Something got me interested in glass blowing. I know myself, and I knew I probably wouldn't have…read moreheaps of fun... but it is something I wanted to experience for myself.
After reading the reviews, I decided to go here. I took the glassblowing sampler, which serves as an introduction to the art.
My two instructors were Matt and Pat.
The first thing we did was go through the shop, and see what kinds of things they do. There were no visible sales tactics involved, more like a "this is what we do".
Then we got to the room where the melted glass actually lives... now folks... they tell you to bring a bottle of water, bring one. Molten glass is incredibly hot, and therefore the room is too.
They go over what we will be making, and how we will be making it, as well as things that could go wrong. In this glass we make paperweights.
Then we go over safety and practice three times to make sure we got everything down. Yes, burns do happen, but they do everything they can to minimize the risk.
When it is your turn, one of the instructors will be working with you one on one to guide you through the process, and ensure you don't get a burn from glass whose temperate well exceeds 1,000 degrees.
However, this is where this place lost some stars. When it was my turn, Pat was the person working with me. While I appreciate his help, he did many things that were extra, and unrelated to safety, such as spinning the rod. While minor, and while I was the one manipulating the glass, I still felt it took away from the experience. It was more like me assisting him than him assisting me.
You don't get the opportunity to "blow" into the glass in this class, but it was demonstrated to us at the end.
Some more notes:
Instructors were fairly chill, but no-nonsense dudes. When you have molten glass, joking around is very dangerous.
The owner has a great sense of humor!
And finally, molten glass is very viscous. It is not as easy to manipulate as it looks.
In conclusion: if I had enjoyed glass blowing, I would return here. But, alas, I found it was not for me. Definitely worth it for the experience though!