Theme: Relaxation with Nature, Fire & Earth – a sensory journey into ceramics and well-being.
🌿 DAY 1 – ARRIVAL & GROUNDING
Guest arrival
Welcome drink with homemade lemonades
🌿 DAY 2 – BECOMING ONE WITH THE CLAY (10:00–15:00)
Morning
Introduction to Hermi’s Crystal Grotto:
Opening session & setting shared goals
Introduction to the history of Raku, Horsehair, & Feather firing
Safety briefing (kiln, flammable materials, outdoor firing)
Late morning – Workshop
Clay preparation & wedging meditation
Demonstration: Shapes particularly suited for Raku firing
Planning your own creations
Hand-building your first creation (vessels, sculptural forms, small bowls …)
Light lunch on the rooftop terrace
Afternoon – Workshop
Continuation of the hand-building session
🌿 DAY 3 – LET NATURE SPEAK THROUGH THE CLAY (10:00–15:00)
Morning
Weather permitting: Trip to “Hermi’s Dreamland” (outdoor studio)
Short exploratory walk through nature to discover patterns and structures
Hand-building session on the theme: Letting nature speak through clay (vessels, sculptures, small bowls)
Light lunch at Hermi’s Dreamland
Afternoon – Workshop
Information about local Gozitan clay and its diverse applications
Preparation of the Obvara glaze
🌿 DAY 4 – FORM, TEXTURE & SURFACE DESIGN (10:00–15:00)
Morning
Weather permitting: Drive to Hermi’s Dreamland
Refining leather-hard pieces
Polishing techniques (for surfaces in horsehair firing)
Scratching & carving textures
Light lunch at Hermi’s Dreamland
Afternoon
Applying Terra Sigillata for horsehair pieces
Return to accommodation
🌿 DAY 5 – FOLLOW YOUR OWN RHYTHM
Free day – drying and firing day
Optional: Excursion & spa treatments
🔥🐴 DAY 6 – RAKU, HORSEHAIR & FEATHER FIRING
Afternoon
Glazing the Raku pieces
Explanation of the carbon-trapping technique
Firing in the outdoor kiln
Applying the horsehair technique to one of the creations
Using feathers to create distinctive carbon imprints
Dinner
Smoke intensification techniques
Cleaning & polishing the Raku and Obvara pieces
🌿 DAY 7 – INTEGRATION & CONCLUSION
Morning
Final touches
Light sanding & waxing
Photo session of the finished works
Artistic exchange & reflection
Afternoon at leisure
Evening
Closing ceremony & group dinner with a pizza experience
Gratitude ritual by the fire
🌿 DAY 8 – DEPARTURE
A week to settle in, let go, and immerse yourself creatively in the elements of nature, fire, and earth.
Price per person: €1,125 for a shared double room or €1,350 per person for a single room
Price includes:
Material costs (3 kg of clay and all associated materials, glaze, firings, etc. Additional consumption may be charged separately.)
🧘♀️ Wellness elements included
Guided meditation & sound bath (grounding & regenerating)
Meditative music during creative work
Nature walks
Whirlpool relaxation
Optional massages or sound therapy with crystal bowls and tuning forks
Journaling prompts
Invitation to a digital detox