Wow this location have the best light and breezy environment. You truly feel you're in a different world once you start a project here. They even gave some cute seating areas, front by the window, back as if you're having a private party, really great location and parking isn't as bad as I had anticipated. The staff is 100% more helpful; a lady from LG - Haley - I think, directed us to this location as it had the pieces we were looking for in their inventory. I wish the Bay had such relaxing places. So many grandparents with kids, new moms for footprints, and everyone else who was so kind and pleasant as we looked through colors and waited in line for questions. This is my happy place. read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Came to town for our anniversary. We had made a series of plans and painting a commemorative piece of ceramic art was our first stop. As I had made a reservation, a table was set up for us. The options of ceramics were very diverse and left us with many choices to pick from. My wife was drawn to a plate that had some Van Gogh vibes. Quite a challenge for a pair of first timers. Thankfully, she was able to get some outstanding help and guidance from Alice. While we exceeded our reservation time, my wife was very pleased with both the outcome and the experience. Highly recommend stopping by and letting your creativity shine! read more

Went here for Mother's Day and we were immediately able to get a table to start painting our pots and bowls. The colors turned out more vibrant than expected and overall we like our work. read more

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Wonderful fun ! You walk into a store filled with shelves of ceramic objects of every kind imaginable. As a kid, I remember being daunted with the amount of choices and didn't know where to begin. I went with a gecko that I ended up painting, the staff nicely finishes your art work in the kiln for you. I still smile proudly up at my Petroglyph lizard. This place of art abundance jumps out at you as you stroll downtown. Please, don't miss the opportunity to delve completely into the ceramic arts at this lounge. Only drawback is price, which I believe you could not do much about as supplies these days increase in expense as quality of equipmet goes up. So, if you want cheaper options best bet would be doing art project at home. But another great quality regarding this lounge is the mess & clean up is left to the staff. read more

I love taking my kids here! It is so fun and therapeutic, the only think that's a hassle is having to go back a week later for your stuff. We live an hour and a half away but for locals I'd totally recommend it. The staff are always so friendly. It's a bit pricey but totally worth it. For the holidays they have cute things you can paint. read more

Love this place . Enjoy painting and getting a lovely ceramics to mark the occasion. Came here for Mother's Day and then again for my daughters bday read more

What a fun experience! My husband and I visited the Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge today (Saturday afternoon)! Although it was busy, we didn't have to wait for a seat and were immediately greeted by a staff member. The pricing is fair and the system that they have is really efficient when it comes to painting your mug. My husband had purchased a gift card and applied it when we checked out, and the process was very smooth. As far as the experience goes, there are multiple shelves with blank items that you can paint - mugs, plates, trinkets, etc. Once you select your item(s), you pick a few colors that you want to paint with, grab a few brushes and grab any other painting tools (i.e. stamps) that you might need. There is no limit to the amount of paint you use or how many times you switch out your brushes. After finishing your item, you check out and are given an estimate for when you can pick it up (a few days later). Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I am excited to have my glazed mug! read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Chill place to paint, nice atmosphere and nice staff , I will definitely will be back read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - great place to chill and paint - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Staff was very friendly and accommodating to our group. Needed help with some of the bubble paint, and more writing tips for the colors we wanted. Explained the paining and glazing process to us as well! read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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This was such a fun place to spend the day. The environment here is very chill, and great for a rainy day when you want to get out of the house and make plans with friends. They have a variety of different items available to paint, and more colors than I knew what to do with. Price came out to about $40 for me, so if you are planning to go with a big group, keep in mind that the cost may add up. This place was really fun and a great place to be creative. Great for families as well. read more

Bradon and Alice were so helpful in offering to show me painting techniques that would lead to the best results in firing. I've been coming here for well over 12 years (since I was small) and I've never had such kind and considerate employees offer to show me new things. I would adore to take a class from them showing all painting effects i could create with my ceramic pieces. In the meantime, feel free to ask these two anything because they've done it! Definitely one of my happy places in Santa Cruz is petroglyphs. read more

Came here w/ a friend & our 2 daughters. Love the space, the extensive array of materials available, that they keep nicer brushes available if asked, staff was helpful and always available, and the music soundtrack was A+ (80s alt). We didn't finish, our pieces were wrapped up thoroughly and we returned to finish them no charge. Never rushed, always welcomed. read more

Went here for valentine's day with my girlfriend and left my hydroflask there immediately called after leaving and they said they would leave it for us to pick up when our pieces were ready. Came back a week later and my bottle was gone, either they took it for themselves or gave it away either way 1 star for not respecting their customers property. read more

My kids and I love coming in here to paint. When they were younger I would just be their helper on their projects. The staff was always kind and did not charge me a sitting fee for helping my kids paint. Now that my kids are older, we come in here to paint projects and it's the perfect time to connect with them and have family bonding time. How does it work? You browse for items on the shelf and pick out what you paint. You can paint as many things as you like .. you pay per item. You get charged one fee per person to paint. All paint supplies are provided .. you just grab what you need. Grab an open table and start painting away. You give your finished product to the front at checkout and pay. Items will be ready polished and ready to pick up in about a week. They have a great selection of things to paint. One of the favorite pieces are a card holder for dad, a yarn holder for grandma, and cool little garden sculptures. read more

Brings me back to my childhood! My aunts and uncles always brought me here as a kid and It's always a great time here ! You choose your pottery and paint for as long as you please :) I can come here with a group or solo! I took my husband and he loved it too , painted our cats on salt and pepper shakers ! read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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My 6 yo daughter and I came here for the first time last week. The staff was very friendly and helpful. $10 studio fee for the kids to use all the paint, tools, etc. it's $12 per adult plus the cost of the ceramic item you select. So, a little pricey. But, I'm sure all the materials are as well. My kid loved it and asked to go back when we were leaving! We will definitely be back at some point this summer read more

Ceramics are mishandled here. Awful experience with the employees. If you're going just for the experience of painting, this place is fine but if you want your ceramics to be handled with care don't try this place. I came two weekends ago with my partner, I painted a small rabbit ceramic and a geometric container. I painted the rabbit to the likeness of my own rabbit, and the geometric container a mint on the outside and teal inside. Both of my ceramics were mishandled and smudged upon return. See photos. The rabbit has a black spot on the back that looks like someone touched the black paint on the ears and placed it on the back. The geometric container has the mint lid with smudges of teal right on top, which looks like an employee turned the lid over while the paint was still drying on top of the teal and messed up the mint finished. When I noticed, I called over the phone and they told me to come in person to show them. I went to Petroglyph today along with my ceramics and had an awful experience. I explained what I thought happened, ie. that the ceramics were mishandled. And the woman behind the counter essentially started gaslighting me saying that those types of marks couldn't have happened once they got them and that perhaps in the kiln the colors that were underneath started showing through. I told her that neither of those were the case, the entire outside of my piece was mint and I had not used teal at all. I was also extremely careful with my pieces, I absolutely did not hand over the pieces in those conditions or I would have fixed it prior to handing them off. They reluctantly offered to let me repaint over the pieces and they would refire them but based on my interactions today, I would not expect them to do a good job of handling my repainted ceramics. I do not want to set foot inside of petroglyph ever again. I wouldn't be surprised if they mishandle a vast majority of the ceramics but just routinely place the blame on the clients (most of which are young children). It is really the fact that they did not take responsibility for their actions that brought me to write this review today. Do not come to this establishment if you want your ceramics to cared for after you hand them off to be fired. read more

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Great place to spend a few hours getting in touch with your inner artist. My daughter loves it here. Can't wait for her bday party here soon! read more

When you don't go at a busy time, this can be the most relaxing and therapeutic place. I come with my airpods and sit at a table by myself and paint and it's 10/10 read more

Staff are always super helpful and friendly. I love that you can take your piece home and bring it back to finish without having to pay the studio fee again ($9?). That being said, many of the larger pieces can be very pricy. Good place to go once in a while for fun or to make gifts! Sometimes when the pieces are fired, there a bubbles that the glaze doesn't reach and they will fix it for you if you ask. Posting pics of my bowl before and after firing! read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - before firing - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I love this place. I have a great time every time i go. Staff is friendly and helpful. I park across the street in a two story parking garge that always have spaces. Fun with friends and family yay. read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - Plate and fish - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

i live in monterey, so this is the closest place to paint pottery. i came here with my infant son and husband and everyone working there was very helpful and informative. the place is cute with many pieces to choose from. also their playlist is amazing. read more

Awesome place to spend quality time w/ your kids. I would recommend this place for quality time w/ your friends, too. That is if they're into stuff like this. I'm not an arts and crafts person but I do love trinkets and nice paperweights. Seeing my daughter pick out something to paint for me was heartwarming. I go through life so fast that it caused me to miss the joys that bring out the smile in Tess. I was glad to spend the afternoon w/ just her. My cousin happened to be in Santa Cruz that day and wanted to hangout w/ Gavin. I wanted to paint so bad but I knew not to steal her thunder, haha. We talked about random things and she would ask me what colors I want on my ice cream. The cone was where I had no comment but the ice cream itself needs to be chocolate. She knew that and got the color brown right when I sat down. Not an inexpensive place so I can't be a regular there but the next time I come, I will enjoy it w/ both of my kids. Staff were friendly and I loved how it came out. read more

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One of my favorite places to go. Each year I set it up so I can have my birthday there. Everybody makes a nice piece of pottery. Sometimes they make it and give it to me but I always say just make something lovely. I'd like to take home and everyone does we have a great time.I've only been to the one in Santa Cruz so I don't know about the rest but it's a great fun thing to do. You actually get something out of it your experience of making art plus you get a actual piece of art. read more

Loved their service, assistance, professional a quick turn around time. We used them for multiple gifts at our school last year and look forward to using them again soon. Thank you to the very helpful staff. read more

So much fun! The staff members at Petroglyph are friendly, the space and art supplies are well maintained, and it's an all around relaxing time. I took my sister on our day off, and we spent almost 3 hours here--we couldn't stop ourselves from painting more pieces! Would definitely recommend for a fun and decompressing day out with any age! read more

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge - Lots of supplies available to design however you want! - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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The staff is EXCEPTIONALLY helpful and knowledgeable. I was in the process of creating little jewelry holders as gifts and happened to ask for help and direction- thank goodness! Had I not, my three pieces would have been a disaster. I was painting each with basic colors and was going to add my daughter's footprint to each. But the color combos I had selected would have not come through once complete. Not only did they correct my colors, but helped me compete each piece. I held my daughter while her footprint was added. The staff member (I'm kicking myself for not getting her name because she was WONDERFUL) was SO gentle and sweet with my daughter, while sponge painting onto her foot and placing it on the plate. I am genuinely grateful for the help and WILL go back again soon to bring both kids for another painting session. read more

Great place to spend a few hours with your kids, friends or just fun time by yourself. Lots of cute & useful pieces to choose from. Fun tools to help with creating your perfect art. If you are just bringing your kids and you don't feel like painting yourself, there's plenty of space in the back with a huge couch for you to just read or do whatever. Friendly and helpful staff, fair prices and a quick turnaround. Will definitely come again. read more

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Extremely nice & helpful staff. A lot of fun to be had here. Great environment for some creative art time.

This place is fun to go to, I will say that. My gripe with them is that they charge you $0.25 for a bag without telling you and THEN ask you if you want a bag when you go to pick up your stuff. You already paid for it without your consent, why would they even ask? It's their policy. This place obviously doesn't care that much about their customers. read more

OPEN DURING COVID-19 FOR CURBSIDE PICK UP!!! I wanted to go to Petroglyph before shelter in place and was so sad when they closed. They reopened for curbside pick up - I ordered the items I wanted on their website and picked them up along with some paint kits and brushes. Had so much fun personalizing my pieces in the comfort of my own home. Brought them back the next day and waited for a call when they were ready for pickup. Kayleigh is WONDERFUL!! So helpful and personable. The whole process was quick and easy. I will be back soon to create some more! read more

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We went with a group of 8 and Kaleigh gave great customer service! She catered to our every questions and need. She also made recommendations and truly cared about how are pieces came out. The atmosphere and options of sculptures to paint was amazing as well! read more

I was recommended by a friend to come visit this place. She said it would be something fun for me and my son to do. She was right! When we walked in we were greeted by young lady, she was so helpful in explaining the whole process and answered all my questions. We painted 2 seahorses on Saturday and we just picked them up Monday. I loved them. I would definitely recommend this place! Prices are fair, staff is nice, clean place, a lot to paint so I definitely want to keep coming back! read more

Such a fun date night. My fiance and I love this place. We came here on Valentine day and it was so perfect. Pretty laid back, relaxing environment. We selected our pieces and were able to go again to finish them! Two dates for the price of one staff is very friendly. read more

When I lived in Santa Cruz, I used to come here with my ex-boyfriend. We would spend half the day working on stuff for gifts, plus have a nice time together. We'd split up the day with lunch somewhere close by, like the Walnut Cafe, or El Palomar. I also used to love coming here with my sister, just painting away, chatting up a storm, and being creative together. It's so much fun! It's something I'd love to do with my future kids. Ha! Someday.... read more

So this place is super chill. Everyday except for Tuesday, there is a $9.50 sitting fee + whatever the price of the item. The service is always friendly. They are helpful. It's very relaxing and just a great atmosphere. read more

A bit pricey. Just over 35$ to paint a decent sized bowl. I'd be cheaper to buy one but I'm artsie fartsie, what can I say. I painted for 3 and a half hours and still didn't finish but had to submit my pottery to be fired since I got to hit the road this weekend for the Christmas Holiday. Caveat~DO NOT SIT AT TABLE NEXT TO PAINTS!!! Literally every 30 seconds someone walks by stealing your light and disrupting your flow and the entire time you have to listen to the staff chitty chat with whomever refuses to leave the cash register. That table is the worst place in the world for those with A.D.D. tendencies (difficulty concentrating), like myself. Next time I'm bringing my headphones and sitting at a table away from all the distraction. Very nice staff! Yay! I'm a fan. read more

Really fun, cute, quirky place in downtown Santa Cruz. Open until 8 pm most nights! I went back recently after many years, and even as a 20 year old college student, I still love this place! It's great just being able to pick a ceramic, grab tons of different paints, find a nice quiet corner, and paint the day away. It's very calming and a great way to kill time. It's for anyone at any age who wants to have a fun, relaxing experience just expressing yourself through simple art. I bought the annual pass for $30.00 and it covers my paint and supplies cost for a year. So I only have to pay for the ceramic! Highly recommended if you come here 3 times or more a year :) Ceramics range from very small items like a frog or bumble bee to large plates and intricate mermaids and dragons. I like the more practical things. Mugs are around $10 to $15. Plates will be more and up to $35. There are also tea pots and cup sets. read more

I have to admit, I am a total kid when it comes to arts and crafts. I love to get creative and especially messy.... So after a few glasses of wine later my man and I decided to come be kids for a while... I chose a tall coffee mug, while my other chose a small coffee mug with a peace sign.. typical of him. I worked so hard on mine! I even tried to glue on a small fishy decal, which by the why, doesn't work... I later found that out after I glued it on, and it feel off right after.Sad face. After all my hard work I got a call a few days later saying my mug broke in the kiln. The guy who called, said it wasn't fired properly the first time.. Just my luck. Needless to say I still like this place and after getting a $25 credit, I am totally suckered to come back Dammit ..... read more

The first time I went to Petroglyph, I went with my girlfriend to kill some time. It was an amazing experience. We picked out all the paint we wanted, sat in the back, and painted for several hours. The atmosphere is very relaxing and they have this frequent card where if you come in 3 times, the 4th time, the initial fee is waived. I think it's a pretty good deal. My girlfriend and I made mugs, and it turned out great. I will definitely return to this place. It's open late at night, considering it is located in downtown Santa Cruz (everything closes so early downtown). The staff is nice, may be even careless, but when we asked questions, the staff was friendly. read more