CLAY CLUB SEATTLE
Membership Conditions & Studio Guidelines
Welcome to Clay Club Seattle!
We're excited to have you as part of our pottery community. Our studio is designed to provide a welcoming, creative space where people with prior pottery experience can continue developing their skills, make work, and connect with other makers.
These membership guidelines outline what's included in your membership, how to use the studio, and the responsibilities we all share in maintaining a safe, clean, and enjoyable creative environment.
By purchasing a membership, you agree to follow the conditions and policies outlined below.
1. Membership Eligibility
Clay Club memberships are intended for individuals with prior pottery experience who can work independently in a shared ceramics studio.
Members must have sufficient experience to safely use pottery wheels and equipment, prepare and manage clay, clean their workstations, and follow established studio procedures without direct instruction.
Prior experience may include pottery classes, previous studio memberships, or equivalent independent practice.
Clay Club reserves the right to review applicants' pottery experience before approving membership.
A membership does not include beginner pottery instruction. Individuals who are new to pottery are encouraged to enroll in one of our introductory classes before applying for membership.
2. What's Included in Your Membership
Your Clay Club membership includes:
Studio access
Access to Clay Club during designated member open studio hours.
Use of available pottery wheels during reserved studio sessions.
Access to designated member-only wheels during scheduled class hours.
Access to communal pottery tools and equipment.
Use of studio worktables and wedging areas.
Access to the studio's clay reclaim system.
Personal Storage
Members receive a designated personal storage space measuring 24" W × 18" D × 13" H for works in progress, tools, clay, and personal belongings.
Members also receive access to designated communal shelves for work awaiting firing.
Oversized Work
Works exceeding 12” in height or width are considered oversized and are generally limited to one in-progress piece per member at a time. Oversized pieces may be placed on the designated oversized works-in-progress shelf located on the top of the finished work shelves.
Members who plan to work primarily on taller pieces may choose a personal storage shelf located at the top of a shelving unit. In this case, multiple pieces exceeding 12” in height may remain on their personal shelf, but all members are limited to submitting one oversized piece per firing.
Pieces exceeding 12” in height or width may require additional firing time, depending on available kiln space. Clay Club reserves the right to postpone firing oversized work to ensure that firing services remain reasonably available to all members and students.
Pieces may not exceed 15” in height and 13” in width.
Personal Belongings Left Behind
Personal belongings remaining in the studio after a membership has ended will be collected, placed in a box, and held for up to one month to allow the former member time to retrieve them.
Clay Club is not responsible for storing personal belongings indefinitely. Any belongings that remain unclaimed after one month may be moved to the studio’s lost and found or discarded.
Studio materials and equipment
Members may use available communal equipment, including:
Pottery wheels.
Wedging table.
Shimpo tabletop lab roller.
Clay extruder.
Communal pottery tools.
Studio glazes.
All studio equipment must be operated in accordance with its intended use and the studio’s established safety procedures.
Members who are unfamiliar with a particular piece of equipment must familiarize themselves with its proper operation before use. Members may request guidance from studio staff or consult manufacturer-provided owner's manuals, instructional videos, or other reliable educational resources.
Firing services
Firing services are included in membership. Members must keep all works in progress within their designated storage space. Pieces exceeding 12 inches in height are limited to one per member at a time.
3. What's Not Included in Your Membership
Unless otherwise specified, membership does not include:
Pottery classes or private instruction.
Guaranteed access to a particular pottery wheel.
Unlimited personal storage.
Permission to store work indefinitely.
Permission to operate or load the kiln.
Access to the studio outside approved hours.
Classes, Workshops, and Drop-In Class Sessions:
Members may purchase individual drop-in sessions in beginner or intermediate classes when space is available and the scheduled lesson is appropriate for drop-in participation.
Eligibility for drop-in sessions depends on the scheduled lesson and any prerequisite work or experience needed to participate. Members may not drop in on the first day of a course, which is reserved for introductions and orientation, or on the final day, which is reserved for show-and-tell and group critique.
If a class focuses on completing a project begun in a previous session, such as assembling a sectional vase or chalice, members must either have attended the preceding class or have the necessary components prepared in advance.
Drop-in availability is determined by Clay Club staff based on class capacity, lesson content, and the member’s readiness to participate.
Members may also enroll in workshops and full-length classes at their regular prices.
4. Studio Access and Reservations
All members must reserve studio time through Clay Club’s reservation system (Kiln Fire).
Reservations help us manage wheel availability and ensure that members and students have sufficient space to work.
Reservation policies
Studio reservations are available up to seven days in advance.
Reservations are available in 30-minute increments and may range from one to three hours.
Members may hold up to two active reservations at one time.
Recurring reservations are not permitted.
Members may cancel or modify reservations at any point before their scheduled start time.
Canceled reservations become available for other members to book.
Members should cancel reservations they no longer intend to use so that other members have an opportunity to reserve the space.
Wheel availability
Clay Club has nine pottery wheels.
During scheduled classes, two wheels are reserved exclusively for members.
When classes are not in session, up to nine wheels may be available for open studio reservations.
Wheel availability may vary depending on classes, workshops, equipment maintenance, and other studio activities.
A membership does not guarantee that a wheel will be available without a reservation.
Open studio hours
Open studio hours are published through the reservation system, and can be found on our website at the bottom of the Info & Hours page.
Hours may be adjusted for holidays, special events, classes, maintenance, or unexpected studio closures.
Members will be notified of significant schedule changes whenever reasonably possible.
5. Clay and Materials
Clay must be purchased through the studio.
This helps prevent damage to kilns, kiln furniture, and other members' work.
Members are responsible for keeping their clay properly stored and labeled.
Clay must not be allowed to dry out on shared work surfaces or in communal areas.
Greenware must be bone dry or nearly bone dry before being placed on the ready-to-fire shelf.
Unwanted unfired clay should be placed in the appropriate reclaim container.
6. Cleaning and Shared Studio Responsibilities
Clay Club is a shared creative space. Every member is responsible for cleaning their workstation and helping maintain a safe, welcoming environment.
Members must leave their workspace ready for the next person.
After using a pottery wheel
Members must:
Turn off the wheel.
Clean the wheelhead, splash pan, and surrounding surfaces, using their throwing water or a small amount of fresh water to do so.
Remove all clay from the wheel and nearby areas.
Clean the stool and surrounding floor if necessary.
Rinse off and return tools and equipment to their designated locations.
Place their stool upside down on top of their wheel.
Dump all liquid clay and slip into the wet reclaim bucket.
Place all dry clay scraps in the dry reclaim bucket.
After using communal equipment
Members must:
Clean all tools immediately after use.
Return communal tools and equipment to their proper locations.
Remove clay residue from shared work surfaces.
Clean the wedging table.
Clean the slab roller and extruder after use.
Communal tools and equipment must not be stored in personal cubbies.
Cleaning time
Members should allow sufficient time to clean their workstations before their reservation ends.
We recommend beginning cleanup approximately 20–30 minutes before the end of a studio session.
Reservations include cleanup time.
Members are expected to leave the studio promptly at the end of their reserved session unless they have booked another reservation, class, or workshop immediately afterward.
7. Clay Reclaim, Glaze Waste, and Sink Procedures
Proper clay management helps us maintain our equipment, protect our plumbing, and reduce material waste.
Clay Reclaim
Unfired clay scraps should be placed in the appropriate reclaim containers.
This includes:
Clay trimmings.
Unwanted greenware.
Excess throwing slip.
Unfired clay scraps.
Members must follow the studio's designated reclaim procedures.
Before rinsing, all slip and clay residue must be wiped from tools, hands, and equipment and deposited into the liquid clay reclaim bucket. Once excess residue has been removed, tools, hands, and equipment may be rinsed in the designated clay rinsing bucket located beside the liquid clay reclaim bucket.
Clay reclaim buckets are occasionally treated with hydrogen peroxide to help control odors and bacterial growth.
Members with open cuts or wounds on their hands are encouraged to wear protective gloves or finger cots before handling reclaim or placing their hands in the clay rinsing buckets.
Glaze Waste and Reclaim
All glaze cleanup must take place using the designated glaze waste system located beside the glazing station.
Three buckets are provided for rinsing glaze residue from tools and pottery. These buckets should be used in the following order:
First Rinse: Removes the majority of glaze residue.
Second Rinse: Removes remaining glaze residue.
Third Rinse: Removes any residual glaze before the final sink rinse.
After rinsing through all three buckets, tools may receive a final rinse in the communal sink. Large amounts of glaze residue must never be washed directly into the plumbing.
Before using communal glazing tools, members are encouraged to rinse them thoroughly in the sink to prevent cross-contamination from any residue left behind by previous users.
Sink use
While Clay Club does have a Gleco clay trap installed in the communal sink, clay and glaze must not be washed directly into the studio's plumbing.
Tools and hands should be rinsed in the designated cleaning buckets until essentially free of residue before receiving a final rinse in the sink. A thin film of cloudy or iron-rich residue is acceptable, but no visible buildup or scraps should remain.
All reclaimable clay residue and scraps must be placed in the appropriate reclaim containers, rather than being washed into the plumbing system.
Large amounts of clay, slip, or glaze must never be poured into the sink.
Glaze waste must be disposed of according to the studio's designated glaze waste procedures and must never be added to clay reclaim.
Clay collected from the floor should be disposed of in the garbage rather than returned to reclaim.
8. Dust Prevention and Studio Safety
Ceramic materials can produce hazardous airborne dust when dry.
To reduce exposure to respirable crystalline silica, all members must follow the studio's wet-cleaning procedures.
Members must:
Clean clay residue using damp sponges or towels.
Whenever possible, clean wet clay residue before it is allowed to dry.
Avoid dry sanding ceramic work.
Wet sand if needed.
Avoid shaking clay-covered clothing or aprons inside the studio.
Dispose of clay trimmings appropriately.
Avoid sweeping dry clay.
Avoid placing excessively wet or slip-covered clay into bags. Allow wet clay to firm up sufficiently before bagging to prevent excess moisture and slip from accumulating inside the bag.
Members must remove excess slip from the surfaces of their pieces before covering them with plastic sheeting. If necessary, pieces should be allowed to air-dry or have a heat gun carefully applied to dry the surface slip before being covered.
Members must clean their hands of clay residue and slip before handling plastic bags or sheeting.
Slip that coats plastic bags or plastic sheeting will eventually dry, flake off, and create airborne clay dust when the bags are handled or reused.
Members must not use equipment or materials in ways that create unnecessary airborne dust.
9. Personal Storage and Work in Progress
Each member will be assigned a designated personal storage space.
This space may be used to store:
Works in progress.
Clay purchased through the studio.
Small personal belongings.
Personal pottery tools.
Personal glazes.
Members must keep their personal storage areas reasonably organized and ensure that all belongings and materials remain within their designated space.
Members are encouraged to bring their own toolbox or storage container to keep personal tools organized and secure. Clay Club is not responsible for lost, damaged, or misplaced personal tools or belongings left in the studio.
Personal belongings and works in progress must not obstruct walkways, emergency exits, communal equipment, or other members' storage areas.
Shared shelving
Members may use designated communal shelves for ready-to-fire work.
All work must be clearly labeled with the maker's name or identifiable maker's mark.
Work stored on communal shelves must not unnecessarily obstruct access to other pieces.
Members may not move or handle another person's work without permission from studio staff.
10. Maker's Marks and Labeling
Members are encouraged to establish a recognizable maker's mark and use it consistently.
To help studio staff identify individual pieces, members are encouraged to display their maker's mark on their personal storage shelf using a piece of labeled tape, a small ceramic button, or another clearly visible identifier.
All work placed on communal shelves must be identifiable. Work in progress should be labeled with the maker's name and date when appropriate.
Pieces submitted for firing must have an identifiable maker's mark or other identifying information that allows studio staff to determine whom the piece belongs to.
Unidentified work may be treated as abandoned in accordance with Clay Club's abandoned-work policy.
11. Abandoned and Unclaimed Work
Clay Club has limited storage space and cannot store unfinished or completed pottery indefinitely.
Members are responsible for monitoring their work and collecting completed pieces in a timely manner.
Work in progress
Work that has not been moved or actively worked on for more than one month may be identified as abandoned.
Studio staff may mark the work with tape and a clothespin indicating the date it was identified.
Identified work will be moved to the designated abandoned-work shelf.
If the work remains unclaimed for an additional two to three weeks, it may be reclaimed or discarded.
Bisqueware and finished pottery
Members are responsible for glazing and collecting their fired work in a timely manner.
Bisqueware and finished pottery that remain unclaimed for more than one month may be moved to the designated abandoned-work shelf. If the pieces remain unclaimed for an additional two weeks, they may be discarded.
Clay Club is not responsible for indefinitely storing abandoned or unclaimed pottery.
12. Glazing
Members have access to approved studio glazes.
Members are responsible for properly preparing their work for firing.
Glaze application
Stir glazes thoroughly before use.
Use appropriate glaze application techniques.
Avoid applying excessive amounts of glaze.
Keep the bottoms of pieces free from glaze.
Allow sufficient clearance between glaze and the bottom of a piece.
Use cookies when instructed by studio staff.
Clean glaze buckets, brushes, and work surfaces after use.
Glaze buckets must be properly closed and returned to their designated locations.
Members must follow the studio's glaze reclaim and cleaning procedures.
Glaze experimentation
Members are encouraged to experiment with glaze combinations.
However, pieces with potentially unstable glaze applications may require additional kiln protection or may be declined for firing.
Members experimenting with unfamiliar glaze combinations should prepare a test tile and place it on a kiln cookie on the designated glaze-ready shelf before applying the combination to other pieces.
Clay Club is not responsible for undesirable glaze results caused by insufficient testing or improper glaze application.
13. Kiln and Firing Policies
For the safety of members and studio equipment, only authorized Clay Club personnel may load, unload, or operate the kiln.
Members may not:
Operate the kiln.
Load or unload the kiln.
Alter kiln settings.
Place objects on the kiln.
Enter restricted kiln areas without authorization.
Preparing work for firing
Members are responsible for ensuring their pieces are appropriately prepared before placing them on the greenware or glaze-ready shelves.
Pieces should be:
Properly labeled.
Made from studio-purchased clay.
Sufficiently dried before bisque firing.
Free from glaze on their bottoms before glaze firing.
Constructed without excessively thick or enclosed sections that could create firing risks.
Studio staff reserve the right to delay or decline firing work that may present a risk to the kiln, kiln furniture, or other members' pottery.
Pieces declined for firing may be placed on the designated Hospital Shelf. A note will be provided explaining why the piece was declined and, when applicable, what steps must be taken before it can be submitted for firing again.
Firing outcomes
Ceramics is an inherently unpredictable process.
Clay Club will take reasonable precautions when handling and firing work, but cannot guarantee that every piece will survive drying, firing, or glazing.
Work may crack, warp, break, or develop unexpected glaze results.
14. Respect for Other Members and Their Work
Clay Club is a community studio, and members are expected to treat one another with respect.
Members must:
Respect other makers' work and personal belongings.
Avoid moving another person's pottery without permission.
Share communal equipment appropriately.
Keep walkways and shared workspaces accessible.
Follow studio rules and staff instructions.
Be considerate of other members during shared studio sessions.
Harassment, discrimination, threatening behavior, or deliberate damage to another person's property will not be tolerated.
Clay Club reserves the right to revoke studio access when a member's conduct threatens the safety or well-being of others.
15. Membership Payment, Renewal, and Cancellation
Members pay a monthly membership fee of $225, plus applicable taxes.
Memberships may be purchased as recurring subscriptions or on a month-to-month basis.
Subscription Memberships
Subscription memberships automatically renew on the 1st of each month.
Members may cancel their subscription at any time before their next scheduled renewal date. Cancellations submitted after a membership has renewed will take effect at the end of the current billing cycle, and the most recent membership payment will not be refunded.
Month-to-Month Memberships
Members who choose month-to-month payments are responsible for renewing their membership before the start of each month. Membership spots are not guaranteed beyond the member's current paid period unless the following month's membership has been purchased.
Prorated Memberships
New members may begin their membership on the 15th of the month at a prorated rate of $112.50, plus applicable taxes, provided they intend to renew their membership for the following month.
Prorated membership fees are available only for initial enrollment and do not apply to cancellations or unused studio time.
Membership Pauses and Temporary Holds
Membership pauses and temporary holds may be approved on a case-by-case basis, depending on studio capacity and availability.
Refunds and Missed Studio Time
Membership fees are nonrefundable. Members will not receive refunds or credits for unused studio time, missed reservations, or scheduled studio closures.
Failed Payments
If a membership payment fails, the member will receive a payment link to complete their outstanding payment. Studio access may be temporarily suspended until payment is received.
16. Membership Acknowledgment
By checking the acknowledgment box during checkout and completing my membership purchase, I confirm that I have read, understand, and agree to Clay Club Seattle’s Membership Conditions & Studio Guidelines.
By purchasing a Clay Club Seattle membership, I acknowledge that:
I have prior pottery experience and can work independently in the studio.
I understand what is and is not included in my membership.
I agree to follow studio access and reservation policies.
I agree to follow all cleaning, reclaim, and safety procedures.
I understand that I am responsible for labeling and managing my work.
I understand that unclaimed work may be reclaimed or discarded according to studio policy.
I understand that only authorized personnel may operate the kiln.
I understand that ceramics involves inherent risks and that firing outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
I agree to respect other members, studio staff, equipment, and shared spaces.
I understand and agree to the membership payment, renewal, and cancellation policies outlined in this agreement.
By completing my purchase, I acknowledge that my membership is subject to all conditions and policies outlined in this agreement.