Inside Potter’s Path, a therapeutic pottery experience

Inside an old house on Denham Springs’ Capitol Street lies Potter’s Path, a quaint, newly opened pottery studio.

Cathartic, therapeutic and absorbing are just a few of the words owner Regina Folse uses to describe the art of creating pottery. As a former homeschooling mom involved in ministry, she says she has always used creative approaches to teach concepts, the same mindset she brings into her studio, where she insists anyone can be creative, even if they don’t believe it themselves.

“I have a friend who jokes she’s not creative—what she means is she can’t draw,” Folse says. “But she’s an incredible teacher; she can teach something and make it come alive. That’s being creative.”

This is the philosophy at Potter’s Path, where guests can paint premade pottery, create pieces from clay or try their hand at wheel throwing. The studio hosts corporate events, birthday parties and small group gatherings, all designed to bring people together. One class it currently offers is a four-week foundation class where members can come in during the week on their own time to practice.

“My focus is not on producing a product. It’s more about the process and what it does to you, how it helps you disconnect from stress, the world and your everyday life,” Folse says.

She says she’s always had a dream to open a creative studio, but the idea didn’t fully take shape until 2021, when she was introduced to pottery at a birthday party and briefly considered buying an existing studio. After praying on it, she says she didn’t feel ready, and it wasn’t the right time.

In 2024, after taking a four-week class at BellyFire Studios, she revisited the idea. She contacted ceramic artist and BellyFire owner David Rollins about potentially franchising, but as they talked, she says it was clear she had a different concept. Instead, she consulted with him to establish Potter’s Path. 

In October 2025, Folse officially opened its doors.

She says she learned through therapy that she’s a perfectionist and that pottery became a turning point. The art form taught her to let go of outcomes and embrace the process. In wheel throwing, she tells customers that come in with a preconceived idea of what they’ll create to instead tune into their bodies and release expectations as they shape the clay.

“Getting in touch with that creativity helps you to just connect with yourself in a way that can help you grow,” she says.

The studio reflects a message of growth and relaxation. Spread across several rooms, the space includes areas for wheel throwing, building and painting, a party room and an outdoor patio, where she says guests sometimes bring their dogs. The atmosphere, although slightly chaotic with lots of pottery everywhere, creates a serene vibe that encourages guests to slow down and settle in at their own pace. 

“I want people to relax and enjoy the process and not be about, ‘Let’s hurry up and get this done.’ I don’t want to rush people through creation,” she says. 

Drawing from her previous work as a travel agent—where she says people sometimes focus too much on the destination—Folse emphasizes the journey, using clay to add to the path. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s to unwind and enjoy a new outlet. 

Walk-in painting and hand-building are available at Potter’s Path. For more information or to book classes, visit the studio’s website. Potter’s Path is at 202 Capitol St in Denham Springs.