Pottery Courses — Practical Information Q&A
HOW DO I ARRIVE AT YOUR PLACE FROM THE AIRPORT?
Fly into our only airport RIX in RIGA, 70km from the studio.
The best and easiest way to reach us from the airport is by booking a ride with Bolt.
Please avoid random taxis—install the Bolt app and book your ride directly through it.
The journey takes about 1.1 hour and usually costs around €60.
By car
If you’re driving, simply enter LAIMA CERAMICS into Google Maps or Waze and follow the navigation.
For group courses, we strongly encourage sharing a rental car. It works best when participants arrive in Riga (often staying in the Old Town the night before) and collect the rental car together before driving to the studio.
For individual arrivals, we’re also happy to offer pickup from the Bauska Bus Station—just let us know in advance.
Main kitchen and catering info
The main kitchen is fully equipped with an electric oven, induction cooker, kettle, hand blender, two fridges, coffee machine, toaster, juicer, as well as pots, pans, and plenty of handmade tableware.
We stock the kitchen with basic essentials such as spices, salt, cooking oil, and tea.
Please check the offered program to see how many meals are included. We can cater to pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan dietary preferences. We also collaborate with a local restaurant for some meals—depending on the program, meals will either be delivered on site or enjoyed there for lunch (just a 5-minute drive from the studio).
Upstairs twin room with two single beds. Each bed is equipped with its own reading light, and drawers are provided for storage. The room is bright thanks to roof windows, so we recommend bringing an eye mask if you are sensitive to light. A linen curtain divides the room for added privacy.
Upstairs shared space featuring a dining table, couch, and a shared bathroom.
Downstairs en-suite private room featuring a 140 cm double bed, reading light, an antique wardrobe inherited from my great-grandmother, and a small kitchenette with an electric hob, fridge, and water kettle.
Where I can do food shopping ?
We recommend the farmers market in Bauska for local seasonal vegetables, meat and fish. And Rimi shopping mall has everything else. There is also a small seasoning shop in Bauska.
The main shopping center in Bauska is hypermarket Rimi .
There are amazing restaurants and cafes in 5-20min driving distance.
Aveņi (in Bauska)
Tornis (in Bauska)
Rezidence (near Rundale palace)
Baltā Māja (near Rundale palace)
What to bring along?
There is bedding and towels provided as well as selection of ceramic tools.
Please bring the following personal items:
Slippers for the bedroom
Slip-in shoes (such as Crocs or sandals) for studio use — the studio floor is concrete and clay-friendly footwear is recommended
Two aprons — for health and safety reasons, working in a dirty apron is not allowed
(Handmade linen aprons are also available for purchase in the studio)Sleeping eye mask — the rooms are bright
Earphones if you enjoy working while listening to podcasts or your own music
Walking boots if you plan to explore countryside trails
Swimming costume — there is a pond near the studio, a lake in the village, and nearby spa and sauna options
Any specialty pottery tools you prefer to work with
How do you manage reclaim?
There are shared buckets for white/grey stoneware and porcelain and 2 plaster bats for drying the reclaim. Most of the reclaim gets wedged by hand, for grey stoneware we use a pug mill.
Are there throwing bats for wheel?
No we don’t have/ don’t use a bat system for throwing. Throwing is directly on the wheel head. If you have/need bat system you might want to consider bringing them along. Wheel size is 30cm and 35cm.
How much cleaning will I do?
During your personal practice, you are always required to leave your working area clean after each use. This includes the wheel, glaze room, and large worktables.
A hoover and mop are available on site and is used regularly to minimise dust and reduce health risks associated with ceramic dust.
As this is an active working studio open to the public, we ask everyone to help maintain a clean, safe, and welcoming environment at all times.
How about glazing? Will I get pre-mixed glazes?
There is a selection of containers with our pre-mixed MAIN STUDIO GLAZES (including transparent, white, beige, black, and several others). These are our most reliable glazes, kept in larger quantities, and are suitable for dipping or submerging small to medium-sized work.
We generally fire to 1260 °C in an oxidation atmosphere using an electric top-loader Rohde kiln, so most of our glazes are formulated specifically for this temperature range and firing type.
In addition, glaze recipe eBooks featuring many of my favourite and well-tested recipes are available for purchase via my website. Have a look at our gorgeous studio glazes for sale here!
Will I be able to pack and fire kilns?
Yes! We will go through programming the kilns and different firing settings.
How will I transport my pieces home?
After your course all pieces will be packed and shipped to your address.
We use different couriers depending on location so the price will be calculated and invoiced after packing up your pieces.
Depending on the length of your stay and size of the pieces allow minimum of 2 weeks time for us to finish firing and glazing your pieces.
How many people work for the studio?
There are four people at the core of the studio:
Laima — Potter and founder. Responsible for all design, wheel-throwing, most glazing and firing, as well as marketing and photography.
Oksana — Studio assistant, making dinnerware, mixing glazes, handling customer service and packaging.
Vēsma — Laima’s mother, managing bookkeeping and finances.
Krišjānis — Photographer and graphic designer, also supporting household and practical studio operations.
WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES?
The studio is located around 20 km from the town of Bauska and approximately 70 km from the capital, Riga. Latvia has convenient and affordable public transport, making it easy to move around the country.
At the same time, the studio itself is very much “in the middle of nowhere.” Once you arrive, there is a distinct bubble-like feeling here — moving beyond the farm to explore the surroundings requires a conscious effort and some planning.
For this reason, we warmly recommend reserving some extra time before or after the immersion to explore Latvia, especially if you are travelling from abroad.
Many participants enjoy arriving a day or even a few days earlier and staying in Riga. Riga Old Town is wonderfully charismatic and walkable, with cobbled streets, historic architecture, small cafés, galleries, and a relaxed but lively atmosphere. Highlights include the Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church tower for panoramic views, the Art Nouveau district just outside the old town, the Central Market housed in former Zeppelin hangars, and peaceful walks along the Daugava riverside or through Bastejkalns Park. Spending time in Riga is a beautiful way to land softly and adjust to the rhythm of the country before coming to the countryside.
Beyond Riga, Latvia is a deeply natural and varied country. If you plan additional travel, our top three favourites are:
Kolka — where the open Baltic Sea meets the Gulf of Riga
Kuldīga — a beautifully preserved historic town with a unique, timeless atmosphere
Gauja National Park — forests, river valleys, sandstone cliffs, and walking trails
Have a look here for more details.
Are there any dangerous animals in Latvia?
As we are surrounded by nature, ticks are present in the area and may carry tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. Please check your body carefully after spending time outdoors, especially between March and October.
If you’re lucky, you may spot deer, foxes, badgers, moose, mice, and a wide variety of birds in the surrounding countryside.
A horse paddock lies between the studio and our home. If you are uncomfortable around horses, you’re welcome to use the road that goes around the paddock, so you don’t need to walk through it.
There are these animals on site:
Our 5 cats and 1 dog around the studio and home
5 German Shepherd dogs on the property belonging to my parents adjoining the pottery
If you have any concerns or specific fears, please let us know and we’ll gladly guide you.
Congratulations on making it to the end of this extensive page 🤍
If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to us via email.
We look forward to welcoming you here in Latvia.
Warmest wishes,
Laima & co