What an amazing shop!!! I had an empty terrarium glass and came in with no knowledge or idea of…read morewhat I wanted to do with it. They were incredibly helpful and gave me tips on what plants to add and how to take care of them. Definitely went above and beyond in terms of making my terrarium look nice :)

I've been wanting to do a terrarium class for a long time and recently paid the big bucks to make…read moreit happen! The class starts with an overview of terrariums in history, which is more interesting than you might think. Then you get hands-on with building the terrarium, from pouring in rocks and soil to choosing plants and adding decorative elements. It's a lot of fun and feels like a messy art project like when you were a kid in school. The whole things lasts about two hours. There were about 16 people total in the class. You're invited to bring beverages and snacks to make an occasion out of it. It costs $30-60 to join the class, depending on how big your group is. Then it's another $50-400 for the container, plants, soil, etc. So it can get quite costly depending on the size and shape of terrarium you wish to build. You cannot bring your own container to prevent contamination. One thing to note is they offer lifetime maintenance help if your plants start dying or terrarium ecosystem doesn't seem to be working right. The shop is also open to visit outside a class. You can buy a pre-made terrarium or they can also help make a terrarium in your own container outside of classes because they have time to clean it. It's a very unique shop and I'm glad it exists in Portland!

What a lovely way to learn how to create art, and to learn something about yourself at the same…read moretime. So much of what Phil teaches spills into other areas of life too--areas where perfectionism and self-criticism reside. He helps us be more gentle with ourselves as we approach creativity. The energy in the room is not competitive, it is supportive and helpful. People return, year after year, to retake the "beginner" classes, in part to stay in touch with the beginner mindset and sense of wonder. The Drawing Studio is wonderful!

If you're looking for an art class where the instructor shows you how to hold your brush to paint…read moreclouds, this is not the class for you. Phil Sylvester does something much more valuable: he helps you to ignore critical thinking when you paint (or draw--he has drawing classes, too). Keeping your left brain from sabotaging your artwork can be a formidable task for some people, myself included. Phil basically helps you become that 5 year old kid with crayons again, where you have no expectations of what your art is supposed to be. His exercises encourage you just to paint, while he cites mantras from himself and other artists amid occasional music. This process leads you down a path where you find yourself and lose yourself at the same time. I can honestly say, in the short time I have been painting, that Phil has made me a better artist. Any class which does that is a good thing. So I suggest taking classes that teach techniques and color theory as well as taking the types of classes offered at the Drawing Studio. Every time you expand your horizons as an artist your soul will benefit.

WINE EDUCATION! I have taken many course in wine education…read morehere with Mimi Martin. Everyone loves her teaching style. I have recommended her to so many people it's insane. If you want to learn about wine, take the WSET 1,2,3 or any of the Wine Scholar Guild courses.

Great class in a great space! I'd been trying to find a place in Portland where amateurs could go…read moreto learn how to talk more about wine, and this place came right up. Specifically, I wanted to learn how to describe and find wines I like based on its components, acidity, sweetness, tannin...and Wine & Spirit Archive offers just that in a 2 hour class. I learned a lot in those 2 hours! I learned that I prefer colder climate wines, like those from Northern France or the Willamette valley because they typically have greater acidity. I prefer a red with less body and a medium amount of astringency, I particularly love a good chianti or Oregon pinot. The instructor made things interesting and the kept us all very engaged. I'm definitely keeping this place on my radar for more amateur classes.

I brought my little sewing machine in for a tune up and general maitinence... I was quoted…read moresomething that was basically double what I paid for my little machine... But Anna took charge, she opened up my machine cleaned out all the little dust bunnies and gave it a drop of oil, put every thing back together and gave me a shiny new needle. Thank you!!

They have serviced my machine several times. Always wanted to take some of their sewing classes,…read morebut have not accomplished that yet they have a large store with many different manufacturers of machines. Their notions and machine accessories, the second to none.

You get what you pay for. Bodhi Tree's adult languages classes are affordable and scheduled…read moreconveniently for working people. They are not university classes and don't pretend to be. They're not even high school classes. They're "community" classes which attract learners with a very wide variety of abilities, backgrounds, and motivations. The public assumption that being a native speaker of a language somehow qualifies a person to teach that language seems to rule here. Before a scheduled sojourn in a foreign land, I was delighted to find an available class in the language of that land, and cheerfully signed up. I did the homework and attended every session. My teacher was not a credentialed language instructor but this person was generally punctual, knowledgeable and sincere. The textbook was good. My overall disappointing results were not due to any lack of good will on the part of students or teacher. The issue was that because the instructors are not trained in how to handle mixed-level classes, my teacher wasted a great deal of time (my time) in trying to cater to those unprepared (didn't do the homework) or those who have no idea how to learn a language (most Americans). For example, one woman student, in her thirties, leapt up from her seat at least three times during every class to answer voice calls, and texted constantly throughout. Having missed the instruction, she would ask the teacher to repeat the point, which he politely did. Another older man apparently had never studied a language before (perhaps had never studied anything before). He filled the class hour with random questions about basic grammar (what is a noun? what do you mean, noun?) history, and politics -- all of which the teacher politely answered, sometimes at length. Due to the teacher's lack of training in mixed-level classroom management, the pace of instruction was extremely slow and disorderly. In eight weeks I learned very little. I would not go back. Still, with so much variation among individual teachers and the possibility of a better mix of adult students, your mileage may vary. Bodhi tree is the only place in Portland to get formal instruction in Mongolian, for example -- and it's affordable. By all means give it a try, but I'd recommend to keep expectations low.

I actually only had the opportunity to take one class at this center because after someone dropping…read moreout, the class size was too small to continue. I was deeply disappointed, but I thought I would still share my experience. The only thing that really bothered me was how warm the room was. Maybe I just have a high tolerance for things, but I wasn't put off by anything. I was there to learn Cantonese Level 1. The instructor was very kind and friendly, and I hate that I forgot her name. If you're going in there expecting to be taught, then go somewhere else. This is a place to talk about the language, go through dialogue, and familiarize yourself with the way it sounds and how to speak it. But there weren't drills, memorizing or starting with the basics like tones. And that was fine for me because my memory is excellent and I can clearly remember how the instructor says it and I can repeat it. I'm thinking about doing one-on-one tutoring there, but the distance is a little out of my way. These are community classes and I had a good time.

My husband Travis recently completed his brow touchup with Taylin Perkins! Travis has Alopecia and…read morewhile most cosmetic tattoo artists may feel uncomfortable working with someone with his medical condition, Taylin did not step away from the challenge. Her freestyle skills are amazing and truly artistic. This has been a life changing experience for Travis which has boosted his confidence for his daily life! Thank you Daela for employing Taylin. We couldn't be more grateful for the results. Taylin needs a raise!

I'm back with another review because this place continues to deliver. I had lip blushing done this…read moreyear with Vivian, and previously I've had eyeliner and brows done here as well, all with different artists. Every experience has been consistently excellent. Vivian was incredibly clear and upfront about the lip blushing process, including the fact that it can be more intense than eyeliner or brows. For me, that was true, though I know it varies by person. My first pass healed lighter than I wanted, and at my follow-up Vivian really listened. She made sure I was thoroughly numbed and adjusted the color to a richer shade that I love. She also explained that some lips simply don't retain pigment as easily, which was reassuring and helpful to understand. Healing was easy, and I'm excited to see how the color continues to settle over the next few weeks. What really stands out to me about this studio is how kind, attentive, and thoughtful all of the artists are. One consistent approach I've noticed is that they intentionally go lighter at first, which makes total sense. You can always deepen the color at the follow-up, and it avoids ending up with something too intense. Overall, another great experience and I couldn't be happier with the care and results.