Tacoma Glassblowing Studio

We had such a great time at Tacoma Glassblowing Studio! We were looking for something unique to do for my brother’s birthday, and this experience definitely delivered. There were five of us total, and we used a Groupon for the class. Ben was our instructor and honestly made the whole experience even better. He was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and really took the time to make sure each of us felt confident and understood what we were doing—including the 10-year-old in our group. He walked us through every step clearly and made sure we all stayed safe while still having fun. You can tell he genuinely enjoys teaching and working with people. By the end, we were all proud of the orbs we created. We haven’t picked up the final pieces yet (they need a couple days to cool), but based on how things looked during the process, we’re excited to see them. Just a heads up—while they recommend wearing a long sleeve shirt, I personally don’t think it’s necessary. It gets pretty warm while working with the glass, so dress comfortably. Our group had a wide range of ages, and we’d all absolutely recommend Tacoma Glassblowing Studio to anyone looking for something fun and different. Ask for Ben if you can—he was awesome!

4 of us had an incredible experience at TGS on Father’s Day. The glass floats/orbs (balls) we made were a great Sunday outing and perfect for Father’s Day. Only wish entire family was able to participate. The experience from booking through pickup of finished glass artwork 2 days later was easy. Special thanks to the helpers who explained the different projects and the selection of colored glass to create the vivid colors in our orbs. Donovan was the lead glassblower for our group. He made this experience fun and non-intimidating. He is a passionate and skilled artisan — he puts so much energy into each group to give them the best hands-on learning experience possible. His encouragement was appreciated and when we saw our finished project we were amazed!! My wife made ours into night lights. See photos! Highly recommend this experience. You will not be disappointed!!

Loved loved LOVED our experience with Brian. His teaching style was very gentle, informative, and makes you feel very comfortable. He even made us a cute anniversary gift! Very LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 friendly. We felt very safe & supported!

We had a fabulous experience! Sam checked us in, explained the process and was patient and informative when it came to picking the project and the glass. Our instructor Donovan was very entertaining and made the whole experience fun and exciting! It was a gift for my daughter's birthday and both of us had a great time. We are excited to see our finished projects. We highly recommend this company.

The best Mother’s Day gift EVER! I’ve been wanting to do this for sometime now. My husband booked a session for us. A day later I’m still in awe. Donovan (hope I spelled it right) was an AMAZING teacher. He explained everything as we went along, I felt confident every step of the way. We made paper weights but there’s a great selection to choose from. Tons of beautiful colors and options. They’re also offering new classes and events. All of the staff are so warm and welcoming. Over pleasant experience and new memories were made. Please check them if you’ve been wanting to go!

Amazing experience from the moment you step in till you leave. Everyone that works there is very knowledgeable and personable. The actual glass blowing experience was really fun. Donovan was incredible and really reassured me even though I was anxious at first and I really appreciate the person -centred approach he used. My glass ball is absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend this studio to anyone

I had a great time here! I recommend no more than 3 or 4 people in a group though. Even though the staff is very kind, it is easy in a group of 6 to miss some of the instructions and recommendations when picking out your design and colors. We had the pleasure of being instructed and guided by Donovan and he was the best! He was patient, kind, and extremely knowledgeable. It was like no other experience I had before and I will definitely be back again to see the beautiful process again.

I got a glass blowing experience for my wife and our friend. Everyone was very kind and accommodating. We had been here before, it was our friends first time. But we will definitely go again. Highly recommend.

Highly recommend the private glass blowing sessions. We scheduled an appointment online. When we showed up we were greeted by Casey who was working front desk. She gives you the information on how the process works, she shows you the option for what type of piece you'd like to make and then it's over to the color selections (there are plenty of colors to choose from) Casey was very nice and helpful. We went in January 2025 and had a blast creating our very own masterpieces with Donovan. He worked with each of us and was very patient and accommodating

Great glassblowing experience with Ben. Large selection of items to make from various price points. Friendly staff that walk you through the process from picking out shape, design and colors in the gallery to making the piece in the hot shop. Great hands on experience to give you a glimpse into glass blowing.

I discovered Tacoma Glassblowing Studio when looking for activities to do during my weekend trip in Tacoma, and I am SO glad I did! Everyone here was so kind and helpful, and it was just such a fun experience overall. I opted to make a vase since I know I'll actually use it, and it came out so beautifully! It was so fun to get to pick out my colors and design beforehand, and they were so helpful assisting me with getting the vibe I wanted. I made my piece with Brian and he was very easy to work with and talk to; he's been doing this for over 20 years and I had a great time getting to help make my vase with him! I got my vase shipped to me since I'm not local and I'm so happy to have this keepsake now forever as a part of my time here :)

The guys running the shop are very down to earth, patient, and knowledgeable. There was a lot of selection in colors of glass and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a cool new experience. My mom and I went for Mother's Day and made hearts. Would be a great date idea!

We had a Mother Daughter day at the glass blowing studio and it was a wonderful experience! Both the studio person and the two artisans were fun, friendly and helped us make wonderful memories!

I don't know how I slept on writing this review. My partner and I came here for a special date belatedly in honor of our anniversary. It is kind of pricy but given the special equipment and how incredibly trained those artists are, it is worth the cost. There was a great selection of colors and projects to choose from. The front staff that day did a great job walking us through our options. I will say the one suggestion I have is that i had some difficulty with the tools and messed up my swirling pattern due to being left handed. I think a bit more instruction could have prevented that but also know there's a good chance my hand would have slipped up either way. Our glassblower did a great job walking us through the process. I will say my bowl did have a few divots and flaws to not just the pattern but the cooled glass it self but it could again have been user error and they have so many cooling that it was probably not noticeable. Overall, definitely an activity I would love to try again but can't afford to do regularly.

Today was my second time there and I am hooked! Donovan is extremely patient and so knowledgeable. Can't wait to make more pumpkins for my patch!

If you in Tacoma you must do this glass blowing experience. 1st the staff is so friendly, like your family, 2nd they are so helpful and down to earth. 3rd we just loved the customer Service and how they went beyond the call of excellent service. Enter and greeted by two amazing ladies, one helps you with your selections and not sure what the 2nd lady does but they both are so warm and friendly. Second enter the workshop, we had Chris as our instructor and he's been doing this trade since he was in middle school (he even met The man himself Chihuly, I'm so jealous). Chris gave us Background on glass blowing in tacoma schools, etc and how it gave him a trade right out of high school. That's one amazing trade to have and it's "art" something most hawaii schools have "x" from Their curriculum. How lucky are these fortunate enough to be introduced to glass blowing at a young age and given the opportunity to develop a passion. The glass blowing experience is just amazing, it's hands on but not hands on, but at least you got your hands in making your piece. I believe it's a liability issue but not sure. Either way I was so smitten with the entire process and experience. I've studied art and Chihuly was always my fav, how it molded the glass into amazing pieces of art, left me a forever fan. They ship all over the world and even include a hand written thank you card! We will be back when in Tacoma! Here's some pix of the process and final pieces, we only made the bowl and plate the other pieces we bought at the studio

What a fun experience!! I appreciated how patient Debra was as she helped me select the colors for my project. Chris was a wonderful instructor. He explained the process and helped me understand what was happening every step along the way. It was a wonderful experience that I highly recommend.

Visited with a gift card that we received for our anniversary and had an amazing time. Ben was incredibly knowledgeable and made it a fun experience. Special thanks to him and the ladies working the gallery!

Had a great time here in the fall. Went with my wife as an anniversary present. They start by letting you pick your design and color palette so you can really customize what your working on. I choose the holiday pumpkin. Our glass blower was amazing. Super friendly and explained everything. I really felt like I was part of the action in creating my piece. The final product turned out amazing and I could not be happier with my experience.

Came to TGS for an anniversary celebration with my husband. We had the BEST time. From the moment we walked in everyone we encountered was super nice and helpful. TGS takes great steps to ensure visitor safety while in the hot shop and even while handling molten hot glass I felt totally safe. We learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and at the end of our experience had made some pretty awesome glass pieces. Highly recommend this experience, and can't wait to return!

I returned for a glassblowing class today and thoroughly enjoyed myself again! This time, my instructor was Chris, and he was patient and personable, he guided me through each step of the way, and gave lots of encouragement. I couldn't be happier with the whole process of booking, checking in/picking designs and colors, and the lesson. They seem to frequently have deals on Groupon as well, which is a huge plus! I'm looking forward to picking up the finished piece in a couple days.

My kiddo and her cousins (ages 8-18), went on a Sat and everyone made a slightly different piece with instructor Jake. He was awesome. Explained everything and was encouraging with everyone.

Went to the studio on a Saturday with 3 others. Kasey in the office was so friendly and easy to work with. She helped us to choose a piece, designs/patterns, colors and layout. We had an awesome instructor--Logan--who, despite his young appearance, was a master of glass blowing. He was friendly, patient, gave clear instructions and was such a natural artist. We each got to try so many different parts of the process and he made each one of us feel like we were his favorite friend in there learning the secrets of the trade. Ask for Logan when you go!

What an awesome experience we had at Tacoma Glassblowing Studio. I've wanted to do glassblowing for at least 30 years. My husband booked a glassblowing experience for my birthday and I LOVED it! Brian was the artist who helped me with my float and he couldn't have been more patient, knowledgeable and easy to work with. The ladies who greet you when you arrive and help you pick your project and colors are amazing. Every single person at the shop was a pleasure to work with. I cannot recommend this shop enough. I definitely plan on going back. And a special shout out to Brian for the glass rose for my birthday!!!

We took our grandsons (ages 11 and 8) for the glassblowing experience -- It was Amazing!! Their instructor, Ben, was fantastic! He was calm, encouraging, and clear with his instructions. Once the boys had finished their projects, Ben made Gabe a glass bird as a birthday gift. The boys both rated the experience 'Better than Awesome'! I would agree! My husband and I are planning to schedule our own experience! Highly recommended!!

What a great experience. The ladies up front were so helpful and kind. The glassblowers were super knowledgeable and incredibly patient. My 4 kids and I did the glassblowing and I was so surprised how patient the glassblowers were. My kids tend to be shy with new people and the gentlemen were super patient and kind to the kids. One of our sons has some muscle weakness and I was worried about him being able to complete the project, the glassblower helped him when needed. He also gave him a ton of confidence by having him work hard to do all elements of his project. We will definitely be back to do it again. The glassblowers who helped us were Quinn, Ben and Jake. All were fantastic. An extra thanks to Jake who was so cool with my shy daughter. He calmly repeated things to her and was so Zen the entire time. Remember to tip these guys, we did and hoped everyone was doing the same!

Had a great experience with one of my friends who lives in Tacoma. Last time I visited her we thought about doing a glass blowing class but thought of it way too late as I had to leave soon. Thank goodness she remembered this time I visited! The price is $75 (extra if you're looking to make a special and larger piece) + shipping and handling if you can't take it with you (like me). It was $25 for me to ship it to California, which I opted. I chose to make a wavy bowl. I debated about doing the sand globe, which my friend opted to do. You're asked to 1) choose what glass structure you want to make 2) choose what design of the glass color pieces you want it to look on your glass structure. I did feathering (I forget the exact term!) 3) you're then asked to arrange small colored pieces of glass on a platter that you would like your glass structure to take on. After that, you're asked to go into the hot shop where you work with one of the workers and they help talk you through and show you how to make the piece. Ben was super helpful, allowed both my friend and I to do a lot of it on our own once he showed us what to do. He answered all of our questions and was just fun to work with. Very chill, which I appreciated. The hot shop was a bit intimidating for me to be in, due to working with such a high degree of heat. I kept on worrying that the glass blob would just ... fall off. This is why you have to spin the rod, to keep it as balanced as possible, but I still had the fear. Definitely a great experience. I love my bowl and was the one souvenir I took with me that wasn't consumable with me back home :) Hands down I would do it again.

Love everything about this place! The craft, the artists, their passion, the take home piece!

What an incredible experience! My work team had a great time getting out together learning and creating at Tacoma Glass Studio! Instructor, Ben, was knowledgeable, patience, helpful and made the whole process delightful. I hope to be back with my son soon!

Glass blowing class: Very enjoyable experience, I highly recommend. Donovan was our teacher and was the absolute best! The gals in the front are welcoming and super helpful!

My husband & I both had a glass blowing experience. Our teacher Chris was patient & nice to work with. He made it fun and easy. We both loved our finished products. Our friends are SO impressed! Definately a great experience & worth the money.

My son bought my husband and me a class for our Christmas present. It was well worth the $175 Groupon for the two of us. Our instructor, Brian, was extremely knowledgeable and patient. Definitely a great way to spend a few hours.

My daugher-in-law and I took a class together and made beautiful flowers. The entire process was so much fun. The ladies in the front office do a great job in making customers feel welcomed. The guys in the hot shop do a great job in walking you through the process of building your glass creation. We had so much fun we went back and made a Bee. Donavin and Ben helped us and were really great! We are excited to pick up our bee creations tomorrow. If you are looking for a fun event to take family or a date, I highly recommend TGS.

This experience is much like a winter wedding! Once in a lifetime treasure! From the staff that was a warm welcome to the educational hospitality made this premarital gift beyond all expectation! The ladies in the front were very sweet and helped us pick from multi color combinations. Ben was our glass blower for the day and educated us in the most personable hands on way possible. His passion for this art flows thru his veins and into your personalized piece! He even made my husband to be and I a small gift to represent our union! He took the remaining colors from each of our own creations and joined them together into a keepsake bird! This is definitely a check off our bucket list and a big thank you to the employees that truly have a passion for what they do!

We had a great time! From the "gallery" side where we got to select the piece, colors, and style, to working with Ben actually creating our pieces. They do an amazing job teaching about the process and letting you feel like you are part of it, but always ready to jump in and make sure things turn out great. Highly recommended!

Glassblowing is a technique that was likely invented by Syrian craftsmen in the first century BC along the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. At that time, they used clay pipes to blow through creating the clear orbs and the process caught on riding the wave of the Roman Empire across the continent. Glass production became dominated by this method as the use of blown glass for everyday tasks spread. Centuries later we were excited to learn a little bit more about this method first hand and on a trip to Tacoma we were fortunate to obtain a reservation at the Tacoma Glassblowing Studio. This establishment offers glassblowing instruction as well as a wonderful selection of artistic glass pieces in their gallery created by local glassblowers. We perused the array of beautiful works on display. Really beautiful pieces but we were there to create our own art! After a short, but informative, introduction to the basic techniques we were asked to pick the type of work we wanted to make and the colors we wanted to use. There were many options to choose from but since it was close to Thanksgiving we both chose to make a glass pumpkin. One would be a traditional orange with a green stem and the other purple with a green stem. We were working with Ben who is a very friendly and knowledgeable artist at the studio. One of us worked with him first and then we switched and in the end we had two really nice pumpkins that, with some help, we had made ourselves. The whole experience was a blast and we had a great time. Ben was fantastic, and very entertaining, as well as informative. We decided that we need to work on developing our own glass pumpkin patch and resolved to come back each time we travel to Tacoma in the future.

This place is amazing!! Deborah and Jessica were fun to chat with and offered helpful suggestions on glassblowing color combinations/styles as well as things to do around the area. Ben was a wonderful instructor and guided us through each step of making our wavy bowl and clamshell pieces. It was a really fun hands-on experience and I'd love to come back again.

I love everyone here. This is by far the coolest thing to do in Tacoma. All of the employees are super nice and the artists are very talented. Definitely do the glass blowing experience, you won't regret spending the money! I have done it 4 times now and I can't begin to tell you how fun it is. They let you be pretty hands on (unlike another place I tried once) and Jake does an excellent job of explaining the process as you go. (I'm slightly biased to him because out of the 4 times I've been I think I've gotten him 3 of those times... Totally random too, didn't ask for him specifically or anything lol).

While the experience was fun, I thought we would get to do more hands on with the glass. Our instructor was very nice but did most of the work herself. I looked around at the other instructor we was next to us and his students got to do way more hands on work with the glass. I chose to make large votive holder because I thought it would be something I would use. We picked patterns for the glass piece and what I chose would have made the piece a really nice votive holder. What I got isn't even close. Am thinking I'll try some glass blowing studio in Seattle and see if it's different and you get to actually participate and not just watch

Wow, great place to both learn a new skill and bond with a comrade simultaneously. They offer various classes...some are short as an hour, and u get to take home the pretty glass object you make :) I've yet to try one class, but will be back for that! What I did here was shop for unique Christmas gifts! I cam home with a twisty milky blue rose for 15$...a glass choker for $20 and will be back next time my relatives have a b-day for sure!

We went here for an 8 year-old's birthday party. It was AMAZING!! The staff is so friendly and helpful. They were wonderful with the kids as well as the adults. I will definitely come back!

This was the most amazing experience ever. I was in town for the weekend and my friends have been here before and highly recommended it. When you arrive you get to select your project that you want to make and the design and colors. The staff is very friendly and takes lots of time with you to make sure to capture what you want to make. Once you have your colors selected and prepped on the tray, you head into the glass blowing room. Our instructor was Jake. Jake did a fantastic job explaining the process and letting you do as much as you were willing to do. There are a few steps that they have to do like getting the glass out of the furnace and finishing the edges. It is amazing to see the beautiful piece take shape right in front of you. I think that this could be very addictive. If you are from out of town they will ship your piece to you for a very reasonable price. Be sure to make your reservation early because it is a very popular activity.

Our glassblowing instructor, Edgar, was exceptional! He blew us away. Would definitely come back again!

I don't like this place, I LOVE this place! I've taken the $65 class twice and just did the pumpkin class that was$175. Thought we were going to make 6 pumpkins, only got to make 5. Still, in 4 hours I designed some great pumpkins with the help my instructor Jake, he was awesome! So calm and patient and explained everything so well! He helped me make 5, (if I don't say so myself) beautiful pumpkins! It was exciting to go in the next day and see what we had done. I love how they turned out! I kinda feels like an addiction, I want to go back and make more! Breezy, the lady who works the store side, she answered all our questions, she was nice too! She helped get us started and she was very friendly and didn't mind how many questions you'd ask her. She knows her glass colors! If you've ever wanted to go and make your own glass piece, I highly recommended Tacoma Glass Blowing studio! An experience you'll remember and have something to show for it!

My Fiancé and I went for our first time today. Cool place, very friendly staff. We worked with Jeff and Casey. Highly recommend this place for a cool experience.

My sister's and I went and did the Glassblowing Experience for our birthday. We had so much fun from start to finish. The ladies in the front office were fantastic and so friendly. They helped us pick colors and we were off. Edgar was our instructor and he was great to work with. He put up with all of our questions AND after our pieces were complete he made each of us a little creation of his own for our birthday. We went the next day to pick up our pieces and forgot to get our stakes for our garden art. I called them and they are shipping them to us. We live 2 hours away from the studio so we really appreciate that. I absolutely recommend this place and hope to go again. Thanks TGS for a really fun time!

Brian was a fantastic instructor. Enjoyed every part of our class. The front desk ladies also are VERY friendly and enjoyable to chat with while you pick out color/design!

My wife and I have now taken the $65 hour-long class twice. This place ROCKS!! I am totally hooked. The instructors are patient and very helpful, the other staff is great and where else can you get a finished product that is so wonderful that it surely will become a family heirloom. To show just how cool this is, we took my Mom for Mother's Day. She is 75 years old and afterwards she said that she wanted us to know that this was the BEST present she had EVER been given. You just HAVE to experience this. We are taking my Dad for Father's Day!

Wasn't open when I was there last time, but I have been here previously. Being able to watch the glass blowing process was fascinating and the staff are friendly and informative

My mother and I love to be creative... As a surprise, I decided to visit her over her birthday and take her to a glass blowing class (she does stained glass art so this is right up her alley!) When we arrived we were greeted with friendly staff who checked us in immediately. There lovely girl at the front (unfortunately I can't remember her name) was very helpful, informative and wasn't afraid to be honest about some decisions we were making color-wise. When we went back into the shop we were paired with Ben. I have to tell you... you guys have a rockstar in Ben. He is funny and informative not to mention very easy to work with. Working with Ben you just know he won't let you walk about of the studio without something you absolutely love. He even made my mom something special for her birthday (honestly I think she likes it better than her bowl! lol) We talked about making this an annual thing, and I will say I hope we do! Thank you for giving my mother and I an experience we will never forget... Amy in Denver

First time blowing glass. Great customer service. Great instructors. Safety conscious. Highly recommend.

I did some gift shopping here today. I found two perfect colorful pieces of glass art inside their gallery. They thoroughly wrapped and boxed them up which I appreciated. I can't wait to go back and take a glassblowing class! Wish I could have stayed longer to watch the process.

Bought my two mothers (my mom and my husband's mom) the lawn and garden session for Mother's Day. They both loved the class and raved about the instructor. The location was a little tricky to find but once they found it, it was really obvious it was the right place. My mom said she would never have a hard time finding it again now. My mom is looking into a beginner class now :)

My two sons, ages 9 and 11, and I SO enjoyed our glassblowing experience! We each had one-on-one time working on our glassblowing project with Brian, while the others were able to watch and take photos. Brian was so great! He explained what was happening with each step, he was patient with the boys (and me!), and was friendly. Before we arrived, I was a little apprehensive about the safety of my kids around the hotter-than-lava hazards, but Brian was in charge, was cautious, and totally put my mind at ease. We are thrilled with how our projects turned out! HIGHLY recommend the Glassblowing Experience.

I got this one on one experience for my birthday. A 10 out of 10 experience! Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Our glassblower, Chris, is a natural teacher. We loved his explanations! He made us comfortable and we got the hands on experience I hoped for. Thank you Chris for the special swan. I will treasure it.

We have been wanting to take a glass blowing class before we moved and we stopped in to Tacoma Glassblowing to talk to someone and get more information. We had two weeks before we were moving and of course everything was filled. Bummer. The nice person behind the counter took our information and stated she would put us on a wait list. She stated she would call if someone canceled. On Wednesday the following week, we received a phone call asking if we were still interested. Of course we were. We took the availability that fit perfectly into our hectic schedule. Upon arrival we picked out our design, our pattern, and our colors (we spent a lot of time during our first visit deciding just in case we had to come in in a rush). We went into our lesson and the two of us were treated like VIP. Our teacher took his time and allowed us to do so much of the work ourselves. Even though we knew we would most likely make mistakes (everything is fixable he stated), we took on the adventure and dove right in. Our teacher was so patient and kind. He joked with us and told us all about his background making the lesson so personal. We are hoping we have the opportunity to move back to Washington at some point in our careers and when/if we do, we will most definitely take more classes from this studio. The $65.00 class was well worth the bowl I made if I do say so myself. I get so many compliments on it.

My wife and I took part in the $65 glass blowing experience to celebrate her birthday. It was an incredible experience! We had a great time and it was certainly worth our money. As we were there to celebrate her birthday, the excellent glassblower said that he was going to make her a little something extra in honor of her special day. Using the left over materials from our original project, he created this wonderful figurine and even placed my wife's initials on it with a stamp. We were so incredibly impressed by the sentiment and thought that this bonus figurine was an excellent "above and beyond" bonus to our glass blowing experience. Definitely celebrate any occasion with the TGS, you will not regret it!