Glassblowing Studio in Mandai: S$210 Experience at Tombalek

Tombalek, at 7 Mandai Link #10-22, Singapore 728653, is a craft studio in the Mandai industrial district built around what it calls Singapore's only glass melting furnace. The beginner door into the hot shop is the 90-minute Glassblowing Experience, priced at S$210, in which an instructor walks you through blowing a simple bubble and then a cup or vase from molten glass. The studio fills over 7,000 square feet and also teaches woodworking, blacksmithing and copper work, but the glass hot shop is the reason this address belongs on any list of glassblowing studios in Singapore.

The studio sits on the tenth floor of an industrial building on Mandai Link, in the unit range #10-22 to #10-24. The studio's own instructions tell visitors to head for Block B, Lift Lobby, and the postcode is 728653. Mandai is an industrial district rather than a shopping area, so plan the trip as a destination and not a stop on a mall crawl. The studio uses the same number to arrange private classes and viewing appointments.

Tombalek opens six days a week from 10am to 5pm and closes on Mondays. On Wednesday and Thursday nights it stays open until 9:30pm, which is the most useful detail for people who work office hours. Classes are booked through the studio's website, and each product page lets you choose an appointment slot. Because the hot shop runs fixed class sessions, turning up without a booking is not how the place works.

The Glassblowing Experience costs S$210 and lasts 90 minutes. Instructors guide you through the basics of blowing a simple bubble and then making a cup or vase from hot molten glass. Each cup takes about 20 to 30 minutes to make, and there are up to two students at each bench. Glasses are collected within the same session, which is rare for hot glass and a big reason this class suits visitors with a short stay. The classroom can take 12 to 18 students, so a group of friends can book together. For larger groups the studio asks you to WhatsApp ahead.

For parents with children aged 6 to 12, the Family Glassblowing Experience costs S$480 and gives your family exclusive use of a bench for up to two adults and two children. You make two simple cups or vases from clear glass, and you collect them within 30 minutes of the end of class. The studio is blunt that children should know it is a hot glass class and want to do it, and it does not recommend booking it as a surprise. In the Christmas season there is also a Glass Ornaments Making Class for S$480, aimed at 1 to 4 people aged 10 and up, producing four ornaments of roughly 7 to 10 cm each.

Beyond the short experiences, Tombalek runs learner classes for people who want to keep going. Introduction to Venetian Goblet Making is listed at S$1,980, and Foundations of Venetian Glassblowing is S$1,680 for the December course. These are serious commitments compared with the 90-minute experience, but they show that the hot shop is built for study and not only for one-off gifts. The glass department is run by Sam Chua, a glassblower and metalsmith who appears on the studio's team page, working with the other artisans in woodworking, blacksmithing and flameworking.

Tombalek publishes a dress code, and it is strict. Covered shoes are mandatory, with no slip-ons, sandals or crocs, and trousers, skirts or dresses must cover the entire thigh. Eye protection is required during the class, and the studio provides it if you do not have your own. It recommends cotton clothing because synthetic fibres and tights can melt, and it warns that radiant heat from the glass can burn bare arms, so bring a jacket or arm sleeves for the bench. Tie your hair back. The studio adds that your clothes may be damaged, so wear nothing precious.

If a furnace session feels like too much, the glass department also teaches flameworking, where small pieces are shaped over a torch at the bench. Karen Tan, the youngest member of the team, specialises in flame-worked glass sculptures. The studio lists Glass Bead Making at S$128, Ornamental Glass Beads at S$198 and Children's Glass Bead Making at S$168. These are lower-commitment ways to handle glass, and they run alongside the furnace classes in the same building on the tenth floor.

Glassblowing is one wing of a larger operation. Over 7,000 square feet are given to teaching handcrafts and fabrication, with classes in furniture making, knife making, copper hammering and bowl turning. The studio introduces its team as some of the best young artisans in Singapore, skilled in glassmaking, woodworking and metalworking. If one person in your group would rather work wood or steel than glass, they can book a different class under the same roof.

Mandai is best known as the home of the Singapore wildlife parks, which sit a short drive from the studio, so a morning class can be followed by an afternoon in the area. Since the studio closes at 5pm on most days, plan the class for the late morning or early afternoon and leave time to collect your glass. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings the later closing time gives an alternative for people who cannot get away during the day.

Address: 7 Mandai Link #10-22, Singapore 728653. Email: info@tombalek.com. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, with Wednesday and Thursday open until 9:30pm, and closed on Mondays. The Glassblowing Experience is S$210 for 90 minutes. The Family Glassblowing Experience and the Glass Ornaments Making Class are S$480 each. Wear covered shoes and long enough shorts or trousers, and bring a light jacket for the heat of the bench.