The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Hot Yoga *faq* › my studio is SMELLY!
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Hot Yoga *faq* › my studio is SMELLY!
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Hi,
I know this is a late reply but I only just started Bikram Yoga at South Melbourne(Australia) yesterday and was also concerned about the smell. I attended my first class and really enjoyed the poses. I feel like I can tolerate the smell and put it out of my mind but I don’t want to be exposed to an unsafe environment. As I am new to Bikram I am not sure what the cleaning standards should be. South Melbourne is the most convenient studio for me to get to and also seems very popular. Any ideas or information would be helpful.
Thanks
ChristalI had posted this in Chit Chat, but it fits here as well:
I had to take my 3.5 year old daughter with me to the yoga studio – my wife was in the 4:30pm class and I wanted to attend the 6:30pm class. We arrived just as the 4:30 class was finishing.
So we go to the studio lobby and wait for my wife… my daughter leaves to go home with her… So as my daughter is getting buckled into her booster seat, she says:
daughter: mommy, what was that smell in there?
wife: Well.. that’s where mommy and daddy do yoga… they have lots of people in there and the room is really hot so everybody gets really sweaty…
daughter: (with a really serious look on her face) mommy…. I think they had a dog in there…
😆
I’m glad for this thread for two reasons. The first day I went, if I hadn’t already paid, I may have turned around and walked out. First from the blast furnace heat (somehow I didn’t really think it would be that hot, funny!) and from the lovely nutty, hot brine smell, as I’ve come to call it. It really is pretty gross and if I think about it too much I’ll get creeped out by it. So, I guess the brine smell is normal then. I can’t say that I notice ‘unhealthy’ odors, but there is carpet in there and no one turns their towels or their mats and from what I’ve seen, the room is not aired out between classes so I just don’t know how safe it really is. I do know that people walk around and shower barefooted there and to me that’s not hygenic, but they wont let us wear shoes of any kind beyond the foyer. I wonder if all studio’s are like that.
Second…. slipping! I sweat a lot and am ALWAYS sliding out of position and one day it caused me to get stuck with my forehead on the floor in the spread leg position, not ready for it yet either mind you, and I pulled a hamstring. It also happens in warrior/triangle. If I am sweating particularly heavily, I slide out and have to constantly re-scoot back into place which interferes with my concentration and effectiveness, and sometimes I have to put my hands on the floor to get out of the position because I’ve slid so far out. It always makes me nervous about injuring myself. I’ve heard about these yoga socks that are supposed to be non-slip, but if you’re sweating, they are just going to slide around on your feet, too I’m guessing. Has anyone tried those and if so, did they help?
“Inner Fire Yoga and Wellness Center, Madison,”
Sounds wonderful, Dar!!
PS…. Gabrielle, thank you for the breathing video!! I think it will help me a lot.
Jeez – I hate to hear that studios are still smelly. My new studio is so fabulous, I can’t help rave about it:
•Spacious practice room that accommodates 90 students.
•State of the art heating system with ultra-violet filters to ensure the cleanest air possible.
•Antimicrobial flooring that is hygienic and very comfortable to practice on.
•Retail corner.
•A lounge area to mingle and connect with your fellow yogis.
•Free internet access is provided.
•Complimentary mat and towel rentals (1 practice towel and 1 shower towel).
•Shower facilities with organic body wash, shampoo/conditioner and hair dryers.
•Filtered water for your convenience.
•Complimentary lockers.
•Unlimited free parking.The flooring is fabulous, not slippery, not smelly. I wonder when all the studios are going to switch to this flooring?
complementary towels!! omg. where’s your studio? maybe i’ll move there!! :wow:
I know! No more pile of smelly towels on my basement floor! And I’ve just heard that for monthly unlimited the monthly fee is going down the more classes you do. Ahhhh, what could be better?!
Oh, it’s in Richmond, BC. 🙂
If anyone else has the problem with their own clothes/towels/mats smelling funky, I finally found something to keep the smell at bay: add a cup or two of baking soda to the washer and use HOT water. It took a 2 or three washes to get the smell fully out, but now using it every time, it does a great job of keeping the funk away. Sam’s Club sells baking soda in bulk (I think people use for swimming pools). Helpful when you do so much yoga.
Anyone know why the series was designed so that we step off our mats for several of the poses? It would make so much more sense just to turn 90°. I tried this last week and a teacher came over and said, “Is there a reason why you’re not facing the same way as the rest of the class?” And I said that I slip easily, which is true, but really it’s because I don’t want to sweat on the carpet. I get a much better grip if I stay on my mat, and don’t feel like I’m leaving a puddle for someone else to step in.
Why was the sequence designed this way, and why are teachers so rigid about adhering to it, even in a room so filled to the brim with yogis that those pressed to the wall have to compromise the poses?
Great question Wallflower
I think, like most things, the ritual was derived through convenience. I would say that the first studios only had one wall of mirrors and that was at the front of the room. Out of that came the standard. Often the reason gets made up retrospectively. For example: ‘You stay facing the same way because stepping out on carpet is a great way of strengthening your legs and inner thighs.’ Then myth becomes engrained and everyone starts to believe it, and they are totally unable to name the source.
These days there are plenty of studios that turn for poses along the mat. It’s no big deal. But I guess it’s just group etiquette to follow the main orientation of the whole class where possible. I too hate sinking into other people’s sweat puddles. It’s really off-putting.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂This thread had been very interesting reading! It sounds like there is a wide variety out there as far as studio set ups go. At Bikram Yoga The Woodlands (Texas), the floor is carpeted. When I first started practicing there (I’m a very new yogini – with just two months) and realized just how sweating goes on, I was very surprised that the studio is alway very clean and does not smell, at all!!! I have no idea how often they must have to shampoo the carpet to keep it that way, but I can only imagine how distracting a smelly studio would be!
As a note, I believe that carpet is the only approved flooring for Bikram franchises; although I expect that only applies to new franchises.
Hi Dana
Carpet is largely responsible for any smell in a studio, or at least any smell that lasts more than a short time after class once the air has been refreshed.
Carpet has always been a requirement by Bikram. It’s not just for new franchises.
Aside from that – IMHO – it really doesn’t have a bearing on one’s experience of the yoga asana (except if the smell is unbearable people tend to ‘vote with their feet’ and take their ‘asana’ elsewhere 😆 ).
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I was curious too why the carpet ????? why does it matter to him??
I practice Moksha Yoga, at a Moksha Studio. Everything is Eco friendly in the Moksha Studios. Flooring is bamboo, etc. Have never smelt anything funky at all and I have a strong sense of smell!
I had a Bikram class recently where I tried to use the ‘T’ towel formation and immediately singled out and ordered to remove it. I told her I have a problem with slipping and her answer was, ‘No, one towel only!’. I felt as though I was commiting a crime.
‘You need to use your thigh muscles!’.
This also ties in with your post about military style, unsympathetic teachers. I Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do when faced with such an intimidating experience?Could you not turn 90 degrees on top of the towel and the mat? Most yoga studios do sep. leg head to knee and triangle by making the students turn on their own towels. Does it mean that you have to stand on their carpeted floor? That does not only sound very unhygienic to me, but also not very wise: which yoga studio will want the students to sweat on their floor! I would think they want to avoid that as much as possible. Maybe you could tell them that you find it unhygienic?
I am practicing in our own tiny home studio. We have carpet with an extra piece of carpet on top that can be replaced if needed and then a yogamat and a towel. Towels are washed every time, our yogamats also take a shower with us, pieces of carpet go outside once a week and get washed with a pressure cleaner after a couple of months. I never experienced any smell in our ‘studio’, but I try to stay on the towel as much as possible. I don’t use 2 towels as I prefer to turn for those poses.Hi Anna and Lisa
Yes it really defies logic and commonsense. It’s interesting that you can go to one yoga class and be told that you create a traction with your feet against the mat in a warrior pose, only to go to another class and get told you have to FIGHT the slippery carpet to prove that you have strong inner thighs.
It’s very dogmatic I know and takes your own intuition out of the equation (especially if you feel that potential harm is imminent). And then here’s a question to ponder: What would happen if you didn’t turn your towel, said “thanks for the suggestion, I am working toward that goal.”
As you will have read in the other posts … as hard as it is to NOT be intimidated, it is your stuff if you are. It’s confronting and could even be abusive at times. But it’s also ultimately your choice to do as you deem fit for YOUR body. It’s only a towel. And I agree, stepping out on slippery sweaty carpet is unhygienic and damn icky. I know that in some studios I have had minor foot infections from the micro scratches in my skin and then infecting them with that less than optimal environment.
You can either stand your ground – EQUANIMOUSLY (no reaction and happy in your choice) or bow to the pressure. It’s a balance. Don’t be pushed around and don’t let them steal your peace. Your reaction will be what fuels further reaction. It’s a test! 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂The smells bothered me in our studio during my pregnancy so I kept a roll of Eucalyptus Oil in my bag and would put some under my nose before class and it worked like a dream. I liked it so much that I have continued with the oil after the birth of my baby.
My studio is smelly.
Not only is it smelly… but I feel like it is making me sick! I have quite a few allergies when it comes to mold and dust mites and the second I walk into the studio, I just feel like it is a mold and mite breeding ground! The studio is in an old medical office building… the carpets are standard carpeting (I know this only because it is the same carpeting as the hallways in the building) and they smell absolutely HORRIBLE. When I walked in for my first class ever, I literally had to focus on not throwing up from the stench. This isn’t just a regular sweaty workout smell. It’s seriously bad.
I don’t believe the windows are even capable of opening and I’m not even sure if/when they wash the carpeting. Also, the ceiling tiles are not only stained, but also sagging. There is clearly many problems with this studio, but I guess what I’m trying to get at is, how the heck is this studio “Fort Lauderdale’s only certified Bikram Yoga studio”?! What does a studio need in order to be certified? Is it just the teacher, or the studio also? I love the teachers that I’ve had, but I just don’t know if I can stomach another class here. I’m starting to worry that its taking a toll on me.. my sinuses and head just haven’t felt the same since starting hot yoga.
Interesting thread. Maybe I didn’t read it properly, but I was wondering exactly why Bikram wants accredited studios carpeted? The one I practice at has hardwood floors and they are washed after every class. Quite frankly, if there was carpeting on the floor I don’t think I would go. As has been mentioned, carpets are a breeding ground for bacteria and probably fungus and parasites, so I just wouldn’t expose myself to that ick. But that’s just me – I’m a little bit neurotic about things like that!
I used to practice in Brussels and believe me it was very very stinky. Fortunately, I received an email some weeks ago and they have changed the carpet!! It is very good news for me. On another note, I think that carpet is not the best option for Bikram, the best option is tatami. how many gyms in the earth have carpets? Charlotte
Suddenly I feel very lucky that my studio doesn’t have carpet! We have some sort of material that looks like hardwood but is actually rubbery and has some give to it if you push at it with a fingernail. It’s got to be some sort of gym specific type of thing, but it’s great because the studio doesn’t smell at all and they can just wipe it down between classes.
The studio I attend has some sort of rubber flooring and one amazing air purification system. Not once have I ever smelled anything. After reading these posts, I am even more thankful for Hot Yoga Therapy.
Gabrielle is right, that smell doesn’t just come from the carpet…in most instances, it is from air flow. Inexpensive heating solutions can have poor exterior air flow, and this means that the air in the studio is recycled, and therefore smells.
But, before you go scream foul and get angry at your studio owner for their heating system…please keep in mind that these heating systems are very, very expensive, and are never perfectly precise. A heating system with 100% exterior air flow usually costs over $100,000 to create. Most yoga teachers don’t have that kind of money to throw into their studio when opening, so they do the best they can. They want to spread the benefits of hot yoga…and do it the only way they can, so they get the best heating system they can afford. Making a room consistently 105 degrees and 40% humidity can be much, much more difficult than it sounds, and costs a TON of money!
Studios can also use different flooring such as flotex/neofloor, which is an antibacterial carpet hybrid that does not smell, and extracting the sweat from the carpet nightly. Turning on the mats or moving your towel should not be necessary at all if the studio owner understands how to clean a studio. Once again, using the antibacterial flooring like flotex isn’t cheap…it costs about $12,000 for a 1500 square foot room.
Unfortunately, many studios resort to moving towels, turning on mats, making an “X” with an extra towel, etc. during class to save themselves the trouble of extracting sweat from their floor…they should extract it regularly anyway.
Hello David
Most people don’t have the budget or time or yoga schedule availability to clean their carpet of sweat every single day.
Unfortunately, many studios resort to moving towels, turning on mats, making an “X” with an extra towel, etc. during class to save themselves the trouble of extracting sweat from their floor…they should extract it regularly anyway.
What is wrong with people sweating on their mats or towels and using their mats to step on? If they sweat on their mats and towels then 90+% of their sweat goes home with them. Isn’t that a great solution for the studio?
What’s wrong with having a sustainable option that actually requires LESS input from everybody to keep the space clean and hygienic a LOT longer?
Doing that has absolutely NO EFFECT whatsoever on the quality of the yoga experience.
The mat is designed to create the space for your yoga practice. Stepping out over it defeats the purpose of the mat and then creates other sweaty and smelly problems. Why bother with that when there is a simple easy option? Depending on the option taken it will mean ONE movement of a towel or a change in direction and back again. I don’t see the problem. 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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