I went through three east side yoga studios before I found The Ashram. My chief complaints about other studios were inconsistant room temperatures from instructor to instructor, lots of substitute instructors and poor heating systems/ventilation. This is not the case at The Ashram! STUDIO- The heat is very consistant across instructors (yay!). The heating system and flooring is superior to other studios. The flooring is made of some kind of rubber that just holds the heat to the floor. Rubber is more hygienic than carpet, which makes me happy. There is good air exchange in the room too so you don't feel like it's suffocating in there. There are lots of mirrors so you can watch your pose and make sure you got it right. INSTRUCTORS- I haven't had a bad experience yet. I've been to classes with 3 different instructors now and they are all good, strong people. They keep the temperature perfect for Bikram classes (I mean truly hot, not 95-100 degrees like I've experienced in some places) so you will stretch! Try a class with Gary sometime and you will be sold, he's got a way of saying the right thing to get you through the rough spots during class. You will get a good workout. CHANGING ROOM- It's nice and sometimes there are things in the women's one like hair elastics and feminine hygiene products. Totally not necessary but a really nice touch. The room has cubbies, benches, two showers and two bathroom stalls. You can't lock up your stuff so leave valuables at home. The room is larger than most of the other studios I've been in. RATES/CUSTOMER SERVICE- The rates are comparable for the area and they won't take you for ""a ride"" financially. For instance, I recently had to have knee surgery and expected to keep paying my monthly membership (even though I would not be attending classes) but they let me suspend my membership for a bit while I recover. Totally realistic, totally nice people. Hands down, 5 stars for a good studio, good instructors and good customer service.
more