FAQ

HOURS AND OPERATIONS

We are open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

River Oaks Location: 

  • Sunday - Thursday: 10 am to 9 pm
  • Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 11 pm

Memorial and Bellaire Locations: 

  • Sunday - Thursday: 10 am to 8 pm
  • Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 9 pm

No reservations are required! You can walk in anytime!

If you’d like to make a reservation, we’ll happily take one for you!  Note that we strongly recommend reservations for groups of 8 or more.

Absolutely! You’re welcome to bring anything with you that you like. We also sell snacks and drinks in case you forget. And we are BYOB!

The Mad Potter accepts ALL major credit cards, including American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa credit cards, plus Apple Pay and most debit cards.

We do not have any cash in our studios, but if you don't have a payment card, we've got you covered! We are still happy to accept cash payments when requested, although we cannot provide change.

We want you to be able to enjoy the FUN of painting with us in the most efficient and flexible way possible. Cashless, contactless transactions are faster, safer, and more secure. It’s just one way to provide you with a more streamlined and worry-free experience!

People of any age can paint pottery. Infants can participate by doing hand and footprints. Kids come up with some great designs and best of all there are no lines to stay in. It’s whatever you want to paint. All ages can enjoy painting together, why not make it a family outing and everyone paint their own cereal bowl!

HOW IT WORKS

  • You can come anytime! No reservation is needed unless you want to reserve tables for a large group or book a party
  • When you arrive, we’ll show you examples of the more than 250 great pottery pieces we have and some techniques that are easy to do and look great!
  • Then, we’ll teach you the basics of painting pottery and get you started.
  • From there, we can help you as much or as little as you’d like.
  • Where you’re finished, we’ll keep your pottery to be glazed and fired in our kiln.
  • 4 days later, your pottery will be shiny, sealed and ready for you to pickup!

We have over 250 items, so there is something for everyone and their budget!

You can see all of our pottery AND their prices online! Simply hover over "SHOP" in the top menu of our website and it will reveal categories of pottery. The prices you see include EVERYTHING you need to complete your project plus tax. (We DO NOT have studio fees). On average, people spend $25-$30 per person.

For example, here is a link to our kid's collection: https://themadpotter.com/collections/kids

Another example, here is a link to our mugs collection: https://themadpotter.com/collections/mugs

How long it takes depends on the piece of pottery and the design you’ve chosen. The more intricate the piece and detailed the design, the longer it will take.

On average we tell Adults about 1 to 2 hours. Small children 30 to 45 minutes. Then it takes us 5 days to glaze and fire it in our kilns. After that you can come pick it up and take it home to enjoy.

Most mistakes are easy to fix while you’re in the painting process. The glazes are water-soluble and can be wiped off or scraped off (once dry) if needed. And any of our Team Members can help you fix a mistake!

Anything you paint today will be ready for pickup in 5 days starting at 11 am.

Once you finish painting your piece, we fire it in a kiln.  The kilns reach 1,800 degrees and the heating-up / cooling-down process takes around 16 hours.  This process greatly enhances the quality of your masterpiece and makes items "food safe.”

We will do our best to keep your pottery for up to 3 months when storage allows!

Absolutely! All of our paint is water soluble and washes off with a little soap and water. Aprons are also available to minimize the mess!

All of our paints are non-toxic and non-allergenic.

Unfortunately, we DO NOT allow people to bring in their own pieces of pottery to paint, nor do we fire pottery that has been painted outside of a our studio.

We have this policy to protect our kilns and the other pieces of pottery in the kiln. For example, if an item is made of a material different than our bisque (or if the paint is a different type of paint than our paint), the item could explode, melt, or do something else that could damage our kiln and/or the other pieces in that kiln.

No, we have a strict no-fire policy for outside items for the safety of our kilns and other guests' pottery.

We have this policy to protect our kilns and the other pieces of pottery in the kiln. For example, if an item is made of a material different than our bisque (or if the paint is a different type of paint than our paint), the item could explode, melt, or do something else that could damage our kiln and/or the other pieces in that kiln.

PARTIES

You can book a kids party, adult party or corporate event directly on the website or by giving us a call!

You don’t have to book a party for smaller groups, but we can still take a reservation for you. The advantages of booking the party include:

  • Having a date and time in advance
  • A dedicated Team Member to assist your party
  • A table for food, drink, cake, snacks, etc.
  • Coupons for each guest
  • And more!

No problem! We’ll just charge you the difference.

Give us a call and we’ll do our best to make it work!

Unfortunately, we still have to charge the package price because we provide many extras that come with booking a party, including:

  • A reserved date and time
  • A dedicated party host
  • A decorated table
  • A Happy Birthday banner
  • A table for gifts, food, etc.

You can always come in as a walk-in group and just pay our standard pottery prices. We’ll still do our best to make it special.

A Dedicated Party Host will be assigned to your party for the entire duration of the party. We will provide you with truly exceptional service and help create a party that your guests will rave about, including by decorated the party room before you arrive, helping set up any decorations or food that you bring, serving food, all cleaning, and more!

If for any reason our service does not merit a gratuity, please let us know and we will remove it with no questions asked and there will be no hard feelings!

A $50 deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your party date and time. The deposit will be applied to your payment at the party. The deposit is fully refundable if you are unable to have your party.

YES! You are welcome to bring in anything you’d like or have it delivered directly to our studio.

Yes! We are BYOB friendly and do not charge a fee to bring in and consume these items.

Absolutely!

A private party rents out the entire studio and will be closed to the public.

Our party room is a smaller, private room/area in the studio and the rest of the studio is open to the public.

We can accommodate up to 100 people at a party!

CLASSES AND EVENTS

Throughout the year, we host awesome events like Kids Night Out, Summer Camps, Christmas Tree Painting Parties, Story Time, and more! 

Please click “Events” in the top menu to see what is currently available.

We don't have classes currently, but you can walk in anytime to paint! We'll teach you the basics of painting pottery and we can help you with any techniques as well!

This is such a great date night because it’s unique and hands-on, and you get to take home a souvenir to remember it by!  Also, we are BYOB and there is no fee to bring in your own beer or wine.  Feel free to bring in snacks too!

Yes, please email or call us for more information.

POTTERY TO GO

  • "Pottery to Go" allows you to bring all of the FUN to your home!
  • Purchase your pottery at our online store
  • We’ll call you to confirm the details
  • Unleash your inner artist in the comfort of your home!
  • Bring your pottery back to us to be glazed and fired
  • Your pottery will be ready in 5 days!

All pottery to go includes:

  • Paintbrushes
  • Paint - choose your favorite color package
  • Please let us know of any special requests for paint colors!
  • Painting Instructions and Tips

At Checkout, you'll be able to choose between the following options:

  • Pickup at any studio, or
  • USPS Shipping (flat rate of $20)

All orders will be processed and ready for pickup or shipment as early as the same day!

GIFTS

We have e-gift cards available that may be used both online and in the store!  Purchase the e-gift card online and it will be emailed to you (or the email address you enter at checkout) immediately!

Our gift cards never expire and there is no fee to purchase them!

Plus, if you ever lose your e-gift card, we can easily look it up for you and let you know the remaining balance!

Absolutely!  Some great options are:

  • Hand and footprints! We can get prints on plates, mugs, bowls, ornaments, and more and we can also help you customize the gift or write names!
  • Wedding plaque with monogram
  • Teacher gifts
  • Tracing

Absolutely. We have a talented group of artists that specialize in turning that cute footprint into a rocket, bunny or whatever merits the occasion. We can also custom write a message for your loved one, or recreate a company logo for that retirement gift/award.

Please email us at contact@themadpotter.com or give us a call and we’ll help you!

CARING FOR YOUR POTTERY

Yes and no. Officially, we recommend avoiding the microwave.  But if you have items for everyday use, go for it!  (We put our items in the microwave all the time, but we also paint all the time!)

Yes and no. Officially, we recommend avoiding the microwave.  But if you have items for everyday use, go for it!  (We put our items in the microwave all the time, but we also paint all the time!)

Yes, all mugs, plates, bowl, platters, etc. that have been kiln fired are food safe! 

No. One tiny little crack or stilt mark area can absorb moisture and slowly the piece will fall apart. Having it fully submerged would craze.

OFFSITE PARTIES

We bring the pottery painting to you!

All offsite parties include:

  • At least 1 dedicated party host
  • We will bring all of the pottery, paint, and painting supplies to you!
  • Glazing and firing of the pottery
  • Aprons for painters to wear
  • Wrap and label all pieces for easy pick up and distribution

Standard Party Package pricing + $150 travel fee

Anywhere! Corporate offices, backyards, cafeterias, classrooms, parks, etc.

The package pricing includes a 2 hour event.

No problem! We can be more flexible with offsite party scheduling and can accommodate different start times.

We do not bring tables and chairs but we can bring an extra fold out table if needed.

Yes! Please email us for more information.

The paint is all water based and non-toxic so it is easy to clean up. If you are worried about your surfaces, we recommend a simple table cover.

WORK WITH US

Yes, we are always looking for rockstars to join our team! Please email us at contact@themadpotter.com with your resume and a statement about why you are interested in the position.

Please email us at contact@themadpotter.com

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If you don't LOVE your pottery, we'll give you a refund. 

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