fire so you'll have to come back and pick up your piece. The plates were roughly $27 which isn't terrible for the experience. I don't think I'll come back again unless there's a special occasion

My friend and I wanted to do something creative for my birthday and we found this place spur of the…read moremoment. It's a typical paint your own ceramics kind of place. You pick out the unfinished piece you want, gather your paint and supplies from the shelf, and then spend a couple hours painting them and turn them in for final firing. The pieces are priced reasonably -- it includes all supplies and the final firing. My friend chose a mug that holds a cookie on the bottom and decided to transform it into a likeness of her pug dog-- see the photo... Mine was much more tame-- I picked out a small geometric vase and ended up painting it an ombre shade of an earthy purple. We sat and enjoyed the experience and they offer a concierge type service-- they cleaned up everything for us! Very chill and fun evening- will do again .

I enjoyed spending some time here with my grandkids. It's very spacious and clean. The customer…read moreservice the day of our painting session was fantastic as well as the day we picked up our finished pieces . The available pottery options may not always be available. The selection was low the day we painted, but on the day we picked up the selection was plenty with well stocked shelves. Brushes and cups of water are already neatly set up at the tables. The only thing you have to do is get your paint in the bottled containers. Little hands may need assistance with this or leave it to the adults to prep the paint dish. I really like the space in the Art Cafe. There is plenty of room between each table. It may be different with more customers (we were the only ones on this weekday visit). But even then, I think there is more plenty of space you don't have to worry bumping into someone. I find all ceramic cafes to be a bit pricey but this is something to do once in awhile. I find it therapeutic and I love to watch the kids paint and be creative with their piece. Great bonding time with someone or good, quiet creative time for just yourself. Go check them out.

My daughter did a drop in summer class. She loved it! There were lots of fun activities and pizza…read more She loved the workers and they were super friendly.

Love love loved our Color Me Mine trip!…read more I chose a cute leaf/ flower dish and wanted so badly to make it look un ordinary. I think I managed well! My friend and I learned that the instructions for a 3 layer coat make a huge difference. I started testing the paint under my dish before having the confidence to take my shot! It turned out beautiful I can use this dish for jewelry, keys, or bracelets. It took one week to get our ceramics back but worth the wait and really it was ready in 4 days. I'd love to go again!

Art Café is amazing! Such a nice Yelp Elite experience. The staff was so prepared, and it gave us a…read morewonderfully relaxed, slow-paced vibe where we could get some great 1:1 time before having to head out. We ended up opting for these cute heart-shaped bowls. Even though I live in NY, they were so accommodating and were able to prep the piece so it could safely make the trip back home with me. They were just so nice! It's all about the views, the incredibly helpful staff, and the immaculate vibes. Vibe: Cozy, welcoming, and effortlessly charming art café located in the mall. Family-friendly and genuinely wonderful.

This is a great addition to the mall and something fun to do if you're just walking around…read moreshopping. They do allow walk ins, but you can book a reservation as well. You walk in and the employee will give you a run down on the process. If you want to take your ceramic home the same day, you can use acrylic paint, if you don't mind waiting you can choose to glaze it and there is a $5 firing fee. We chose to do glaze and wait a 1-2 weeks and they texted us when it was ready. (Only took a week) In terms of inventory, they have cute Knick knack ceramics you can make or kitchenware like plates, bowls, coasters, etc. I also saw people painting canvases so you really do have a lot of options if you're looking for a fun craft day. Pro tip: do multiple layers if you're gonna do glaze. I'd recommend at least 3, but 4 or 5 if you have the time.

We go in every year to celebrate birthdays. Plenty of items to choose from, super friendly staff…read morewilling to help even if you have never done this before. They are super patient and will teach you all the basics needed to create some beautiful items. Our youngest kid loves this place and now has the whole family going to create and just have fun away from all digital noise. They fire everything for you and take great care to ensure you get a good looking piece back. Can't say enough or share the appropriate nice things about these folks. Walking distance to great restaurants and shopping so really easy to plan a great day that includes a stop at this location. Parking is out front or across the street.

We were in SD for my birthday weekend getaway. We had reservations for a restaurant at dinner time…read moreso we had time during the day to do something so we decided to give pottery another go. We took a class at a pottery place in Laguna Beach last year so we wanted to give it a try again because it was pretty fun! We did the one time class pottery wheel try it class. It was $80 per person. Which is on the pricier side, compared to the other class we took last time. I will say this class was more informative than our last class. Our instructor taught us how to start working with our clay, demonstrated how to do it, worked with us, helped us out, showed us different techniques and steps on how to form our pottery. It's was definitely more challenging this time around because I think we didn't have to do as much in our last class we did. My boyfriend said he didn't like the pace of the class and having to work with a whole class. Our last class had less people so it was more intimate and slower, as for this class it was a little bit more of a faster pace. In the end we made 2 pieces. First one was like a practice piece and the second one was when you kind of got the hang of it and the final product looked better. We were only able to take one piece home. Our instructor said she typically does 2 pieces because she teaches faster but we are only able to take one. Honestly, I didn't like my first one too much so I was okay with that but I know some other people in the class wanted to take both. After you are done you have to clean up everything and put everything away. Then you chose the color glaze you want from a choice of 4 or 5. They glaze it for you then they tell you when it's ready for pick up. We are not from SD but it's an excuse to come back down to pick up our pottery.