I went to the 57th street location this weekend with my cousins for one of their birthdays. The…read moreinstructor was a little too laid back for us. He barely talked to us and was into his own painting. We also had to ask for the aprons; which he did not give out. I would return, but definitely with a different instructor.....

Great fun , our teacher's name was Heaven. She was great! Patient with us. Step by step…read moreinstructions. We brought our own sips. The music was great also. I'll definitely try another class.

Happy medium is an AWESOME Idea having a space where you can pick your medium is definitely the…read moregoal for some of us but I do have a few suggestions to add: - I love the pottery options they have, would it be possible that the options were clear instead of white? That would have been fun! - I think some of the prices are affordable and some are not, I totally would pay $15 for a ring holder but I dont know If I would pay $48 for a bowl. So if you go keep in mind whats really worth it. - I believe is amazing how they allow the freedom to run wild for each person, but I would have appreciated more companionship from the "waitress" or at least for her to take a moment to guide us more, maybe there is a way where we can be guided over the phone with a video or something - I loved the space, it was all I thought it would be and is pretty spacious. Overall the experience was pretty good, I will be back and check out more of their menu!

This is my first time at the downtown Manhattan location. I had previously been to the greenpoint…read morelocation. Here's what I liked. Today, I did the watercolor activity and was handed a folder with multiple sized paper and some watercolor paint. I started painting right away. The workers are around to refill the paint/brushes/supplies when you're running low. I felt extremely attended to and I had such a good experience. I think that in the future, I might do the air dry clay activity as drawing/painting is not really my forte.

Loved it so much fun!! I brought my friends here because we wanted a chill day for our last day in…read moreNYC and found an all-day art spot on TikTok. When we first walked in the employees greeted us with a warm welcoming and explained how everything worked. It was homey and warming, i felt like it was my own art house full of art supplies. I recommend if you're trying to spend time with your friends or go on date!

This is a really cool art area/studio in the Manhattan area. It's located right next to Penn…read moreStation. It's super fun. You can get a package where you get to make art. There is a point system for base materials and then you can use whatever you want for however long additionally they are a coworker space so you can come here and buy a basic package and work. additionally, they have snacks for sale as well as free tea and coffee. They have everything that you could need and everyone who is there is super sweet. Additionally, decor is great. It's super cozy. The lighting is dark but they have lights/little lamps that you can use. They also have water and a sink for the art supplies. You can do a basic package or add a clay package. There is an additional fee for firing the clay.

Mia and Ashley were fantastic! They were super instructional and patient throughout the process. A…read moremust with a good date night! Would recommend painting the pottery as well!

So much fun. My first pottery class & it was amazing…read more Charlotte & Abby were great instructors. I made a multi functional bowl that I will use to scrabble eggs & mix my matcha

The class is small and intimate. Stephanie, who owns and runs the program, is very encouraging…read more She provides such a warm environment for all people, including myself who had no experience carving a wax mold for the ring. This is such a great class! You can BYOB and it was so sweet seeing a couple make rings for each other. Everyone in the class was very supportive of each other. If you want a fun and unique experience, sign up for Quench!

I had my teens' birthday gathering here - 11 teenagers over (almost) three hours. It was a hit!…read more The owner was super helpful (& quick) with all my questions, changes, and plans. Once there, the staff was responsive and helpful. The glass-work itself, after basic instructions, is fairly self-driven - so great for older kids and adults. I highly recommend Shiny Sparkly Lab for events for HS kids, college kids, or adults. The finished projects were very cool. The teens really enjoyed themselves. My own kids are clamoring to return! Thanks!

I've wanted to visit the Shiny Sparkle Lab ever since I saw them on a local news highlight. We…read moredon't have enough of these unique creative hubs in our city, so this place is really a gem. I've done glass fusing in the past and loved it, so I decided to finally visit and take a class that focused on making either a Charcuterie board or coaster set. I took the class as part of my birthday weekend on 2/10. It is usually $124 however, I received 30% due to an advertised deal on their site (code sp30). I traveled by train from the Bronx to get here and was very excited however, my experience wasn't as exciting as I anticipated. Unfortunately when I arrived, I got lost. I walked back and forth trying to find the space and even asked around, but no one had heard of it. I looked online trying to find a phone number and to my luck, there is none. After walking around for 15 minutes, I finally found it. The door/entrance has a small sign with their name on it. Maybe it's just me, but they need a better indicator. The business is located on the upper level of what seems to be an executive park of some sort. Meaning, one building with multiple businesses inside or around the premises. The building itself looks like its under heavy construction. I would never have imagined that any sort of classes were being conducted there. Nonetheless, I made it just in time as the instructor, Dorie, seemed to have just began. She gave a great overview of glass fusing techniques and offered tips on making our piece as great as possible. Her directions were also very clear and concise. Once she was done, we were directed to begin our masterpieces. There were 12 students including myself. We were placed at a large table where all of the materials were laid out for us. Each person had a section or workstation at the table to work from. In addition to the wonderful layout, we were offered some delicious bites of charcuterie treats, wine, and water. I took an apron and got to work. The entire class was about 3 hours. We were offered a sheet of paper to sketch out our design. I did not like this nor did I expect it. I was under the impression that we'd do a predetermined design. Sort of like when you participate in a Paint and Sip class. I am not a creative person, so it takes me a long time to figure out a design from scratch. Nonetheless, I came up with something that I thought would be lovely. As mentioned, the table is filled with a variety of materials to create your masterpiece. Unfortunately, a lot of the glass pieces come from larger pieces that seemed to have been cut previously. Many of the pieces were cut unevenly or in various shapes so it felt like I was putting a puzzle together. I had to find pieces that fit into one another as best as possible to make some parts of my design cohesive. My design was somewhat abstract. I focused a lot on various sized boxes and lines. It was difficult to do this with broken pieces because I ended up having to cut them more to make them into squares or find multiple pieces of the desired color to make it as close to a square as possible. In my past experience with glass fusing, they offered pre-cut squares and full glass sheets for me to work with, which made it alot easier. In the end, I ended up staying behind to finish my piece because I just could not find enough cohesive pieces to fill the plate. Honestly, I just threw whatever on it to make it complete because I was tired of it. Despite my lack of creative frustration, the staff were extremely kind and helpful. Whenever I needed help or guidance, they were only steps away to assist. In addition, they were so patient with me as I remained behind to finish while others left. Once complete, they took my name and placed it aside to be fired up. I received an email that it was ready for pick up and stopped by accordingly. Overall, I'm not in love with the finished piece but I'm content with the experience. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had some direction for the design or more pieces that didn't require as much work. The person working next to me also experienced a creativity block and was worried about the time, so I know it's not just me who may have felt uneasy. I don't think I would return only because of the distance. Otherwise, I would give it another try. I also would recommend to others. It's a nice time for friends or a couple to connect and enjoy themselves.

Last weekend I visited the Bronx to attend The Bronx Book Festival. I was super excited because I…read morewanted to get my books signed by Kennedy Ryan and S.A. Cosby. In order for you to get into the book signing you had to make a purchase at the bookstore. The line for the bookstore was extremely long. I waited in line for almost 2 hours. It was hot that day and the AC units in the building weren't doing enough. This building is big but I felt as though they didn't utilize the space appropriately. I was able to get my books signed and that was enough for me. The team in charge of this festival needs to get organized and work better as a team.

The Andrew Freedman Home was formerly a residential home for senior citizens & is now a Landmark &…read moremulti-venue facility. It's a charming space used for art exhibitions & other events. On this particular afternoon & evening it was used to facilitate The Bronx Vegan Bazaar with all things Vegan from food to candles. The food was good & of course healthy & there was even a DJ playing good music to eat & socialize by. So checkout the dates through December & remember, 'The Bronx is The New Vegan!'

A group of friends and I came here to take the scented candle workshop. It was one of their…read morebirthdays, and there was a birthday special that let the birthday person have the candle for free, as long as 3 more people were attending the class. We learned everything we needed to know as our instructor took us step by step through what we had to do to create our candles. It was a really great experience. There were a lot of different scents to choose from, and a good selection of candle jars to pick from! I would definitely recommend this experience for anyone interested in creating their own scented candle!

If you're looking for a fun, creative, and stimulating activity, Vela is the place! We had an…read moreamazing time experimenting with different materials and scents, and we learned so much from Billy, who, apart from being a great instructor, is incredibly kind and makes you feel right at home. We'll definitely be back!