Entry No. 37 — the Miami file — filed under: glassblowing
Glass Bubble Miami
Self-described as "the best and only glass art studio in Miami," this Latino-owned shop is run by instructors who call themselves the Bubble Boys and greet you with the tagline "we bring the heat" — inside, torches roar at over 1,000°F while you learn to gather and shape molten glass rods by hand.
The story
Deep in a Kendall industrial park where you’d expect to find auto body shops and boat storage, unit 3 holds Miami’s only glass art studio. Founded by Mo Hernandez, Glass Bubble operates in a city that usually avoids real heat, running open bench torches hot enough to soften glass rods into liquid in seconds.
The instructors—who run the Latino-owned shop under the nickname the Bubble Boys—greet you with a blunt warning that they "bring the heat." Rather than relying on massive glassblowing furnaces, the setup here revolves around lampworking: sitting inches from roaring tabletop torches, manipulating solid glass stock by hand, and learning real flame control without melting your knuckles.
What it's like
You’ll pull up to an unpretentious warehouse bay off SW 132nd Avenue. Inside, the space smells faintly of gas and hot metal, filled with the loud, steady hiss of oxygen-fuel torches reaching over 1,000°F. Instructors walk you straight to your individual station, strap safety glasses on you, and get right to the heat. Expect a hands-on, focused session where you melt, twist, and pull glass rods into small beads or figurines. Book well ahead—this isn't a walk-in operation—and wear cotton clothes with closed-toe shoes unless you want stray sparks burning through synthetic fabric.
The move: Take the 2-hour beginner lampworking class as a pair, each melting and twisting your own glass rod over an open torch to make a small bead or sculpture, then compare who's the steadier hand at the end.
- 📍 Kendall
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 13331 SW 132nd Ave, Unit 3, Miami, FL 33186
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Gold Coast Railroad Museum — After sitting inches from a roaring bench torch, head two miles south to wander through quiet, rusting WWII-era naval rail yards and historic locomotives.
- Wild Night: Night Tour — Zoo Miami — Pair an afternoon of torch-melting glass in Kendall with a dark, guided evening walk through the adjacent zoo after the crowds clear out.
- Sadowski Viewing — Southern Cross Astronomical Society Observatory — Trade intense tabletop heat for deep space by matching a afternoon lampworking session with clear Saturday night telescope viewing in Palmetto Bay.
Good to know
Do I need any previous experience to take a class?
No. The two-hour beginner and couples classes are built for complete novices, teaching torch safety, heat distribution, and basic glass gathering from scratch.
What should I wear to the studio?
Wear fitted, natural fibers like cotton, closed-toe shoes, and tie back long hair. Synthetic fabrics melt easily when exposed to stray heat or hot glass flakes.
Can I drop in without a reservation?
No, Glass Bubble operates strictly by appointment for both beginner workshops and experienced artist bench rentals.
What will I actually leave with?
In a beginner lampworking class, you’ll melt glass rods over the torch flame to shape small glass beads or compact hand-twisted sculptures.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · canvasrebel.com
last checked: 2026-07-19