There is a version of the classic Rio de Janeiro souvenir that involves a fridge magnet and a receipt you've already lost. And there is a version that involves spending a morning in a studio in Botafogo, with a view of Cristo Redentor, making your own bikini from scratch.
Those are different experiences. This is about the second one.
If you've been wondering what a bikini-making workshop in Rio actually involves — what you make, how long it takes, whether you need to know how to sew, what you leave with — this is the honest rundown.
What Is the Workshop?
Carioca Bikini Co is a workshop and studio in Botafogo, one of Rio's most liveable and most interesting neighborhoods. The workshop is exactly what it sounds like: you come in, you choose your fabric and cut, and you spend a couple of hours making your own custom bikini — guided by the team at every step.
It's not a class in the traditional sense. There's no pressure, no assessment, no right or wrong way to do it. It's more like spending an afternoon in someone's very well-equipped studio, being shown how something is made, and making one yourself.
What Does the Process Look Like?
You start by choosing your fabric. The studio has a range of materials — different colors, textures, and patterns. This is where the experience becomes personal: you're not choosing from a catalogue of finished products, you're choosing the raw material for something that will be uniquely yours. Take your time here. This is the fun part.
Then you choose your cut. Carioca Bikini Co is notably good on this point — the cuts are designed to work for international women, with more coverage options than you'd typically find in a Brazilian bikini shop. High-waisted bottoms, fuller coverage tops, different neckline options. You choose what you want to make, not what the shop thinks you should wear.
Then you make it. Guided by the team, you work through the steps of cutting and assembling your bikini. No prior sewing experience is needed — the process is designed to be manageable by a complete beginner, and you're never left to figure it out alone.
You leave with a finished bikini. Not a kit, not something to finish at home — a complete, wearable bikini you made yourself. Most people wear it to the beach the next day.
How Long Does It Take?
The workshop typically runs for around two hours, though the actual time depends on how long you spend choosing your fabric and how much you want to slow down and enjoy the process. There's no rush.
Do I Need to Know How to Sew?
No. The workshop is designed for people with no experience. The team guides you through every step, and the process uses techniques that are straightforward for a beginner. You'll leave feeling like you learned something — which you did — without ever feeling out of your depth.
Who Is It For?
Solo travelers who want an experience that's social without requiring a group. Groups of friends looking for a shared activity with a tangible result. Bachelorette and hen parties that want something creative, photogenic, and different from the standard night-out format. Couples. People who just love making things.
The workshop attracts a mix of travelers — international women mostly, at various stages of their trips, often having found it through a recommendation from someone who's already been. The studio has a warm, relaxed atmosphere; it's not the kind of place where you feel like a tourist in a tourist activity.
Where Is It?
The studio is in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro — one of the city's most interesting neighborhoods, sandwiched between Flamengo and Copacabana, with a direct view of Cristo Redentor from the windows.
Botafogo is easy to reach by metro (it has its own stop on Line 1), by Uber from anywhere in the south zone, or on foot from Flamengo and parts of Copacabana. The neighborhood itself is worth spending time in — good restaurants, a neighborhood boteco scene, and the kind of lived-in energy that makes you feel like you've got beneath the surface of the city.
What Do I Bring?
Just yourself. The studio provides everything — fabric options, tools, guidance. Wear something comfortable that you're not precious about (fabric dye is rarely an issue, but workshops are workshops). Bring a phone for photos.
How Much Does It Cost?
See current pricing and availability on the workshop page. Group bookings for bachelorettes and private events are also available — enquire through the site for those.
Is It Worth It?
Here's the honest version: the workshop costs more than a bikini from a beach shop. What you're paying for isn't just a bikini — it's an experience, a morning, a skill, and a story. The bikini you make in the workshop becomes the thing you reach for on every beach trip for the next three years and explain to someone who asks where you got it.
Most people who do it say it was one of the highlights of their trip to Rio. Not just one of the highlights of the workshop activities — one of the highlights of the whole trip. That's a good sign.
Rio has no shortage of things to do. But experiences that give you something permanent — a skill you learned, an object you made, a story worth telling — are rarer than they should be. The bikini workshop is one of those.