Comments from Ruth Esteves' Students at The Nova Studio, Point Richmond, CA (SF Bay Area)

"Ruth was very knowledgeable and well-prepared. Her organization was impressive. I thought the class was excellent and I will recommend it to my friends and anyone else interested in soapmaking." - Lisa D. Postell

"I liked everything about this class. Before, I was stuck making one kind of soap, but now I can make different kinds. This class was so inspiring and has taken the fear out of making soap." - Mary Still

"I loved this class! It has helped give me the courage to try more new things, like embedded soap. One of the best parts of the class was learning to use lye at room temperature. What a great hint!" - Michelle Gambler

"The thing that I liked the most about this class was Ruth’s explanation of what result to expect from each design technique. And I was impressed with the amount of knowledge she shared about aspects of soapmaking, like fragrance, colorants and equipment. I would definitely recommend this class to a friend." - Pamela Leis

"Ruth speaks from experience so her teaching style is very down-to-earth and easy to follow. She was very well-prepared." - Janice King

"The material in this class is presented in a way that is not overwhelming. Ruth fields questions very well and answers with thought. She really seems to like teaching."- Andrew Alvey

"I liked Ruth’s energy and that it was easy to understand her directions." - George Diggs

"This was an excellent class! What I liked the most was learning new techniques and I’m anxious to take more classes at The Nova Studio." - Lisa

"I really liked Ruth’s thorough demonstrations and laid-back attitude." - Jennifer Chadwick

"I really liked learning all the different ways to design soap. Ruth taught a great class and she explained everything well." - Shelly Etter

"Ruth was interactive and a very good resource for all questions. The class was super fun and made me feel confident that I could really make my own soap." - Liza Swift

"I thought Ruth did an excellent job. The handout for this class was great! And I loved seeing the freshly cut soap compared to the already cured soap. The class was interesting the entire way through!" - Jenna Hamel

"Ruth made me feel comfortable. She answered all of my questions and then some!" - Usa Prantanasup

"Ruth was effective with her time management, extremely informative and patient. The part I liked the most was the opportunity for hands-on with the soapmaking process." - Billy E. Dulin

"I thought this was a great class and I am looking forward to taking more classes." - Davi Taylor

"Ruth has an excellent amount of knowledge about soapmaking. Her class has left me with more confidence to try making my own cold process soap. I can’t wait to try my first batch!" - Erica Minnifield

"This class was lots of fun and exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the open discussions and all the great information that I got from the answers that Ruth gave to the students’ questions." - Ron Probert

"I really liked that the explanation of each phase of the soapmaking process. It was very clear, concise and thorough. Ruth was knowledgeable and approachable." - Charisse Delgado

"The comprehensive demonstration and explanation of the process of making soap was the best part of the class for me. I feel like I can try this at home now!"- Dana Bass

"I thought this class was so interesting and the pace of the class was great. I knew nothing about soap and soapmaking, but I feel confident that I can go home and make soap!" - Karin Duff

"I thought the pace of the class was excellent. There were no dull moments but it was not too fast so I could get all the information." - Andrew Alvey

"This class was fantastic! Ruth has so much knowledge and a way of explaining things that makes it easy for someone starting out." - Michele Wentworth

Ruth did a great job of explaining each step, and she fielded many questions with detailed, useful answers.
Ruth used her knowledge to answer lots of question in our class. She never got distracted and always seemed present and easy-going. The class was just the right blend of technical information without being too technical.
The handout, combined with the information provided during the class, was the best part for me. I was able to focus on the demonstration and the information presented instead of taking copious notes. Ruth was very prepared, very familiar with the contents of the handouts and presented the information clearly and in a well-organized way.