Agree that the items are outrageously expensive (especially since you can find the same for a…read morefraction of the price elsewhere), but I've come to realize that we're really paying for the experience, materials and time spent at the store. I chose a small sushi plate ($38) and ended up spending 3 hours choosing the colors, chatting and painting. The employees mostly leave you be (which I appreciate) and are super knowledgeable about the process if you have any questions. After you're done, drop off the item with the employee to fire up your items and you should get a call around 3-5 days later. Overall a pleasant experience and place to hangout and chill with your buddies.

Walked in to CeramiCafe on a Saturday night! It wasn't crowded and we found a nice table for our…read moreparty of 4. The staff were all friendly and helpful. The workspaces and glaze area were not as clean as I've seen at other spaces but it worked nonetheless. The selection of pottery was just okay as they had a lot of seasonal items still (holiday, halloween etc). I wanted to paint a plain mug but they didn't have any drink ware so I opted for this plain bowl. The bowl was about the size of a small rice or soup bowl but priced at $39. I know this includes the glaze and firing process but wow it's pricey! For larger or more intricate products it easily went up to $50-$60.

This is a great addition to the mall and something fun to do if you're just walking around…read moreshopping. They do allow walk ins, but you can book a reservation as well. You walk in and the employee will give you a run down on the process. If you want to take your ceramic home the same day, you can use acrylic paint, if you don't mind waiting you can choose to glaze it and there is a $5 firing fee. We chose to do glaze and wait a 1-2 weeks and they texted us when it was ready. (Only took a week) In terms of inventory, they have cute Knick knack ceramics you can make or kitchenware like plates, bowls, coasters, etc. I also saw people painting canvases so you really do have a lot of options if you're looking for a fun craft day. Pro tip: do multiple layers if you're gonna do glaze. I'd recommend at least 3, but 4 or 5 if you have the time.

Art Cafe is located next to Target. If inside Target, you would have to go to the 2nd floor and…read morethen walk a tad to the left. It is across from Victoria's Secret within the mall. There are no bathrooms and you would need to walk over to use Target's. Mckenna was working the cafe when we came in. She's only one person but quite knowledgeable about the two paints offered - acrylic and glaze. Acrylic paint can be taken home same day. They apply a clear coat finishing spray and it will dry same day but may take a few hours. Anything with this paint would not be safe to eat/drink on if you get a plate/cup. Glaze will need 3 layers and would be an additional week to 2. When you paint it, it will look a bit chalkier but with the glaze, will turn shiny. There is a $5 firing fee. I believe this is okay to eat or drink after they glaze it. You could first choose which piece you want to paint, could be a cup/plate/dish or a figure. Pricing fluctuates depending on inventory. Ceramic pieces prices range from $15.99 to $50.00. They also offer canvas painting which prices range from $15.00 to $23.00. It's perfect to just paint and let your creative side come out. We enjoyed our time here painting. We also saw a few others come in either for date time or family time. One family was clever in that they had several kids, so they had each kid paint a teacup. If you don't finish or want to come back another time, you can always leave your piece with them and return to continue painting. You will need to pay though so they have your number on file to contact you (if you are getting it glazed) and also for you to resume your painting piece there. My girlfriend who was visiting, enjoyed our time here as we caught up talking and chatting while painting our shells. She had to do hers acrylic as she had to fly back to NY the next day. We ended up staying close to closing hours, so Mckenna helped do a quick spray - put it in a box for it to dry (due to the fumes) and let her take a picture of the spray to give it another layer when she went back. I did mine with glaze and got a text message it was ready a week and two days that it was ready for pick up. Very satisfied with our visit here and may come again.

Such a fun place!…read more Can be so fun to do on any occasion and is so easy too! I am not an artist, but I still enjoyed this a lot and would happily come back! There's so much parking at liberty station and the place is easy to find! There are so many different options to choose from with the prices directly on each item which is really nice. You do have to wait a few days to collect the pottery (they fire it up), so make sure you're not leaving town and can pick it up!

My fiancé and I came to paint our wedding cake plate on a Sunday morning. There were a lot of…read moreoptions for what we could paint, and I love that the price of the piece is what you pay with no other fees added on. We spent three hours painting and hanging out. The space is mostly catered to kids, but we saw people of all ages crafting and chatting. On a warmer day, we probably would have sat outside as it can get really crowded inside. We were never bumped, but sometimes kids would run by on their way to get paint. My only other complaint (which is more so my fault) was that we sat at stools at a shorter table so I was hunched over for a while. I'm just old. The staff was really friendly, and I like that there's a BYOB policy. I would probably suggest going later in the evening to avoid all the birthday parties as it was pretty quiet when we came to pick up our piece near closing.

My son loves his art school and his teachers. He's improving his techniques every class.read more

My daughter loves attending her anime classes. She has such a great time learning new techniques…read moreand the art show at the end of the year really motivates them and makes the parents proud. Would highly recommend

I had an amazing time at The Hot Spot in 4S Ranch!!…read more I took my friend for her birthday and we had a blast. A fun, creative art workshop where you can pick from a variety of options from painting pottery to making candles to building your own garden pot. The prices are clearly written on the item and it's all inclusive (the item, all materials, and use of their facility) so no additional fees other than tax. Most items were between $20-35. The owner was friendly and welcoming. There's plenty of free parking in the large shared lot. You're allowed to bring your own drinks and food as well. We opted to make candles and it was really fun. You start with picking out your glassware, then cutting up the colored wax pieces you want to use and fill them in your glassware, then choosing which glitter color and scent you want. They pour hot wax to mold it all together and the candles ready to go within 15 mins. A great activity for all ages including adults. This would be a great option for any type of celebration, date night, hang out with friends, or spending time with your kids. There's something for everyone.

I made a reservation here for me and my friends for my birthday and it was such a fun activity! We…read moreall did the ceramic painting pottery and chose our own ceramics and colors. The process was easy and there weren't many directions aside from picking out a piece and colors and the rest was left up to you. They do take about 2 days to fire so you'll have to come back and pick up your piece. The plates were roughly $27 which isn't terrible for the experience. I don't think I'll come back again unless there's a special occasion

My wife just finished our ceramics class for my birthday and we had an amazing time! Emory was so…read moresweet and helpful. We will 100% be coming back for more classes. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun date night.

We have been a few times for date night! I like that they glaze. I really liked my class with…read moreEmory. She was very helpful and she brightens up your day.

Women owned - Women operated! A great local spot to create…read moreat. We love Little Pots. My kids take summer classes each year, and have also dropped in to glaze bisqueware, learn how to throw on the wheel, and create other awesome age-based projects. They also host birthday parties, so that is on our list to try this year

Fun fun fun! Christina and her team of teachers are so passionate and patient with each child…read moreregardless of their age or skill levels. Each day the teachers take the kids on a visionary journey and help them create their visions. Like pencil charcoal drawings, pottery, and painting. My two grandchildren didn't want to leave each day they had too much fun. My grandson has self doubt about his artistic abilities and with Christina and her team he has gain so much self confidence he wants to return next summer on his visit to San Diego

We go in every year to celebrate birthdays. Plenty of items to choose from, super friendly staff…read morewilling to help even if you have never done this before. They are super patient and will teach you all the basics needed to create some beautiful items. Our youngest kid loves this place and now has the whole family going to create and just have fun away from all digital noise. They fire everything for you and take great care to ensure you get a good looking piece back. Can't say enough or share the appropriate nice things about these folks. Walking distance to great restaurants and shopping so really easy to plan a great day that includes a stop at this location. Parking is out front or across the street.

We were in SD for my birthday weekend getaway. We had reservations for a restaurant at dinner time…read moreso we had time during the day to do something so we decided to give pottery another go. We took a class at a pottery place in Laguna Beach last year so we wanted to give it a try again because it was pretty fun! We did the one time class pottery wheel try it class. It was $80 per person. Which is on the pricier side, compared to the other class we took last time. I will say this class was more informative than our last class. Our instructor taught us how to start working with our clay, demonstrated how to do it, worked with us, helped us out, showed us different techniques and steps on how to form our pottery. It's was definitely more challenging this time around because I think we didn't have to do as much in our last class we did. My boyfriend said he didn't like the pace of the class and having to work with a whole class. Our last class had less people so it was more intimate and slower, as for this class it was a little bit more of a faster pace. In the end we made 2 pieces. First one was like a practice piece and the second one was when you kind of got the hang of it and the final product looked better. We were only able to take one piece home. Our instructor said she typically does 2 pieces because she teaches faster but we are only able to take one. Honestly, I didn't like my first one too much so I was okay with that but I know some other people in the class wanted to take both. After you are done you have to clean up everything and put everything away. Then you chose the color glaze you want from a choice of 4 or 5. They glaze it for you then they tell you when it's ready for pick up. We are not from SD but it's an excuse to come back down to pick up our pottery.

The staff were wonderful! So sweet and very helpful. Everyone was so friendly and were checking on…read moreall the different groups painting. The assortment of items to paint vary from figurines, containers, kitchenware, and home decor! There's plenty of seating, a large variety of paints, and lots of fun stencils/stamps. Very excited to pick up our creations in a week!

I love coming here! This is one of my favorite places to come with my friends. You walk in, choose…read moresomething to paint, pay at the front, and have unlimited time and access to all the paint and supplies to paint your item. I always come here with my friend every month and we get our snacks and drinks and chat and paint! The staff is really friendly and helpful. We always discover something new, like you can use supplies like rulers and stencils from the front, and the staff can even help match what paint you use. Speaking of that, they have a hair dryer to help speed up the drying process! I highly recommend coming here for a date night, girls night out, arts and crafts date, anything really!

My friend and I wanted to do something creative for my birthday and we found this place spur of the…read moremoment. It's a typical paint your own ceramics kind of place. You pick out the unfinished piece you want, gather your paint and supplies from the shelf, and then spend a couple hours painting them and turn them in for final firing. The pieces are priced reasonably -- it includes all supplies and the final firing. My friend chose a mug that holds a cookie on the bottom and decided to transform it into a likeness of her pug dog-- see the photo... Mine was much more tame-- I picked out a small geometric vase and ended up painting it an ombre shade of an earthy purple. We sat and enjoyed the experience and they offer a concierge type service-- they cleaned up everything for us! Very chill and fun evening- will do again .

I enjoyed spending some time here with my grandkids. It's very spacious and clean. The customer…read moreservice the day of our painting session was fantastic as well as the day we picked up our finished pieces . The available pottery options may not always be available. The selection was low the day we painted, but on the day we picked up the selection was plenty with well stocked shelves. Brushes and cups of water are already neatly set up at the tables. The only thing you have to do is get your paint in the bottled containers. Little hands may need assistance with this or leave it to the adults to prep the paint dish. I really like the space in the Art Cafe. There is plenty of room between each table. It may be different with more customers (we were the only ones on this weekday visit). But even then, I think there is more plenty of space you don't have to worry bumping into someone. I find all ceramic cafes to be a bit pricey but this is something to do once in awhile. I find it therapeutic and I love to watch the kids paint and be creative with their piece. Great bonding time with someone or good, quiet creative time for just yourself. Go check them out.