Rokuro Pottery

Horrible experience. I was ready to leave halfway through in tears. The instructor was rushed, condescending, and impatient. Also spoke of illegal drugs and spoke poorly of previous customers; I thought that was very unprofessional. I had a terrible experience that led me not to return to pick up our pieces once they were fired. I do not recommend Rokuro.

Poor customer service. Purchased a groupon called to schedule an appointment no answer. Scheduled online as requested heard nothing. Then a few days later went back to the website and it said it was closed until further notice. Don’t buy. Had to call groupon to request a refund.

My husband and I bought the Groupon for an introductory class, same story as the other folks reviewing.
The Good:
1. Andrew is very knowledgeable indeed about his crafts so I am sure if you take lessons from him, you’ll become an expert.
2. It was a great new experience!
The Ehhhh:
1. You WILL get splattered, so don’t come dressed for a ball.
2. Andrew was late to our appointment, which I’m not particularly persnickety about since I understand that he was coming back from lunch, but as a business, shouldn’t he have a schedule and be well aware of his appointments?
THE NO BUENO:
1. The studio is NOT CLEAN. There’s clay and dust everywhere. The studio smells and there’s no ventilation. Andrew was so hot while prepping the clay that he was visibly, as the vernacular goes, ‘sweating bullets’. The worst part would have to be sink where we wash our hands. It was plugged and filled to the brim with still water which Andrew explained was his ‘slip’ water. I do not know anything about clay work, but it seems really unhygienic that we were washing our hands into the plugged sink and that he was using that same water again for students to wet their hands while working on the clay (which he did with us). Does clay have insane antibacterial properties I do not know about?
2. Andrew is NOT communicative. I understand that he has a business to run, but on that note, he HAS A BUSINESS TO RUN, shouldn’t he spare some time for the people? It’s close to two months since our lesson. When we left our lesson, he told us to keep checking his website for updates on when our pieces would be fired and ready to be picked up. I texted him to inquire again (after not reaching him several times over the last two month) and his response just baffled me. He told me to keep checking the website (which I replied I have been, for the last month) and that even if the website doesn’t say it, my pieces are probably done. WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF ME CHECKING THE WEBSITE THEN???
It’s now November 13 and I have given up on all hope of ever getting my pieces.
Go for the experience, but be prepared to not get your pieces back.

I wish I could have a real review to write, we bought a groupon and scheduled our lesson weeks in advance, only to find out the studio is temporarily CLOSED. did we get any email or phone call letting us know this? Nope, nothing.
terrible customer service, and a waste of time for me and my husband.
we emailed and called the company and 5 days later have still not heard back. DO NOT BUY GROUPONS FOR THIS PLACE THEY ARE A WASTE OF MONEY

We attended the class two months ago. We still have not received our completed work and the company won’t answer us when we try to locate our pieces.

Pros: fun, something unusual to do, inexpensive, free parking, very knowledgable instructor
Cons: the owner isn’t abundantly friendly and if you don’t like getting dirty, don’t go.
Ultimately, I’m happy I went and if you’re there to learn something serious and not party down, you’re probably in the right place. The owner takes his work seriously, which is a good thing. Lovely pieces in the entry area.

My grandmother and I purchased a Groupon for two people. The lesson was 90 minutes, and we enjoyed every moment of it. For a 90 minute lesson, it was surprisingly comprehensive — from how to prep the clay to cleaning off the finished piece. I have been looking everywhere for an affordable, but yet quality pottery lesson, and Rokuro hit the spot. I will be back shortly to work on more pieces!

I’m not sure why my first review was labeled «unrecommended» and hidden at the bottom of the list but here is my next review for Rokuro pottery???
My second pottery class experience at Rokuro was just as good as my first. It was time to trim my pieces that I made in my first class with Andrew, two bowls… one small and one medium sized bowl. I spent the entire time on the wheel learning how to bring out the beauty of what I created. When I had made pieces before in another pottery studio. I wasted so much clay in the trimming process. Andrew teaches you how to use almost all of the clay you start with to make your piece, so clay waste is minimal. He also teaches you how to trim the piece so that it will hold glass properly and have a really beautiful look. I learned more in this session that the years I spent in another studio. I can see how great my bowls are going to look, I can’t wait to glaze them!

We had a great time. It was my first time on a pottery wheel and Andrew was a great teacher. I highly recommend for a couple, friends or a parent/​kid looking for a fun activity. Plus you get to keep your work (after it’s fired).

I thought Andrew was great! He was very helpful and experienced. I had such a laid back fun time! Many thanks Rokuro Pottery !

My fiancé and I used our groupon for the 90 minute private class this weekend. We had a blast and ended up learning a lot about pottery, which we knew nothing about prior.
Andrew got right down to business as soon as we got to the studio. He threw not one, but two bowls very quickly at the beginning. I was grateful for a chance to see exactly what we’d be doing… I’m a visual learner so it helped!
Throughout the process Andrew was super patient and friendly. He has a knack for teaching. It’s clear that he is very knowledgeable about his craft, and I’m sure it can be frustrating to watch beginners «do it wrong» over and over, but he never let it show.
In the end we were able to each throw two bowls, and trim another. My first bowl turned out a little too wide and ended up falling, but the second one was a success and I can’t wait to pick it up!
Speaking of picking up your pieces, yes, at the moment all of the finished work is in cardboard boxes, and it’s hard to tell what’s what. But the business is in the process of moving to a much larger space across the hall, and it sounds like it will be much easier after that! Plus, it sounds like all of the bowls that are not picked up will be donated to a charity, and to me this experience is not so much about the finished product as it is about the learning experience.
My advice: If you’re looking for a new experience, try this! But be open minded, and get ready to get a little messy. As an adult how often do you have an excuse to play in the mud? Relax and have a good time, don’t take it too seriously!

I agree with what Ness B said below. I would give this about 2.5 stars, but 2 seemed harsh. I had a very similar experience– my boyfriend purchased this and was very excited. I checked out the website and it said we would have wine and cheese and it seemed like a very fun date night. It was a dun date night– but not really the night I was expecting. The wine was old yellow tale that was sitting in a double bottle– probably for a few weeks. It was gross– my boyfriend didn’t really mind though so he drank a few glasses.
We walked in and were barely greeted– the room was so hot. He was sweating and not too long after we were too. He taught us how to pound out the clay or whatever, but really ended up doing it himself because we probably screwed it up. He was a nice guy and did a good job teaching– but the session was very quick. We watched him do it but then pretty much did ours for us too… which is fine because my pots would have been awful if he didnt help as much, but they broke anyways. I didnt have one pot that didnt break.
I did the trimming and carved my name at the bottom of one– at least Id have one bowl!
We went back to pick them up a week later– and we had no idea which ones were ours. My bf went in to get them and came out with bowls that were not ours (I knew because someone elses initials were on the bottom) —
Andrew was very unorganized and should come up with a better system since people are paying to make their bowls. I also thought we would get the shiny finish– which I would have preferred to the matte–
I was great to learn how to make a pot– but this is definitely a No Frills type of place.
As long as you go into it knowing that, you should have a good time. You may not get a bowl at the end, but you get to drink old, cheap wine, and watch someone make a bowl!

We got the groupon for the private class. I am usually a pretty harsh critic, and I thought the class was excellent. The instruction really was top notch — you can always tell the difference between an instructor who knows his stuff inside out, and someone who is unable to communicate what they know. I learned more in an hour and a half than in the two adult education classes I took years ago.
The pieces you create will not be perfect (duh!), but frankly, with something like this, you are paying for the experience, not for the finished product. If you want awesome pottery, you should go buy some in a store.
As the other reviewer mentioned, the space is definitely a bit messy, but it’s a working pottery studio, so clay is bound to be everywhere! They are also just moving to a new space that will have more room.

Overall: Class was very disorganized, messy, and very, very rushed. The instructor was nice, but did not seem prepared for us and he did not seem organized.
When you go to a friend’s house for dinner at the very least you expect the grocery shopping to have been done already and maybe have some clean dishes…
So this is how our session went:
My boyfriend bought the groupon for us for because I had taken pottery classes in the past and loved them and my bf was interested in giving it a try. The groupon was for a couples class. We arrived about 15 minutes early, because we are adults and we like to be on time for things. The door was still locked and when the instructor arrived 10 minutes later he said, «you guys are early» before actually greeting us.
The room was small with 2 wheels. No windows. Not much ventilation. Very messy. It is understood that the craft of pottery is very messy in itself, but that is all the more reason to clean up after each session. The task can be tedious but, it is okay to ask your students to help clean up their work area. I’m sure most people wouldn’t mind. Rather than sit in a messy work area the entire time.
The room had a strong sulfur odor, but our instructor did apologize. I guess the odor was coming from the sink, which was filled with water and old clay? He said he did not want to clog the drains in the building and had not remedied the problem yet. That is understandable, but it is something that should really be worked out because still water can breed a lot of bacteria and like I said above there are no windows.
When we were «wedging» the clay the table was very low so we were bending to wedge. Maybe I’m old or maybe it’s because I’m a nurse and Im very conscious of body mechanics, but it was uncomfortable. My poor boyfriend is a foot taller than I am and so he was bending his back at an even more extreme angle.
When it was time to use the wheels and «throw» the pieces it was a lot of fun. Our instructor gave very clear directions and seemed very skilled and knowledgeable in the subject, but he was very rushed and he was rushing us to finish. We were supposed to throw 2 pieces and trim 1 piece. My boyfriend and I decided we would have been happy to throw 1 piece only and take our time and relax and bottom line, just enjoy ourselves.
Painting the bowls same thing– very rushed. Sucked the fun out of it.
When it came time to trim. Our instructor was not prepared and had only 1 bowl to trim. So he had to throw a bowl for my boyfriend to trim. It ended up being a bigger sized bowl. Then during trimming the bowl cracked and developed a hole, which is fine. Stuff like that happens, but then our instructor said, «well now I don’t feel as bad giving you one of my GOOD bowls».
It seemed like he was pushing us to buy his pieces. It was uncomfortable.
When it was time to leave he literally ran out the door.
My boyfriend went back the following week to pick up our pieces. The instructor had no idea which ones were ours. There were boxes of small bowels from other classes all over the floor with pieces overflowing all over the floor. So who knows what happened to our pieces and whose pieces we have now. All I know is he said he was going to high fire or whatever the process makes them shiny, and did not. All the pieces turned out matte. except for his big good bowls of course, those were had the shiny glaze.
I think we are going to try Feet of Clay next time. I’ve heard good things about that place.

I was shocked to read the other review of Rokuro as my experience was nothing but wonderful. My fiancé and I had a blast and that was all thanks to Andrew – he was hilarious and so helpful!
First I’m going to say, I am the furthest thing from artistically-​inclined. I did take a pottery class in college and we had to wait weeks to get on the wheel, so its pretty impressive that Andrew can work with people with little or no experience and actually have them end up with great pieces! Although I had taken that class in college it had been a few years and I essentially had no idea what I was doing. Andrew walked us through all the steps and explained everything fully. He was encouraging and his instruction was extremely helpful. I’m so impressed that I was able to complete a piece in such a short amount of time. I truly feel like I learned a lot!
To comment on some of the other reviewer’s cons:
you’re taking a POTTERY lesson. You’re bound to get dirty, and when I called to schedule my appointment Andrew made me fully aware of that and told me to wear clothes I didn’t mind getting dirty.
Also, we got there a few minutes late and Andrew was waiting waiting for us in the studio and greeted us happily. While I understand some people abhor other peoples smoking habits, if it was before your lesson it is his time to do what he wants. Its not like he was in the studio smoking or left in the middle of your class to smoke.
The studio does have clay on the floor, but it is as clean or cleaner than any other pottery studio I’ve been in.
Also, I had no issues cleaning my hands in the sink at Rokuro.
My fiancé and I were offered several tools with which to decorate our pottery (paint brushes, squeeze bottles, sponges etc) and had a blast doing it.
I think the other reviewer may have thought this was going to be a paint-​your-​own pottery place. If that’s what you’re looking for, Rokuro is not it. But if you want to learn more about wheel throwing, I would highly recommend heading over to Rokuro. Andrew was an awesome instructor and we had a great time doing something new!