Queensway Pottery Painting: S$28 a Session at PotteryPlease

PotteryPlease is a paint-your-own-pottery studio at #03-40 and #03-48, Queensway Shopping Centre, 1 Queensway, Singapore 149053, open Tuesday to Sunday from 1pm to 7pm. A pottery painting session costs S$28, which is taken as a booking deposit and covers underglaze, apron and tool use and firing. The ceramic piece is extra, starting at S$8, and you choose and pay for it after you have finished painting. For anyone in the west-central part of Singapore who wants a cheap, hands-on evening, those numbers make it the lowest studio fee among the five paint-your-own studios in this series.

Queensway Shopping Centre is an older mall in Queenstown, best known for its sports shops, and PotteryPlease occupies two adjoining third-floor units there. The studio's website describes a space with unpainted ceramic pieces and underglaze colours, where individuals and groups can sit down and decorate. Beyond walk-in style sessions, it also runs corporate and group events at the studio or off-site, supplies decoration services for events, offers student discounts and sells gift cards.

The pricing is kept transparent on the booking page. The 90-minute pottery painting session is S$28, and that fee is collected up front as a deposit when you book online. Piece prices begin at S$8, so the lowest total for a small item is S$36. Because you pick the piece after you finish painting, the studio's description implies a different order from many studios, where you choose first. Ask the staff how that works at the counter when you arrive so you know which blanks are available.

The booking product lists the following inclusions: underglaze for painting, the use of an apron and tools, and firing after the session. That is it, no hidden extras. Ceramics are the only additional cost. For couples, that gives a rough date budget of S$72 for two people each painting an S$8 piece, with the other prices staying the same. For a family of four, the numbers stay predictable too, and the booking page lets you reserve through the session product.

Painting time is limited to the 90 minutes you booked, so arrive at the start and use the time sensibly. Sketch your idea before the brush touches the ceramic and keep the colours bold, as underglaze lightens and brightens in the kiln. Beginners often spend too long on the border and run out of minutes for the centre of the piece, so paint the main motif first and add details last. If you want to try a particular shape, ask the staff early because stock moves.

After glazing and firing, the studio says the waiting time for collection is now two to three weeks. That is a sensible window for planning: paint on a Saturday this month and the piece will be ready around mid-November. Compare that with studios that quote ten to twelve weeks, and PotteryPlease turns pieces around much more quickly. Do not count on a faster collection if you are a visitor leaving the country within a fortnight, because the studio does not advertise a rush service.

The most specific event on the site is a guided workshop called Design Your Mug-Self, priced at S$60. It is a two-hour guided session on 30 October 2026, from 7pm to 9pm, themed for Halloween with an After Hours format. Participants choose from two mug designs and customise them using templates and stencils, so beginners can follow step by step. The price includes the mug, materials, glazing, kiln firing, painting instruction and studio access, plus themed refreshments and a decorated space, and costumes are encouraged.

Compared with the standard S$28 session plus a piece, the S$60 workshop is a better deal if you want structure, since the mug is included and stencils reduce the risk of a blotchy design. If you are the independent type, the regular session gives you more freedom. Keep in mind that the workshop is dated, so it is one evening only. Book early, because a two-hour themed night with refreshments is the kind of event that fills first among friends.

The studio sells digital gift cards in four values: S$50, S$60, S$75 and S$100. They stay valid for one year from the date of purchase and can be applied to the full value of a session until the balance runs out. The recipient gets an emailed code, so it works as a last-minute present for a friend who lives in another country. A S$60 card matches the price of the Mug-Self workshop, which makes the choice easy if you are buying for someone you know loves Halloween.

Groups can ask about events on WhatsApp, according to the site. Student discounts are available too, though the page does not publish the percentage, so ask when you book. For a team outing, the in-studio option is simpler than going off-site, since all the materials and ovens are on hand. Plan the session around the closing time of 7pm, and avoid leaving the final glazing for the last ten minutes.

The mall is a short walk from the Queenstown area, and the surrounding blocks have long-standing hawker stalls and kopitiams that are good for a meal either side of your session. Because PotteryPlease opens at 1pm, a late lunch at a hawker centre followed by a 90-minute paint session fits an afternoon neatly. The sports shops on the lower floors are a local institution, so if one of your group needs a new pair of shoes, you can combine the errands.

If PotteryPlease is fully booked, the nearest alternatives in this series are the Orchard Road pair, Clayful Cafe and Am I Addicted, both in Orchard Central. They are a different ride across town, and they price differently, with Clayful on a S$30 two-hour pass. For something later in the evening on a Sunday, Clayful's hours run until 10pm, whereas PotteryPlease closes at 7pm, so plan accordingly.

Address: #03-40 and #03-48 Queensway Shopping Centre, 1 Queensway, Singapore 149053. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 1pm to 7pm. Session: S$28, 90 minutes, paid as a booking deposit. Pieces: from S$8, chosen and paid for after painting. Collection: two to three weeks after glazing and firing. Mug-Self workshop: S$60, 30 October 2026, 7pm to 9pm. Gift cards: S$50, S$60, S$75, S$100, valid for one year. The studio takes event enquiries through WhatsApp, and sessions are booked on the studio's own website.

Wear clothes that can take a splash, tie back long hair and leave the heavy rings at home, since the brush work gets close to the table. Book your slot in advance, because the studio is a small operation and slots are limited. Take a photo of your finished design before you leave, because the pieces look nothing like their final glazed selves until they return from the kiln. Then collect the piece and use it every day.