# Pottery, Art and Cooking Classes in Manila: Where Adults Can Learn Something New

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Published: 2026-10-03

*Wheel classes in BGC and Makati, painting in Rockwell, screen printing on Arnaiz Avenue and a one-day kitchen course, with real prices and how to book each one.*

The best pottery, art and cooking classes in Manila for adults are concentrated in Makati and BGC: Laro Ceramics and Bumi and Ashe for a first go on the wheel, ARTa in Rockwell for painting and drawing, Craft MNL on Arnaiz Avenue for printmaking and crafts, and CCA Manila's one-day kitchen course in BGC for cooking and baking. Most are beginner-friendly, run on weekends, and need booking ahead.

Updated October 2026.

A class is one of the easiest plans in Manila to say yes to. It works for a date, a birthday with three friends, or a Saturday on your own, and you leave with something you made. Below are the studios and schools we checked are running classes now, with published prices where they exist. For more ideas, see our [date ideas](https://whatsonmnl.com/date-ideas) and [things to do](https://whatsonmnl.com/things-to-do) pages.

## Pottery and ceramics

**[Laro Ceramics](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/laro-ceramics-bgc)**
Laro's BGC studio is the larger of its two branches, with eleven wheels, a separate room for hand-building classes and Got Baked Café inside. The beginner wheel class is built for people who have never touched clay.
*BGC, third floor of the C2 Building on Bonifacio High Street. Beginner wheel class ₱3,200, including unlimited clay and clear-glaze firing of two pieces you make on the wheel. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm (Saturday to 6:30pm). Book on laro-ceramics.com.*
Good to know: finished pieces are shipped to you about three months later for a ₱180 delivery fee, and painting is a separate ₱1,000 session. There is a 10-minute grace period; late arrivals are asked to reschedule, and you can reschedule only once.

**Bumi and Ashe**
A warehouse studio of more than 200 square meters in Bel-Air, Makati, beside The Zone, with a long menu of classes: mug making, free-form pottery, wheel throwing, and also silver clay rings and rug tufting. The Private Pottery for 2 class, three hours of hand building, wheel work and painting, is built for dates.
*Makati, 7230 Malugay. Wheel Throwing 101 is ₱3,700 for three hours with three fired pieces; Makati classes start at ₱2,650. Open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Book on bumiandashe.com.*
Good to know: wheel classes are not recommended for children under 13, and popular dates sell out, so check the calendar early.

**Pottery Sessions**
A community studio started by ceramic artist Catherine Choachuy on R. Palma Street in Makati. It runs three-hour hand-building and wheel workshops, shorter add-on workshops, and a four-session wheel course for people who want to keep going.
*Makati, 6057 R. Palma. Basic Hand Building Workshop ₱3,500 and Intro to Wheel Throwing ₱4,500, both three hours; glass decal and pottery crayon workshops ₱2,200; Basic Wheel Throwing Course ₱10,000. Book on potterysessions.com or by email.*
Good to know: the first session of the wheel course has to be taken as an Introduction to Wheel Throwing workshop, so start there.

**Tahanan Pottery Shop and Studio**
Worth the trip if you are serious. Tahanan is both a studio and the official distributor of Laguna Clay Company products and L&L Kilns, and its multi-session classes go well beyond a one-off taster.
*Quezon City, 27 Scout Tobias Street, around 45 minutes to an hour from Makati depending on traffic. Exploratory Wheel Workshop ₱2,500 for three hours; seven-session Basic Pottery Wheel Class ₱8,500. Open 9am to 6pm, closed Thursdays and holidays. Book on tahananpottery.ph.*
Skip if you want a quick, casual date: the courses suit people who plan to return.

## Painting and drawing

**Artist Atelier Philippines (ARTa)**
A new art center at Proscenium in Rockwell, opened in August 2026, teaching drawing, acrylic, watercolor and writing to adults and children. Beginner classes need no portfolio or experience, and materials are included.
*Rockwell, Unit 203, Kirov Tower, Proscenium, Estrella Street. ₱12,500 for four sessions, including materials. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Register on artaphilippines.com.*
Good to know: this is structured teaching, not a one-night paint party. Good if you want to actually learn to draw.

**ArtBuds**
A relaxed paint-your-own studio at Karrivin Plaza where you decorate mugs, matcha cups, plates, trays, tote bags or canvases at your own pace. Reviewers often mention the friendly staff and Pepper, the studio dog, and it works well solo.
*Makati, 6th floor, Karrivin Studios, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am, until 7pm on Saturdays; closed Sunday and Monday.*
Good to know: there is no lesson to keep up with, which makes it an easy first date.

If a class leaves you wanting to see more art, our guide to [galleries and museums worth crossing town for](https://whatsonmnl.com/guide/manila-galleries-museums) is the next step, and our [exhibitions](https://whatsonmnl.com/exhibitions) page lists what is showing now.

## Printmaking, perfume and other crafts

**Craft MNL**
A studio on Arnaiz Avenue in Makati with a calendar of small workshops that changes every month: screen printing with Hocus Screen Prints, hand-pounded paper making, crochet, machine sewing, candle making and more. Some sessions run at partner venues around Makati, so check the location on each listing.
*Makati, Unit 302, 926 Arnaiz Avenue. Introduction to Screen Printing ₱3,500 per person, with up to five people per class; recent workshops run ₱1,250 to ₱3,000. Book on craftmnl.com.*
Good to know: classes are small, so book as soon as a date you like is posted.

**sad girl scents**
A casual perfume-making workshop where you smell more than 30 scents, choose your favourites and leave with a 50ml eau de toilette in an engraved bottle. The organisers call it "a fun and simple activity" and pitch it as a date idea.
*Sessions move between partner venues. The October 2026 dates at Guijo Studio in Makati are sold out; November and December sessions are planned with venues to be announced. ₱2,000 per person, two to three hours. Book on sadgirlscents.com.*
Good to know: there are no refunds for no-shows or cancellations, but you can move to another session with 24 hours' notice.

## Cooking and baking

**CCA Manila: Kitchen Discovery Course**
The Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) runs a one-day, six-hour course at its BGC campus: lectures, demonstrations and hands-on cooking and baking stations led by chef instructors, with an apron and toque provided and a certificate at the end. It is the required entrance step for the school's diploma, but home cooks are welcome too.
*BGC, CCA's UP BGC campus. ₱3,500. Upcoming dates include 10 October, 7 November and 21 November 2026. Enroll on cca-manila.edu.ph.*
Good to know: this is a real, supervised professional kitchen with a skills assessment, so expect discipline and pace rather than a party.

**Heny Sison Culinary School**
A long-running Quezon City culinary school offering single-day classes, from bread and cakes to holiday baking and themed cooking.
*Quezon City, 33 Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue, around 45 minutes from Makati. Classes listed for October 2026 cost ₱4,500 to ₱5,500 and run 9am to 3pm. Book on henysison.com.*
Good to know: the October classes are demonstrations, where you watch the instructor cook, rather than hands-on sessions. Each class page says which format it is, so check before you pay, and arrive 20 minutes early because classes start on time.

## Before you go

- **Book ahead.** Most studios here sell prepaid slots online and popular weekend dates sell out. Read the reschedule rules before you pay: Laro allows one reschedule, and sad girl scents does not refund no-shows.
- **Plan for traffic.** Classes start on time and Laro will not let you in after 10 minutes. On a Saturday, give yourself extra time to cross EDSA, especially between Makati and BGC.
- **Pottery takes weeks.** Wheel and hand-built pieces need to dry, be glazed and be fired. Bumi and Ashe quotes six to eight weeks and Laro about three months before your pieces are ready.
- **Wear clothes you do not mind ruining.** Clay and paint stain. Some studios, Laro among them, include an apron, and short nails and no rings help on the wheel.
- **Going as two?** Look for date formats such as Bumi and Ashe's Private Pottery for 2, or book two seats in the same workshop. For more, see our [date ideas](https://whatsonmnl.com/date-ideas) and [culture](https://whatsonmnl.com/culture) pages.

## Questions people ask

### How much is a pottery class in Manila?
A beginner wheel session at a Makati or BGC studio costs about ₱3,200 to ₱4,500, usually including clay, glazing and firing of two or three pieces. Tahanan in Quezon City has a three-hour Exploratory Wheel Workshop for ₱2,500, and multi-session courses cost ₱8,500 to ₱10,000.

### Are there pottery classes in BGC?
Yes. Laro Ceramics has its larger studio on Bonifacio High Street, with eleven wheels, beginner wheel classes and a separate hand-building room. It is open Wednesday to Sunday.

### Where can I take art classes in Manila as an adult beginner?
ARTa in Rockwell teaches drawing, acrylic and watercolor, with materials included and no portfolio needed; a four-session program costs ₱12,500. For a relaxed one-off, ArtBuds at Karrivin Plaza lets you paint ceramics or canvas at your own pace.

### Is there a one-day cooking class in Manila?
CCA Manila's Kitchen Discovery Course is a one-day, six-hour hands-on course in BGC for ₱3,500. Heny Sison Culinary School in Quezon City also runs single-day cooking and baking classes, many of them demonstrations.

### What is a good creative date idea in Manila?
A pottery class for two, a perfume-making workshop or a paint-your-own ceramics session all work well, because you talk while you make something together. Weekend slots sell out, so book early.