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September 2023 by Jim M.
A highly disorganized and unfriendly place. The registration system is counter-intuitive and led to 2 out of the 3 people in our group not being able to throw. I did exactly what I did for my initial class in terms of registration, only to be told that I screwed up. Anita is borderline insufferable, as she treats people as though they were children. DDP is a long way to travel in order to be patronized.
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July 2023 by Ashlee C.
I want to address this to Anita, not the entire business. I have never been spoken to the way that Anita spoke to me tonight. I reserved time from from 7-9 and stayed the entire time. We were cleaning up after ourselves and Anita showed up. She did not say hello, she immediately said "DO YOU KNOW WHEN THIS PLACE CLOSES?!" And we said we were booked until 9 and we were cleaning and leaving. I was scraping the clay off of my bowl of water and she told me I was cleaning wrong. She began to explain the way that she believed I was supposed to clean it because I wasn't doing it efficiently enough. I told her "I know how to clean." Apparently an adult that knows how to clean is offensive to Anita. She began to go off on a tangent about how we don't know how to clean and how she is "educating" me on how to properly clean. How she has been doing this for 8 years and she knows how to clean this and everything I was doing was wrong. I think cleaning a bowl out can go 20 different ways to 20 different people. As long as it's clean after you use it, that is all that matters. I'm sorry I upset you and you decided to belittle me. I bought this membership for my boyfriend to have an outlet and for him to teach me how to work on the wheel. We were having a great time together until Anita questioned our every movement. I left in tears. I am seriously wondering if I should ask for my membership back because I will never be okay with someone talking down to me like that. This is the first time we have used the studio. When we got our tour we were not told where to clean our tools or to not take apart the wheel to clean it. Which is literally what they teach you in school and other studios so your equipment stays clean. Anita yelled at us when we were about to take apart the wheel to properly clean up after ourselves. Then she proceeded to do a live demonstration and say that she was "educating" us on their ways here. I told her "I am perfectly okay with you demonstrating and educating me, but I am not okay with the way you're speaking to me." She proceeded to go off on a 10 minute rant about how we weren't taught the proper ways to do anything here in the tour therefore it is her job to educate us properly and she is sorry if I don't like the way she does it (with the most passive aggressive tone).If you want to come to a studio that is supposed to help your anxiety and stresses in the outside world and help you unplug, this is not for you if Anita is present.Mishy, you are a sweetheart and that's why we bought the membership. But Anita is going to be the reason we may not come back. I have read past reviews and it seems I am not the only one who has experienced Anita's tone and "education". She is a bitter lady and I honestly feel sorry for her if she thinks that what she is doing is for the good of this business because she is driving away people that love ceramics. When we left, the studio was cleaner than the way we found it.
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May 2023 by Cole S.
Man, the reviews here are scary and nearly kept me away from the place. But I don't know, I went and had a really good time. I did meet Mishy and there was an older guy there with white hair who was helping her out. He was super chill and cool. I didn't have any issues and will definitely go back
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May 2023 by Kyra C.
We had an amazing time at Desert Dragon for our first pottery class. My fiancé and I had a beginners pottery wheel class with Mishy, and she was awesome showing us the basics and each step along the way. What I loved the most is that once she recognizes you've got it she really lets you just have fun with it and make your pottery your own. We initially signed up for a one-time class but ultimately got a set of 6 classes because it was really the best time. The little studio cat Princess even came to visit us at the end!For those who have been wanting to try pottery for years but are scared they'll not do well, you really don't have to worry about that here. Mishy is great at helping you correct mistakes, but she also teaches you to embrace the flaws. The studio also has a very peaceful and creative vibe that I loved!
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March 2023 by Kenadee Cordray
Absolutely love this studio! I’ve taken a couple different classes here with the 2 instructors and both of them are fantastic. It’s a hands-on or hands-off experience depending on what level you’re at and what you need, you just have to communicate it!! I always feel super welcomed and always enjoy my conversations and time spent with the instructors! If you bring good energy and a positive attitude and willingness to learn, you’ll love it here! You get out what you put in. Can’t wait to go back :)
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March 2023 by Melanie Tortorello
The moment you walk in you’re being critiqued and patronized. We showed up for our reservation very confused. The property looked like a junk yard. Ok, maybe it was an eclectic hole in the wall. Nope.When we finally found the door, “Anita” barely greeted us and barked orders to fill up buckets, etc. Everything we did was wrong. The amount of water we were using, the way we were carrying the bucket, and the way we were molding the clay. This was not a warm and inviting environment. Her instructions were condescending and we felt very uncomfortable. At one point I asked if my clay was centered enough and she replied “does that look centered to you??” 15 minutes in and that was our cue to leave!She then got super confrontational when she realized we were not staying and, well, there are thousands of pottery pieces outside which we now realize from reading other reviews are from people who never returned to pick them up. Don’t waste your time!
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September 2022 by K Thurston
I took the beginner's class and had some personal pots fired here, at a very reasonable price, when I lived in the area. Mishy is so very nice and helpful. The lady, forgive me for forgetting her name, who ran the class was a direct and an efficient potter and teacher with tons of great tips of the craft. I felt like I was back in my ceramics class and I had such a good time my hour felt like 10 minutes.10/10 highly recommend using their services for anyone interested in pottery/ ceramics.
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September 2022 by Marni Rapkin
This was a bday surprise from my husband so I dressed too "cute" for it. Thankfully clay is easy to wash out. Anita was amazing! She did instruct very quickly but made her way around to everyone and helped through the steps. She was patient and generous with her time. She was also quite funny and anyone that can appreciate my husband's sense of humor is alright with me!Can't wait to go back and glaze!
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September 2022 by Mishy Katz
This has been a magical place for me and I am very rewarded by the journey
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August 2022 by Angie Mozilo
I have always wanted to try throwing pottery. My daughter got me a certificate to a half hour class at Desert Dragon Pottery. I signed up for a 1/2 hour mini pottery wheel class. By the end of the class, I had a functional bowl. I knew I was hooked on clayI I signed up for 6 more hour long sessions. Each session included all clay, return session for glazing and firing. Mishy and Anita are patient and extremely knowledgeable instructors. The studio is truly a creative space with a casual vibe, but seriously amazing pieces are made there!
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August 2022 by Emily Saxe
I don’t recommend this studio. I came in with an open mind but I’m not even going back to pick up the clay thing I “made”. We had to wait for the instructor to manipulate our hands for every step, so I don’t feel like I really made anything myself. The class was rushed and impersonal. It was supposed to be 1 hour but ended up being only 40 minutes (including set up and cleanup). I wish I had been given the extra 20 minutes so I could have learned more and been more creative with my piece. I felt like I was wasting the instructors time by being there. The instructor didn’t say hello or goodbye to me. She was harsh with us when we didn’t know everything right away and wanted us to be impressed with her because she’s “been doing this since 1979” which she kept telling us for some reason. I’d go learn pottery somewhere else where they’ll give you time, attention, patience, and creative freedom.
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July 2022 by first last
Watched the HBO show pottery throwdown -Thought I'd give it a try myself.The clay is fun and feels cool, but overall it felt more like a lecture than guided creation.The next time I want to play with clay, I'll go somewhere else.
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July 2022 by James Gray
This isn't a fun class, it's a lecture from a self important know it all.Not worth $40 a person to spend 15 minutes doing nothing, 15 minutes still doing nothing but the instructor is doing something, then 20 minutes being told you're doing it wrong instead of being shown the correct method.I came here to play with clay and left disappointed.
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July 2022 by Lucia Nevarez
Michelle Katz, the owner was so good with my 11 year old and her friend. She was very helpful and friendly! We highly recommend Desert Dragon Pottery and will go back again .
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July 2022 by Sarah Winterberg
It was alot of fun…our first time but friendly staff and a lot of room to be creative!
