My wife has been dropping hints about wanting to try pottery

Hi everyone. My wife has been dropping hints about wanting to try pottery for about a year now, and our anniversary is coming up in three weeks. The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about it. Is this something you book as a one-off, or do studios expect you to sign up for a whole course? She works full time and could not commit to weekly classes even if she wanted to. Also, does a complete beginner actually make anything usable, or do you just play with clay for an hour and go home? She has never done anything like this, so I would rather not throw her into something intimidating.

One-off classes are standard now, so nobody will push you into a term-long course unless you want one. On the second question, beginners do finish real pieces, usually one or two per session depending on how ambitious the design is. Worth knowing that firing takes time, so you collect the piece later rather than carrying it home that evening. We went to Pottery Studio Toronto on Richmond West for exactly this kind of thing and it worked well as an anniversary plan. Check what is included in the price before booking, some places add a firing fee afterwards and that is an annoying surprise. Book a weekday evening if you can, weekends fill up with groups and the room gets loud.