I originally went to BYIC (Mike and John) and then Om on the Range (Beth and Terry), both which I would highly recommend. Great people. \r
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This place, however, has left a very different impression. Coming to you BYC has been a HUGE turnoff . The instructors here are arrogant and degrade students who leave the room or cannot handle the 45% humidity. I like the heat just as much as anyone else, but come on, lets be rational, when students are writhing around on the floor, I don't think that they are enjoying themselves. \r
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I talked to Mike (the owner) about it, and he insists that it is not ""survivor"" yoga, but I just got out of my second, extreme heat, class where my hands tingled and I was developing tunnel vision due to the heat, and was unable to cool my body down, so I could not do the poses as instructed. Afterwards, I was chastized by Karry (the New Zealander) for not following instructions, he told me that I just needed to lie down in Savasana and I will cool down, but that ""you do as the instructor says, that's how it works in this studio, mate"". OK, maybe, removing that person from the heat source might be a good idea, mate? I asked him what the heat/ humidity was in there and he casually replied ""It is what it is"". \r
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I am a grad student in Exercise Physiology and have worked as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor for over three years and have never read a correlation study between fitness and the ability to tolerate extreme humidity. Nor would I have ever considered forcing a student to remain in a hot class with the threat of public degradation. I will definitely be going back to Mike & John's Studio in bucktown (about 3 miles west) or Om on the Range after my membership expires and would advise anyone considering going to BYC to do the same. I have been to bikram studios all over the world and this is the HOTTEST and unsafe.
Pros: Location
Cons: Instructor mentality, class temperature (excessive)
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