Entry No. 38 — the Seattle file — filed under: hands-on
Seattle Glassblowing Studio
A working hotshop tucked under the Monorail in Belltown where, with a professional artist guiding your hands, you gather molten glass on a blowpipe and shape it into a finished piece. You pick a form, paperweight, ornament, sea float, bowl, pumpkin or drinking cup, and do the actual gathering, blowing and shaping over roughly half an hour. Longer two- and three-hour lessons let a couple make three to five pieces. Finished work is annealed and ready to pick up two days later.
The story
Right beneath the concrete tracks of the Seattle Monorail at 5th and Bell, there is a constant blast of dry, radiant heat pushing out onto the sidewalk. Step through the doorway and you are standing inside a working hotshop—not a polite museum gallery where everything sits behind velvet ropes, but a noisy, industrial space dominated by glowing furnaces, iron pipes, and roaring burners.
You don't just watch here. Book a slot, strip off any synthetic jackets, and an instructor puts a heavy blowpipe into your hands. You walk it right up to the mouth of the furnace, dip the iron into a bath of liquid glass, and gather a molten amber bulb. With a professional holding the pipe right alongside you, you turn the iron, blow through the tube, and use wooden jacks and wet paper to shape the glowing mass into a float, a bowl, or a drinking cup before it freezes solid.
Because molten glass is an unforgiving material that shatters if cooled too quickly, whatever you make stays behind in the studio's annealer to slowly cool over the next 48 hours. You leave with hot hands, a mild sweat, and a pickup receipt.
What it's like
You'll hear the Monorail rumble overhead while instructors talk you through pipe control and flame angles. Expect intense ambient heat near the furnaces, even in the middle of a rainy Seattle winter. You will be holding tools and shaping scorching glass yourself, but an experienced glassblower keeps their hands close to make sure you don't ruin the piece or burn yourself. Wear natural fibers (cotton beats synthetic around open heat) and leave your finished piece behind for two days to cool down safely.
The move: Book a longer lesson and each blow a glass float or cup, then come back together to collect your still-warm-from-the-kiln pieces.
📍 Before you go By appointment; pieces are ready for pickup about two days after your session.
- 📍 Belltown, Seattle
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2227 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 (under the Monorail at 5th & Bell)
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Bathtub Gin & Co. — After sweating over a 2,000-degree glass furnace, cool off down an alley inside this multi-level former boiler room hidden in Belltown.
- Shorty's — Trade hotshop blowpipes for pinball flippers and cheap beer just a three-minute walk down 5th Avenue.
- Cannonball Arts (Virginia Park & Leviathan) — Follow up your glass shop session with a walk through a nearby former big-box store turned cavernous contemporary art hub.
Good to know
Do I get to take my glass home right after my session?
No. Freshly blown glass will shatter if left at room temperature. Your piece goes into an annealer kiln to slowly ramp down heat and must be picked up about two days later.
Do I need any glassblowing experience before booking?
None. The hands-on sessions are fully guided, meaning a studio artist works hand-over-hand with you through gathering, blowing, and shaping.
What objects can you choose to make?
Depending on the session, you choose a single form to craft—options include paperweights, ornaments, sea floats, bowls, glass pumpkins, or drinking cups.
Can I just stop by to watch without making anything?
Yes. The gallery space is open to visitors to browse artwork and watch live glassblowing happen on the hotshop floor daily.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Yelp · Tripadvisor · getyourguide.com
last checked: 2026-06-24