Bikram Yoga Herald Square premises. Pic courtesy of Bikram Yoga Herald Square

Co-owner Gregory Weglarski tells Relaxnews that he hopes his studio will offer some convenience to busy, overworked New Yorkers. The space, which offers yoga mats and towels included in the price ("New Yorkers don't always want to carry around a yoga mat," he says) opened last month in the city's midtown. Classes draw a range of working professionals for US$30 (RM90.39) a pop, with about 40 to 60 people stretched out in the studio's sprawling 5,000 square feet (1,524 square metres).

The hot yoga practice is famed for getting you toned and flexible, but it comes with blistering temperatures, cramped classes, and Bikram-mandated carpeted flooring that is famed for being less-than-squeaky clean. Bikram Yoga Herald Square instead relies on a type of vinyl called Flotex, which is commonly used in hospitals because it doesn't absorb liquid. "It feels like carpet, but won't absorb sweat, so it's more hygienic," Weglarski says.

To remove the air's funk factor, the studio employs a fresh air system that maintains the yoga room at a consistent 105 degrees farenheit (40.5 degrees celsius) with 40 per cent humidity, no matter what the temperature is outside. Since the system pumps fresh air from outside into the studio, the yoga room stays "oxygenated," says Weglarski.

Other perks include locker rooms stocked with clean towels and shampoos and body washes from the apothecary brand Malin + Goetz, based in Manhattan. Plus the studio wins points for design, with bright, white-washed open spaces, dark wood accents, and faux-grass carpeting in the reception area to welcome your bare feet after you shed your shoes.

http://bikramyogaheraldsquare.com

AFP-Relaxnews

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Luxury Bikram yoga studio opens in New York