Unsafe, unwelcoming, and disorganized.
I've never written a bad review before, but the owner refused to refund me and this place- as a yoga studio designed for inclusive, holistic well-being- is at higher risk for doing harm, so here's my cautionary tale. TL/DR: poor communication, no welcome, instructor touches students without asking for no good reason, dubious covid protocols, not inclusive of dis/ability or class identities, don't go here.
No one was at the reception desk when I came in. Okay, it's a morning class, I could overlook this alone. Then there was no welcome to class or community norms at the beginning of the class, either. There was no place on the online sign-up to write about any accommodations I needed in lieu of talking with the instructor beforehand, either. The instructor did not introduce themselves (name? Pronouns? Nothing) and came over, rather frazzled, thrusting a clipboard at me with a waiver when the class was beginning and I was trying to settle into my practice. Online sign-ups are necessary and this could have been included online. They jumped right into a nice reflective reading and started with lots of props use with no options to skip, something I'm not keen on. All this would be acceptable, but then the instructor started walking around making adjustments by touching people without warning or consent. (Yes, I saw after on the website a note that students are supposed to tell instructors when they don't want to be touched, but there was no opportunity to do so; not everyone can or does read the full website; and opting out rather than opting into getting touched is problematic. This should be part of a new student orientation or a brief welcome to class.) They came over and went to touch me, telling me I didn't transition from downward dog to high plank fast enough! My pose wasn't endangering myself or others so why did this matter? I was incredibly triggered, said sorry, and told them not to touch me. This is not inclusive, safe, or even beginning to approach basic trauma-informed yoga practice, nor does this strictness with pace of pose transition foster an environment of wellness.
I wanted to get out of there quickly to re-center myself before discussing any of this, but as I was leaving, the instructor chose to tell me excitedly that I didn't have to wear my mask during class. They said people were all vaccinated. I didn't have to show proof of vaccination when I registered, so I'm skeptical of this. I should be able to make choices about my own mask-wearing without attention being drawn to it. It was a multigenerational class (wonderful!) which gives me all the more reason to wear a mask for the community's wellness. I know this was the instructor's belated effort to orient me to community norms, but I could clearly see I was the only one wearing a mask there, so could have inferred it wasn't required (a sadly common problem across studios that goes against inclusive of disabled and chronically ill folks). It's pretty uncomfortable that, of all the things she chose to share, this is what she called out. I left feeling supremely unsafe and unwelcomed.
On top of this, the rates on the main page were a whopping 30% lower than what I paid for (although it seems after I told them twice about this, they've fixed them.) This leap- from $40 for the new student special to $60 on the checkout page- makes a huge difference in accessibility for people like me who are under- or un- employed and using yoga to deal with those stressors. (Note, for comparison, that the Portland Yoga Project has a $30 new student special and is supremely welcoming and safe, even offering a fully masked weekly class! Go there!) There was a very confusing call from the owner when my card didn't go through the first time I registered. The page also said the new student special was only available after a first class low rate- a good policy- but apparently this has changed as well, and I was urged on the phone to pay online when I already got the feeling I should wait to see the studio. It's my fault I didn't check it out first, but I have never, in my dozens of yoga studio visits, had such a disorganized, unwelcoming, and unsafe experience. When I gently explained the stress of the class and offered to pay full for a drop-in class (a generous $16) if I was refunded for the month, via two emails, they refused a refund and told me to try other classes. No curiosity about what my issues were. The class wasn't the problem- the whole studio environment is. It seems the instructor I had is also the owner. I am now unable financially to safely practice yoga at a studio this month without a refund. read more
