After more than three years as a loyal bhy member--attending five days a week and spending roughly $3,000 a year--I was permanently banned and characterized as a "thief" over a $3.50 mat rental.**
That is how bhy chose to end my membership.
I considered the studio a second home and had built genuine relationships with many instructors and staff. The incident itself was straightforward: I took an unopened mat from the equipment area into a class because I genuinely believed it was available for studio use. The mats are kept alongside communal equipment and props that members routinely use. On previous occasions when I had forgotten my own mat, instructors had themselves handed me a studio mat to use, without directing me to the front desk or charging me.
I used the mat and left it at the studio. I did not take it home, conceal it, or attempt to avoid paying for it. I have a credit card on file and immediately offered to pay when I was contacted.
Instead of asking me what happened, management reviewed surveillance footage, characterized my actions as **"theft,"** and permanently terminated my membership.
The issue was never whether bhy could charge for a mat. Of course it could. The issue is the decision to turn an ambiguous situation involving a $3.50 rental into an accusation of theft, without first having a basic conversation with a long-standing paying member.
I have rarely, if ever, felt discriminated against, which is why this experience was particularly shocking. As a South Asian woman and a person of colour, I experienced the way I was treated as racially biased. I cannot know the motivation behind the decision, but I can speak to the treatment I received and its impact. It also raises a broader concern for me about how people of colour may experience interactions with this business when situations are ambiguous or open to interpretation.
One other thing prospective and current members should be aware of: **there are cameras around the studio, and footage was used in my case to review my conduct.** If you are a member, make sure you understand the studio's camera, surveillance, notice, and privacy policies--including where cameras are located, what they are used for, and how footage may be accessed or reviewed.
There was an easy way to resolve this: ask me what happened, clarify the policy, and charge me for the mat if appropriate. Instead, I was labeled a thief and permanently banned.
After more than three years of membership, that is how bhy chose to treat a loyal customer. read more