Thoughts on heat, floors and humidity

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izaak_1
Participant

March 3, 2014 at 3:34 am

Post count: 2

#2612

I am putting a business plan together for a hot yoga studio. I moved to a new area a few years ago and have come to notice that most hot studios are using infrared heat. I personally don’t like it at all. I also do not care for the vinyl type flooring that seems to be in 90% of the studio’s. Can anyone suggest heaters? I have heard that King heaters are best for this. Any thoughts? Also thoughts on bamboo or wood floor? I would also like to install humidifiers. Most studio’s I have frequented have humidifiers from the drug store running on the floor. I would like to have something more commercial.

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

March 3, 2014 at 11:29 am

Post count: 3048

#10867

Hi Jennifer

It would be great to know what it is about the infrared heaters that you do not like. There are plenty of studios that use bamboo flooring. It’s certainly beautiful. Others I have seen use a eco-rubber type of flooring. Have you seen that? Take a little hunt around the forum because there are some links and brands mentioned here and there. Once I hear back from you I can expand on my response.

You can definitely find commercial grade humidifiers.

Depending on the age of the studio (when hot yoga was not popular and heating a studio to 100F or more was just plain crazy) and people’s budgets, you will find many do not have state of the art equipment.

I hope others chime in too!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

izaak_1
Participant

March 3, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Post count: 2

#10868

Yucky. I know the terminology may be little too technical, but that is how I feel after being in a studio with infrared. It feels un-natural to me. I feel like my skin is being burned. I know it isn’t, but it’s the closest to how I can say I’m experiencing. My first thought was what a cool concept, but after a year I found myself leaving practice and not feeling well and forcing myself to go back. The last time I went to a studio with this type of heat my scalp and skin were in so much pain I rolled up my mat and walked out. I’ve never walked out of a yoga class before. Ever.

Now that you say rubber flooring, that is what is being used a lot in my area. I find I shrink away from touching the floor. I don’t like my skin to touch it. Especially how it feels with the infrared heating it up. The hard floors helps me to feel more grounded, connected.

The rubber floor with what feels like fake heat has put me in a mode of feeling lost with no studio or place to call home. (so I’m opening my own:)

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

March 13, 2014 at 11:07 pm

Post count: 3048

#10874

Hi Jennifer

Yep, I DO know what you mean on both counts. I ran my first two teacher trainings in Costa Rica where for the second year they installed infrared heaters. They were noisy (yep, gas operated yccch). It sounded as if we were in an aircraft hangar with the plane in operation. The heat was intense right under the heaters and people complained their fingers were burning, their eyes were drying and their scalp was burning and their hair was crispy dry.

Others away from the heat source (between heaters) were cold. I cancelled my trainings there and started looking for other better venues.

On the other hand I have been to studios where the infrared heaters really gave a great result.

I am wondering about the actual distance between the heater and heated objects (the participants). It really seems that there may not be enough distance there. What are your thoughts?

When choosing premises for a yoga studio the ceiling height is very important. On the one hand you need it high enough for tall bodies with arms over their heads (and then some room on top of that). On the other hand if ceilings are too high then all the hot air rises to the ceiling and the heating bills become astronomical. We had to lower one of our ceilings to 3.1 metres. Still, at that time infrared heaters were not being used in studios and we used commercial fan heaters. That height in that studio was perfect for our heaters.

I am wondering too, if you’ve ever visited and practised in a studio with infrared where you enjoyed the class and the heat. Perhaps that could be a VERY worthwhile assignment to find one to really test it out.

The last thing I wonder (lots of wondering today! :lol:) is if other students at that studio complain of the same burning and drying under those heaters.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
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