Came here to celebrate a birthday and it was the cutest most wholesome experience! The instructors were so kind and helpful to us and we genuinely had an amazing time for our first ever pottery class. We got to choose between a mug, bowl, or plate but you can modify the exact shape or depth and they help you do that! We were there for about two hours and it was plenty of time to make our pottery and paint. Definitely search up some ideas or a Pinterest board for inspiration beforehand since we all spent so long there trying to decide. read more

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This summer 2023 I decided to spend some time to explore pottery making. I chose this studio because I wanted to try out pottery making first with a one day experience ( use the wheel with their expert guidance, create a finished piece and paint the piece). I loved my process during the one day wheel experience and decided to take their 4 week wheel classes. I mostly learned from their staff Danielle and she was an excellent teacher! One day wheel experience - $48 per person - perfect friend hangout or date activity! - make 1 piece on the wheel with expert staff guidance with options to make 1 more piece on your own - paint your piece with engobes paint and pick up your piece after a few weeks! 4 week classes - $200 total- such a good deal! Weekly 1 hr classes that includes all supplies, glazes and firing - make atleast 2 pieces depending on how your skills progress throughout the classes. I made 6 pieces but only took home 4! - I was a beginner so Danielle focused on throwing cylinders. However I wish there could be more variety in throwing different shapes- like a bowl - I learned so much from each class from wedging clay, centering, making even walls, trimming, making and attaching handles I loved my experience here and I'll be back to utilize their studio space for wheel throwing as well as glaze some of their premade pieces read more

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Had a great date with my wife. We picked out the pieces to paint-- the prize of the pieces include everything (no separate fees for using the studio or paints). Can't wait to see the finished products... it was chill, it was relaxing.. therapeutic really. So we will come back to do the clay... pots .... i'm dressing up as Patrick Swayze and she's dressing up as Demi Moore, like Ghost-- okay she doesn't know yet but i'll convince her read more

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I was visiting my sister for her birthday this weekend and decided to have her experience painting on bisque ware. We had an amazing time, and the customer service was fantastic. The young lady who helped us was so polite, courteous, helpful, and created an environment that was warming and welcoming !! We will definitely be visiting again. read more

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My boyfriend and I decided to check out The Clay Pot as a date activity and had lots of fun! We made a reservation online for a Saturday at 12pm which was perfect because the studio wasn't crowded at all, only 2 other groups. It started to get crowded around 1:30pm. I brought wine since I saw a video of a lady bringing hers but was told wine is only allowed for night classes which is understandable. We started off with pottery basics; it was very beginner friendly since it was my first time. My bf is a pro. We had 4 choices to choose from when it came to the type of item to create; I chose a bowl and my bf chose a vase. The instructor was very patient with teaching me and even showed us how to properly shape the clay. Once we shaped the clay to the vase and bowl, she brought the pieces to the back to harden. In the meantime, we were given more clay to play around with until it was time to paint our masterpieces. TIP: You will get clay on your clothes, shoes, skin, etc. but it is all washable. Wear something you are comfortable in and don't care to get a little clay on. When our pieces were ready to paint, we washed off all the clay and headed to our table where we were given a specific type of paint since we were painting right away vs waiting to come back to paint. Once we were done painting we received a ticket that told us the date to come back and pick up our pieces. If you don't want to partake in a pottery class, you also have the option to pick one of their pre-made pieces and paint them. This was a great date idea as well as a family fun activity. Would recommend this place! read more

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this is really the best experience! the employees are helpful & lovely! i wish we could choose as many colors as we want for the pieces but also - this is my only constructive feedback is to switch out the paintbrushes. they don't give any straight lines bc they're so used. please switch out the brushes more regularly. i've been here twice and have the same feedback for each time. read more

Looking for a place to unleash your inner artist? Look no further than The Clay Pot! I purchased a two-part class for my sister's birthday in which my sister, my partner, and I all participated. I found the price for three people very affordable compared to other studios I have looked at. Myself and my partner had one prior experience with pottery making in a different studio. This was my sister's first time using a throwing wheel when working with clay. Our instructor, Danielle, was very helpful and guided us through each step of the process of wheel throwing. We had a choice to make one of four pieces - I made a plate, my partner made a pencil holder, and my sister made a vase. After making our pieces, we were given free time to mess around with a piece of new clay and practice the techniques we learned during the lesson. We are very excited to return for our part two and paint our pieces! read more

The Clay Pot - Specialty Schools Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

Great place for beginners to experiment and make pottery! I came here with my boyfriend and we were taught 1-on-1 with an instructor on how to create our own pieces. Neither of us had any previous experience with a pottery wheel or shaping clay, but the instructor was able to show us and help us through the process. First, she gave us towels to cover our knees and a smock to prevent any clay from splattering onto our clothes. Then, she went thru the whole process of shaping the clay into a vase as an example. (You have the option of making a bowl, a plate, a vase, and a pencil holder; we both chose to make vases.) I think it would have been more effective if we went step by step instead of the instructor showing us everything first, since I forgot probably half of the steps by the time she was done the whole process. However, I liked that the instructor was able to step in when we weren't sure what to do or if our pieces became misshapen. I wish we could have spend more time shaping the pieces but since we chose to paint our pieces the same day, I suppose there was a time constraint on making the pieces. When we were done with the pieces, the instructor gave us extra clay to play around with while she speed-dried the vases we made in order for us to be able to paint them. I had a lot of fun experimenting with the clay on the wheel--I think we had about 30 minutes of "play time". Afterwards, we washed off our hands in a bucket in the bathroom before washing again in the sink. The bucket smelled a bit weird and it was kinda gross not knowing how long that water had been sitting there. Also the sink is a bit small and shallow so it was a little difficult to wash the inside of my forearms where some clay had splattered. When we were done washing up, we sat at a table with our vases and were given 5 different colors of clay-paint: blue, red, yellow, green, black. I say clay-paint because the instructor explained to us that the paint wasn't a regular paint but more so a colored clay (so that our pieces not to absorb any water and become misshapen by the brush strokes). She also explained that any spots without paint would bake into a white color. We spent about 30 minutes painting and once we were done, the instructor let us know that the pieces would be ready for pick-up in about a week. Today, we picked up the vases, and overall I think they turned out great. The only issue I have is a black smear on my vase that wasn't there when I was done painting it last week. I'd say that the experience was good as a date, but I probably wouldn't go back if I was serious about learning how to make pottery. I wish we had more time to learn techniques and were able to make the pieces at a slower pace. read more

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I'd never heard of this place before Valentine's Day this year, but apparently the Clay Pot has been in the area since 2008. It's a cute, clean pottery studio tucked away just off Main Street in Spotswood- easy parking in the attached lot, and shouldn't be too hard to find. Boyfriend brought me here for a Valentine's Day surprise- a hands-on wheel lesson, with a follow-up for painting. The wheel experience was awesome (almost like a scene out of Ghost), and we were able to each make a pretty vase. Rochelle and Martin were awesome, though i felt a little rushed (maybe i'm just slow, though). We came back to paint our pieces a few weeks later, and the experience was not quite as good. the girls working that day didn't explain technique options much, nor did they provide things like more than 1 brush until asked (1 brush + 4 paint colors - water bowl = ?). the experience wasn't terrible, but just not as great as it could've been / as i've experienced when i went to paint pottery elsewhere. The Clay Pot doen't quite hit the "Yay" 4-star review in my perspective- i don't think i'd recommend it for a walk-in, painting-only session: a lot of the pieces that you can choose to paint are handmade in the studio, but look a little like the clay art projects we made in middle school. i've had better selection and service at other studios (i.e. Color Me Mine, etc.) However, the "Wheel Experience for 2" sessions that they offer are definitely an awesome time, and will only run about $75 or so. PERFECT place for a date (as long as you're ready to come back to paint, and then to pick up... basically, make sure your relationship will last about a month+)! read more

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Love this place been here twice and each time is a great time. The store is amazing and well put together. The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely a fun experience to have with friends. read more

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We had a great experience using the clay wheel with Martin! He was very patient with my son and helped him to accomplish his first piece of pottery. I felt the price was a great value and I absolutely loved the feel of using clay. Thanks for a great spring break experience! read more

GO HERE! Great place! Super safe & fun. The staff was so pleasant and friendly.. also super helpful. As a first timer, I was able to create and paint a beautiful bowl. Definitely something fun to do that is safe as well. 5 stars for sure!!!!! read more

Went there with a couple of friends who have little to no experience on the wheel. Martin was a great instructor and we had a fun time.

I felt very rushed for the one day making and painting session. The instructor basically held our hand to make the first piece and rushed us to another wheel to practice. In less than 5 mins, we were told abruptly that time to clean up and wash hands. There weren't any people waiting. Definitely not coming back. read more

My friend and I tried pottery making for the first time here and it was a great experience! Patricia was our instructor and she was patient and laid back, which made the experience even more enjoyable. Will definitely be coming back!! read more

Great little place to learn how to make pottery. It's wonderful for kids and even adults. Parties groups. Very friendly people. I went once for a party and the kids had so much fun. Picking what they want. Pain thing it. And then getting there hands messy in the clay one by one as they were being taugt how to make different things. read more

I chose to do something different one day and try my hand at pottery. It was a lovely, relaxing time. I was nervous to do use the pottery wheel, but their instructors were kind and patient. I can not wait to go back to create another piece of hand-made art. I would say if you are thinking about it, just try it! They will not let you walk out without producing a piece to be put in the kiln. read more

The Clay Pot - Specialty Schools Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

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AWESOME SPOT the Clay Pot. I went with my wife on Valentines Day. It was a great time, knowledgeable staff that is very patient with new comers. We had a great time and the finished product is awesome. A great place to bring the kids for painting read more

The Clay Pot - My wife and I had a great time at the clay pot. The staff has patience to explain the process every step of the way. - Specialty Schools Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

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Love it, made a beautiful pitcher/vase on pottery wheel. They also let you work by yourself on wheel after the lesson. Can't wait to go back, loved it read more

Great experience all around. The staff was knowledge, kind, and patient. It was a real ghost like experience, the movie. The texture is awesome when we spun on the wheel n the master potter makes it look super easy; u know when someone makes something look easy, they r good at it. While we waited for our pieces to dry a bit, we were able to continue the wheel experience independently. Then we painted the piece, the color choices were not options I would have choose but that's what they had. U get what u get n don't get upset situation. I brought my children here n they seemed to have had a blast. They made bowls n were very satisfied. It's fun, local for us, and a bit off the beaten path. Highly suggested for curious minds of all ages. read more

I am very disappointed with this. I purchased the two session class and I felt extremely rushed. First the man helped us make what we wanted on the wheel and basically did it for us (held his hands over ours had us wait for him while helping someone else) which was fine because it is hard so you need help. However, that only took maybe 15 mins. Then they gave us some clay to try to make another one on our own and there was no else waiting there to use the wheels and there where 3 other wheels open and in the middle of trying to make one on our own with no help, the girl comes and says ok time clean up and turns off the wheel... not once did they warn us it was almost over or offer help to help us make one without it basically being made for us. ALSO, my wheel was going way to fast and staff disappears to the back "to do paperwork" and left us there. So I could not even ask for the wheel to be put on slower. Very very very disappointed and this was not cheap read more

We are so happy to have found this place. I brought 3 children with me: 9, 10 & 11 yrs old. They were given detailed instructions and after making a piece with assistance, were able to venture on their own and mold some clay which made them all so excited! Friendly, helpful and patient staff!! The children say they definitely recommend it. I'm also planning on coming back with a friend or two to have some fun as well :) read more

This establishment labels themselves an art school and I had been emailing them to learn more about pottery and after learning that they would not be teaching classes this summer, I took classes from a school at a further location so I would be ready to use the resources at The Clay Pot. I emailed them telling them that I took classes and would like to continue at their location and asked about their kiln rental service. They were not responsive by email so I decided to call them to learn more. I spoke to a man on the phone who asked me to call someone else to get my questions answered. He literally said he had no time for me because he was in the middle of talking to other customers. Why answer the phone, darling? Or better, yet, I'd be glad to be placed on hold until you are finished talking to your customers. I suppose because I am not waving cash or a credit card in their face, I am not a potential customer. I am appalled at the way I was treated as someone who is genuinely interested in learning pottery. I was loyal to follow up with them and they brushed me off like I didn't matter. I am sure if you are paying for classes or have kids that are just interested in painting their own ceramics, you will be treated differently. I am very disappointed in the way I was treated. read more