Space Studio Manchester
ENTRY
from £20
WHERE
Manchester
What it’s like
Pick a pot from over 40 options and paint it, with sessions running under two hours in an Ancoats studio.
You choose from more than 40 pots, tableware and home accessories among them, and settle in to paint for an hour and 45 minutes. There's no session fee as such, you just pay for the pot you pick, which runs from £20, or you can do the two-for-£30 offer on the cheaper items. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon without the clock feeling like it's about to run out on you, though they are strict that late arrivals don't get extra time.
Children are welcome at the afternoon sessions, but the 6pm and 8pm slots are adults only, so if you're bringing kids you want Thursday or Friday from 4pm, or the midday starts on Saturday and Sunday. Booking is essential for a table, and there's a £10 per person deposit that comes off your final bill, refundable if you cancel more than 24 hours out but kept if you cancel or change the booking later than that, which is a faff worth knowing about before you commit to a Saturday slot.
There's no on-site parking, but SIP Car Park on Gun Street is right there, about a two-minute walk, and Henry Street works for a quick drop-off. If you're coming by bus or tram, Piccadilly Gardens is roughly an 11-minute walk away. You can bring your own food and soft drinks, and there's an option for alcohol too, but they don't do hot drinks on site, so no post-painting coffee.
Once you've painted, the wait starts. Pots take 10 days to be fired and ready, and after that you've got another two weeks to collect before the four-week mark, when anything left behind gets donated to charity. Nobody chases you for it, so it's on you to remember.
Facilities
Need to know
- Booking
- Online booking for up to 6 people
- Parking
- No on-site parking. Nearest car park is SIP Car Park at 27 Gun St, 50m away (2-minute walk)
- Getting there by bus or train
- 500 meters / 11-minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester's main bus and tram hub
- Parties
- Birthday parties, hen parties, leaving dos available
- No hot drinks on site, so bring your own if you want a coffee
- You can bring your own food and soft drinks, and alcohol's fine too
- They won't email you when your pot's ready, so set your own reminder
- Late arrivals don't get extra time, sessions run back to back
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
The session itself is free, you just pay for the pot, from £20. There's an offer where two items at £20 or £22 each come to £30 per person.
Do we need to book?
Yes, booking's essential for tables of up to 6 online, and bigger groups email ahead. Walk-ins only get a table if one's free, so don't bank on it.
Is it OK to bring kids?
Afternoons only. The 6pm and 8pm sessions are for adults, so aim for the earlier slots if you've got children with you.
How long do we get?
An hour and 45 minutes. They run back to back, so being late just means less painting time, not a later finish.
What about parking?
There's no car park on site, but SIP Car Park on Gun Street is a two-minute walk. Henry Street works for dropping off.
When can we collect the finished pot?
It takes about 10 days to be fired. After that you've got a further two weeks to collect it before the four-week cutoff, when uncollected pots go to charity.
What happens if we cancel?
The £10 per person deposit is refundable if you cancel more than 24 hours before your session. Cancel or change it later than that and the deposit is kept.
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