I came here for the latest Yelp CT Made event. I have to admit, I'm not sure I would have come…read moreacross this spot without Yelp, as I'm pretty home crafty, but Laurie was a great teacher and host for a clay pendant making class. Laurie really makes the back experience worthwhile. She was great at helping the group and teaching us what to do. The clay pendant class was nice. I have a bit of experience with polymer clay, and Laurie broke down the techniques very well. Many of the classes feature wine, which is definitely an added plus for adulting crafts.

I first had the opportunity to visit and "get my craft on" at a Yelp CT Made event in August. The…read moreowner was a great hostess and made us all feel welcome - helping us get our creative juices flowing while we created a wonderful necklace. When I got home I quickly "liked" her Facebook page and was amazed at not only the number but the variety of classes that Laurie offers. For only having a brick and mortar location since May 2016 - she has tapped into a market for those of us whom want to be creative but don't want to just sit and paint. From creating your own laundry detergent to designing your own jewelry, Laurie has created a variety of class for every age imaginable. I also recently attending a Sunday Yoga and Craft class (which I believe is going to be a monthly event). An hour of relaxing and gentle yoga followed by crafting (that day we made glass magnets) is the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The class was intimate and I loved Laurie's energy and positivity. Can't wait to sign up for another class soon!

Back-to-School Fun at CORTIVA Institute!…read more Today I brought my kids to the CORTIVA Institute Massage Therapy School for their annual Back-to-School event, and what an amazing experience! They were offering FREE services for the kids and families, including hair styling, braiding, barber services, nails, massages, face painting, mini facials, and more! ‍‍ I absolutely love seeing organizations in our community come together to help families get ready for the new school year. And the best part is that they do this every year! My kids got their hair cuts and left feeling fresh and ready for back to school! Thank you, CORTIVA Institute, and everyone who volunteered their time and talents to make this event possible. Community support like this means so much!

This is a great place. Wonder staff and students. Great deals. I know people that drive ober state…read morelines to come here.

My daughter's Wednesday night acro teacher Miss Michelle wouldn't allow my daughter to go out to…read morethe bathroom to get a drink of water or splash cool water on her face and I have a picture of her with her face beat red she has asthma Dance Connection knows that if something were to happen to her what would they do tell her to suck it up?SHE CAME HOME AND HAD AN ASTHMA ATTACK AND HAD TO BE PUT ON HER NEBULIZER MACHINE!!!the owner did not get back to me immediately either.

My 8th grade daughter is starting her fifth year of dance at The Dance Connection (TDC) and is a…read moremember of the Dance Corps team. TDC has truly become her second home. She has developed close friendships and ALWAYS looks forward to spending time at the studio. The teaching staff offers excellent dance instruction and provides opportunities for continual growth and development. The owner is truly invested in the success of each and every student. We are so pleased with how my daughter has grown in her technique and love of dance at TDC but most important to us, we appreciate the life lessons learned under the guidance of the owner and teachers. They foster strong work ethic and have helped nurture my daughter's dedication and confidence in and out of the studio. I highly recommend the Dance Connection!

Soully For You was such a beautiful space in many ways! The amazing aroma hit you as soon as you…read morereached the steps. It is beautifully decorated and beautifully run. The owner is well educated and very passionate. She had a plethora of fragrances and decorative pieces to add to your candle. My sister and I had a great time and will be returning. I highly recommend SFY! She also has homemade skincare products which left my skin feeling moisturized and having a nice shine. Thank you for such a great night!

This place was nice! We went for a group outing of seven people. When I called earlier in the week,…read morethe guy said we didn't need a reservation and could just walk in for Saturday. We all planned to meet there at 5 PM, but when we arrived, they told us we actually needed a reservation and had to come back at 6:45. Thankfully, West Hartford has plenty to do, so we walked around, grabbed some food, and returned for our reservation. One thing to know is that you pick the pottery you want to paint it's not a place where you make the pottery yourself. That has pros and cons, depending on your preferences. I'm honestly not that artistic when it comes to freehand painting, so I picked a simple snowflake design (probably the cheapest option at around $14). My friends picked reindeer, cookie trays, and other fun items. Painting was fun, but you have to leave your piece for 2-3 weeks to be glazed, so don't expect to take it home the same day. The space is small, but I liked the intimate setting. The staff was also very nice, and overall, I had a good experience. I would definitely go back.

I have not had a hand in pottery since high school so this was a nice activity to do and spend…read morequality time with friends and family. Claypen is located on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center between Walden and Dale streets. Lookout for the sessions posted outside if looking for something specific. I was attracted to the Studio Ghibli theme they were having and immediately made a reservation. I honestly didn't know what to expect until I arrived there. Upon check in, we were shown where we'd be seated and were told that we select any ceramic on the shelf and will be provided the paints and can even replenish it ourselves from the shelf. As well as take as much time as we needed to complete our design. My daughter did her own thing and drew Sanrio on different sides while I wanted to paint Haku and my friend, Totoro. I think it all came out really well!! I looked up an image tried to copy it onto the jar. Originally using a pencil and lightly tracing it onto the surface to not affect the image, although I was told that the pencil burns off during the baking process. We were also instructed to paint more than 1 coat so that the paint will show. The whole process was easy enough. When finished, everything can be brought to the counter for payment. Essentially the painting is free, it's the ceramic that needs to be paid for. I would think that the piece is averagely priced. If wanting to be sure, definitely ask before picking a piece. I'd certainly do this again.

Deb Loomis is a very talented teacher. Her energetic classes have the perfect balance of technique…read moreand fun.

I got a Groupon for Zumba classes at Dance Amore - I had resisted Zumba though others love it, but…read moreI figured I'd give this a shot - it was a great deal. I'll try to keep this as objective as possible not try to judge Zumba itself too much. Pros: You sweat a lot, you can be as simple or advanced as you want, it's not terribly expensive and the instructor was very nice. If you don't like guys in your class you're in luck. Cons: You sweat because there is no air conditioning and it's in a gymnastics gym (like an airplane hangar) and it's hot as hell. There is one big fan but if you stand near that, you're near the huge window that looks out into the gymnastics area's parental waiting area. So, you have an audience. I was the only guy. That sucks if you're a guy. I was generally too embarrassed to do much more than the footwork (the choreography is clearly geared to women) and even more embarrassed to glance back and see gym kids and parents starting blankly at us. As an instructor she was OK - her moves were clear (there's no vocal instructions in Zumba) but she seemed, well, a bit tired. Maybe she was, I don't know. I ended up leaving the class early. Bottom line - try a class first but give it a shot. You might love it. No one laughed at me, so maybe my embarrassment is all on me, but it's just not my thing. My experience was a two star experience but didn't want to rate so low that others might not want to try it at least.

I've been to a handful of dance schools in the area, but I had just started dating a girl who I had…read morenever danced with and wanted to start out somewhere new. I found a Groupon for Arthur Murray Dance Studio and decided to give it a shot. I thought it was strange that they didn't care to see the Groupon (which cost me actual money) when I showed up for my scheduled appointment. We discussed what I was looking for and got a tour of the facility. All the while my feeling of unease was steadily increasing. This didn't feel like a fun date... if felt like buying a used car. Finally we came to the lesson itself and my opinion was sealed. Despite my practically pleading that we do some actual introductory dance (both I and my girlfriend had some experience), we were forced to go through this canned line-dancing-slash-walking procedure that was so bland and unhelpful as to be insulting. This lasted for what felt like an eternity and finally, once we were both thoroughly mortified, we were allowed to do a bit of dance. A tiny bit. Almost as quickly as we had begun, I was then whisked away to a mandatory sit down session with another of their salesmen, where they tried to pressure me into buying a huge, expensive learning package. If she could read minds, she would know how hilariously wrong she had been to try. This was a few months ago and - needless to say - I never returned for my second lesson. So essentially I paid full price for a single session and what I got was little more than a sales pitch. The silver lining is that my girlfriend and I still make jokes about that awful experience months after the class. A very memorable second date. I've only had the one experience, so maybe this is the school for you... but I've had great luck in this area, so I encourage you to look around.

I've been taking lessons for about 7 years. I was first at the Glastonbury then followed Todd when…read morehe opened the Vernon studio. When I first started, I filled out a form to indicate my expectations. They were and still are. 1) exercise. 2) have fun. 3) learn to dance. Todd has been great to ensure that all 3 are met. At first there was some pressure to learn many dances. This was to introduce me to each. However, I got confused and requested to concentrate on a couple at a time. Todd has been very accommodating and listens to my wishes. I am now testing out of the Waltz Silver 2 level. I've worked on Swing, Fox Trot, and Samba, but still at Bronze 1 level. I also take lessons from the other instructors, and they are all very good. During the week are group lesson that I enjoy. The instructor tried to make sure everyone is engaged and gives individual help when needed. There are also practice party sessions on Fridays, that are fun and a chance to try different dances The lessons are expensive, but I feel that I'm getting good value. We don't bother with the sales conversation. I just pick what I want to do for the year. It's a great place to learn to dance, get a work out , have fun, and meet others that share the love of ballroom dancing.

Both my husband and I, when reflecting back on our wedding, pinpoint our first dance as the…read morehighlight of our night. Not only did our expertly choreographed routine set the tone for the rest of the evening and shock every one of our guests, but we both experienced a moment where the world melted away and all we saw was each other. Watching the videos of the dance we can hear cheering and clapping, but neither of us have any memory of that occurring while we were dancing. Crystal took two non-dancers and made us look fabulous - more so than we could have ever dreamed! With her expertise and Josh's style coaching we felt so comfortable performing the routine. We could not recommend Crystal and Josh any more!! We are confident that we would not have received a fraction of the individualized attention and choreography had we gone to a run of the mill ballroom dance studio. We loved Crystal so much that we not only invited her to our wedding but plan to continue our lessons with frequent date nights!