Slow Burn Glass

Saw Slow Burn Glass on Groupon and thought it would be a fun holiday activity to do with my teenagers. Brian and his crew were fun to work with and knew their stuff about glassblowing. We just received our ornaments and they are absolutely stunning! I’m glad we decided to try it and can’t wait to go back for another class!

What a cool experience! My sister and I went to the ornament class this morning and everyone was so friendly! We arrived a little early as requested, and we were able to check out some of the cool glass work that the artists create. The ornament making was considered a workshop, and they told us about other workshops that happen during the year for all of the holidays. There are also classes available that are longer 2 – 3 hours where you get to be more hands on. I appreciate that the staff attempted to include everyone in each step of the process and explained what was happening. To the people who complain that the experience was limited, for this unique introduction to glass making, it does not seem like it would be safe to allow the students to do more than we were allowed, which is why there are longer classes available to get that deeper knowledge and experience. At the end of class we were given coupons to come back, which I definitely will. Can’t wait to pick up my ornament!

Don’t expect a modern age state of the art studio, this is the rustic real deal in industrial parts of Oakland.
The class was fine but picking up the completed works was a hassle. Returned to the studio at a time when we were told we would be able to pick up our items. Studio was closed and we wasted two hours round trip to get there. As a consolation we were able to have the items shipped to us at a cost of $ 20.

If you need a break from sitting front a computer screen and want to try out an art where every second counts, this is it. I signed up for the glass blowing class online and rolled into the Oakland workshop on a Saturday morning. No traffic. I had fun creating three pieces: a snowman, a glass paperweight, and a drinking glass. The class had a good fun filled vibe. Bryan Goldberg has an excellent understanding of what it takes to teach a complete newbie how to blow glass safely. I can’t thank him and his crew enough.

Had a rough morning. Called this place looking for help. Not only was the person abrasive, impatient, and condescending, but they hung up on me too. Jerk. I don’t care what the circumstance was on your end. Hope you don’t ever need help and advice only to be treated like an asshole.

This is more a review about lack of coordi ation betwen Living Social and Slow Burn. Had a Living Social deal. The page that i bought it from clearly said «pint glass OR floral vase.» The pint glass class was cheaper but the living social deal didn’t give an option to choose between the two (Should’ve been suspicious when the voucher i got in the mail said Floral Vase only). Signed up for the pint glass class. Showed up and Slow Burn wouldn’t honor it. Pardon pardon the pun but feeling a little burnt by the whole ordeal. Going to ask for a refund.

After some scheduling mix ups, I still had a lot of fun learning how to blow glass here. I’ll definitely love to go back and take some more classes. I’d suggest you email the studio directly instead of booking through the website because you’ll have better luck with your appointments. My class did start pretty late but it wasn’t a big deal, both instructors were super helpful and fun.

This place is horrible and doesn’t deserve even 1 star. My daughter was excited about the class, but they were running late so rushed her through. I went out to pick up the egg she made (during the hours they said they would be there) and they were closed. I asked for them to ship me the egg and they wanted to charge me $ 20. This place is horrible.

This was a really great introduction to glass blowing, as my primary exposure to glass blowing was inspired by a visit to the Chihuly glass museum in Seattle. $ 150 for 2 people to enjoy a 3 hour intro class was well worth it, and the class size was a total of 6 attendees with 2 instructors. Both teachers, Josh and Brian, were really great, super efficient at what they were doing; you could tell they’ve streamlined this process. They each provide very individual attention to the extent of hand holding (which is definitely necessary for me) through the process of getting the glass onto the pipe, blowing it initially, reheating it, adding colored grit, kneading the molten glass, and continuing the reheating/​blowing/​manipulation techniques.
Be prepared to be really warm so wear cotton clothing, and put up your long hair. My class was a 9am-​12noon class, and I imagine it was even warmer for the 1−4pm class. The furnaces are 2100 degrees F and 3000 degrees F, and a tshirt and jeans or shorts will definitely suffice. Every time I went up to the furnaces to heat or gather the glass, I felt like my eyebrows were going to singe off.
I had fun making the 3 different pieces of increasing difficulty: snowman figurine, spherical paperweight, and pint glass (although mine turned out quite stout, and likely holds only ¾ of a pint, lol). The process of glass making seems straightforward and fluid when they demo it, however, it is a lot less natural when you’re actually executing the steps.
This is a pretty time intensive, materials intensive, and expensive hobby to have, so this class was a fantastic introduction that allowed me to make multiple things and try all the different basic glass blowing techniques. I’d like to go back at a later date to take at least one more class, potentially a private lesson for 2, in order to make 3 – 4 more cool objects like beer glass, bowl, figurine, etc. but the main drawback is that it is (understandably) pricy.
*Note: As a heads up, you won’t be able to take your pieces home until they cool completely, which takes 2 days in a cooling oven, so be prepared to come back to the studio to pick up your pieces. They’ll hold the pieces for u to 30 days or ship them to you for $ 20.

Excellent instructors! Made (3) items in the 3 hours we spent there. Top notch firm for sure!

We took the 3 hour Beginner’s class with Josh and Jeremy. Great teachers! A fun afternoon. Highly recommended.

Just did the beginner’s hot glass class today and it was very fun!
The instructors guide you through each step so you pretty much cannot mess up (unless you don’t listen). They are very good at explaining every step we took so it was an educational and safe experience for us.
We made a snowman (for practice), paper weight and a cup. They also offer holiday specials (hearts for Valentine’s day, Easter bunnies for Easter, flowers for mother’s day etc). I’d definitely check out their other class offerings.

we did the valentines day class and we had so much fun. when they tell you to wear breathable clothes they mean it! it get super hot standing next to the ovens. its very hands on but they do help you the entire time. both guys are super funny and very nice! cant wait to go back for the beginners class

I got a Groupon for a $ 39 1-​hour Holiday-​Ornament-​Making Workshop ($ 80 value), which is verifiably a great deal after asking some friends who are really into glass-​blowing.
Their website offers online booking, which is convenient. You get confirmations and reminders automatically.
The shop is functional, warehouse-​like, with lots of stuff to browse and the ovens and workshop area in the back. There’s another glassblowing store right next door that seems to have a more modern art focus on their pieces for sale, also more jewelry.
There are 4 options for colors (some of the other colors/​shapes that are displayed around the shops can’t be done in your first class as they’re more advanced), and you can do smooth or ridged.
The guys running the shop are really efficient and friendly, and safety of course is a big concern of theirs.
PROS:
— Good deal.
— A fun experience, friendly staff.
— Only an hour.
— You get a really nice ornament (since the staff does do most of the work).
CONS:
— Limited options for color/​shape (you can make any of the ones pictured here
, but you might see a nice one at the shop only to learn you can’t do that in the first class).
— You have to come back a different day to get your ornament as it needs to cool in a special oven that lowers the temperature gradually. We all wish we’d known this when buying the deal and booking the workshop so we could have planned accordingly; none of us are from Oakland and some of us weren’t able to get these in time for holiday travels.
— It’s not so much a «workshop» as it is help-​them-​make an ornament. The staff does 80% of the work and guides you around. I think they do offer a 3 or 4 hour class where you probably do a lot more of the work. If you really want to get down and dirty and learn a real skill, this isn’t for you. The most you do is help hold the rod while they’re getting the melted glass, dipping it for color, or reheating it. You do blow into the rod while they shape it.
— Although you’re booked for 1 hour, there are 8 people at a time and you’re doing actual glassblowing for only 5 – 10 minutes (plus about 10 minutes of intro/​safety at the start).
Pictures from our workshop:

It was my first time glass blowing. I tried two workshops on a Groupon. Jeremy and Josh made it so fun I signed up for the basic class and another workshop! Kim and Bryan were very friendly and helpful as well. I highly recommend Slow Burn for either a new hobby or just a fun day out at a workshop. My Christmas ornament looks like one from a high end store (thanks to Jeremy)!

Fun! The pumpkin paperweight class was perfect timing for halloween/​thanksgiving!
Honestly ive been eyeing buying a glass pumpkin
for three years (and still have not bought one)!
cus i love all things pumpkin.
pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin lattes.
PUMPKIN GLASS YAY.
Instructors guide you through each step. one on one attention. comfortable. educational.
You get to pick from red, blue, orange, green for the body and the stem.
I’d definitely go back for other future class offerings.
Difficult to pickup finshed piece though. Wish hours of operation were disclosed earlier.
Only open weekdays.

Another five stars for Slow Burn!
I’ve tried a few other types of glassworking, but hadn’t tried molten glass blowing yet. Boyfriend and I did the pint glass class, and it was really great.
Bryan and Spencer did a really great job of explaining things, and there was just enough help and support to make it not terrifying, but you still got to participate enough to still feel like YOU made the thing at the end.
I don’t know if I’m badass enough (yet) to make it a major hobby, but I’m glad my first taste was with these guys.
Highly recommended for a new experience, to make something cool, or for a date night. (Apparently they also have a «couples special» now where you can get a private lesson with just you and your significant other for pretty cheap.)

Depends on which instructor you get. If you get Jeremy, you will have a patient instructor, a great experience and a cool finish product. Is you get the other instructor you will have someone barking orders at you then finishing off with a compliment as if putting a bandage on a gun shot wound ever helped. A drill sergeant teaching a beginners class is not my ideal of a fun Saturday morning. Either I’m not made for blowing class or Spencer is made for teaching a beginners class. A style of teaching I don’t prefer. Ask for Jeremy a very good hands on teacher.

This was my first time ever taking a glass blowing class and WOW! Our instructor Jeremy was amazing. The class was only four people which was perfect for time, attention and overall safety.
Jeremy went through a brief safety training on all the equipment, in case of emergency etc. and then the fun began. We started out pulling glass to make a snowman. Jeremy was with each person every step of the way making sure we were safe and learning. He helped us to remember to keep turning the pipe to keep the glass moving.
The next item was a paperweight. We learned to pull, twist and turn the glass in order to create the ornate features of the glass.
Lastly was the cup. This by far was the most difficult, because it involved so many steps and actually blowing glass, but once again Jeremy was there every step of the way to make sure we were able to finish.
I would highly recommend them for a couple, a group, or anyone that is looking to explore and respect the art of glassblowing.

We’ve been trying to find a glass blowing class but kept finding other types of glass workshops (torchwork, fused glass, etc.). Finally, we found Slow Burn Glass and had the experience we were looking for!
We took the 3-​hour Beginner Glass Blowing class with Bryan who was a patient and humorous instructor. We started by gathering molten glass and making a snowman (or caterpillar, depending on your perspective). It was a simple but effective way to practice the basics of glass technique. We moved on to the paperweight which involved more technique, but Bryan was hands-​on every step of the way, making sure that we learned in a safe environment. Case in point: as I sat down to start working what would become the molten core of my paperweight, my right hand started to move toward the rod near the hot glass. Before I could sense the heat radiating off the metal rod or my skin could be burned, Bryan gently but firmly slapped my hand away. He didn’t hurt me and his quick reflexes prevented what could have been a serious burn. After that, he taught me the «Peter Pan» pose, which meant that I sat with my right hand on my hip so that I didn’t accidentally grab the hot metal rod.
Our final project was making a drinking glass. I like how the class is structured so that each project builds on the skills you learned by making the last one. My husband made a very manly, squat beer pint glass, and I made a very slender, graceful iced tea glass. It’s hilarious how our glasses reflect our personalities. I was fascinated that we could go through the same techniques and yet each come out with such unique pieces.
We had such a great time with Bryan that we went back a few weeks later for the ornament blowing workshop. Because each student only has 30 minutes, this experience was a little more «cookie cutter.» Bryan and his two teacher assistants worked like a well-​oiled machine and we made two beautiful glass ornaments that we will treasure always.
If you’re curious about glass blowing, I highly recommend Slow Burn Glass. We’ll be back for Continuing Glass Blowing class so that we can continue to increase our skills!