The Studio Setting The Standard For Hot Yoga In New York City

Think of a yoga class and you probably picture a bright, airy space with Zen-looking yogis flowing in unison. Not in New York City, where dark, windowless classrooms are typically overfilled with stressed New Yorkers who will spend most of their flow negotiating space with their neighbor like they’re on the subway.

This was the experience of Samantha Scupp, who first discovered hot yoga in 2010 at a local studio in her Brooklyn neighborhood while working in the film industry. While she loved how hot yoga made her feel, she soon grew frustrated with the shortcomings of hot yoga studios across the city. “Every studio had bits and pieces of things I really prioritized in the hot yoga experience, but no one studio had the whole package.”

So Scupp decided to create her own studio with everything her ideal hot yoga class would have: a comfortable, bright  a relaxing, no-phone experience; the ability to pre-book your own spot in the room; adequate space between mats; high-quality infrared heat; top notch amenities (think: post-class cold eucalyptus towels) and warm customer service. Scupp opened the first Heatwise studio in Brooklyn Heights in 2017, and has since expanded to three other locations, including a new Upper West Side studio which opened March 9, 2024.

While hot yoga has increased in popularity in recent years, not all studios utilize infrared heat. “Some studios in New York use traditional heat,” says Scupp. “When you walk into the room and you’re blasted with hot air, it’s not the same kind of gradual heat as infrared which feels more like you’re warming up under the sun.” The less oppressive and stifling infrared heat “penetrates your cells from within,” says Scupp, explaining how Heatwise had to upgrade their electricity system to accommodate the new technology. The studio also adds humidity to class rooms since infrared is a dry kind of heat.

Aside from Scupp’s own personal testimony that she “sleeps better and feels like a happier person” when she’s consistently practicing with infrared heat, the Heatwise founder says infrared heat increases flexibility, circulation and metabolism, and aids in general detoxification. Heatwise clientele report the hot yoga classes help relieve their chronic pain and the studio sees many athletes, runners and people recovering from injuries. This February, Harvard released a study in which 60% of yoga participants said hot yoga helped relieve their symptoms of depression.

It’s not a hard finding to believe once you experience the euphoria of that post-hot yoga high. It’s what got Scupp hooked and inspired her to recreate the experience for others. “I come to hot yoga to deal with my anxiety, it is what helps me cope and de-stress and literally helps me heal: mentally, spiritually and emotionally,” she says. “I understand the physical benefits and that’s all great but that’s really secondary to my intention for hot yoga that’s at the core of our brand ethos: helping people to feel good.”

To Heatwise, feeling good starts not post-class, but before you even enter the studio. From the feel-good confirmation email you receive upon booking a class to the cute yoga figurines sprinkled throughout the studio to the bowl of obscure Dutch candies at the front desk—everything is designed to make you feel good. “As a studio, we are looking for ways to not just make you feel good but make you smile, de-stress and forget whatever you have going on in the outside world,” says Scupp.

Unlike many fitness studios in New York City, the class atmosphere at Heatwise is non-competitive and judgment-free. Teachers are friendly, warm and playful and none of the class rooms have mirrors. “We’re obsessed with making you feel good,” says Scupp on the deliberate choice to not have mirrors. “Don’t worry about what people think of you, if anything doesn’t feel good, don’t do it.” While Scupp recognizes hot yoga can be a workout, you won’t find the push-yourself rhetoric found at some hot yoga studios here. “We’re really coming from a place of ‘figure out for yourself what feels good for you, whatever that means for you today, and that might be different from yesterday or tomorrow but let us help you get there,” says Scupp. “We’re doing that through the vehicle of hot yoga—with the heat, the music, the teacher—it really is a mental thing first and foremost.

Still, many yogis like the rigorous workout hot yoga can provide, and Scupp isn’t opposed to offering that kind of class. In response to demand from their community, Heatwise recently added a sculpt class that combines heated vinyasa with free weights for a heart-racing, muscle-toning workout. Recognizing that what makes someone feel good differs from person-to-person, Heatwise has a wide variety of classes—from hot vinyasa set to a themed playlist to yin for a slow flow with long holds to an astrology-themed sequence inspired by the current month’s astrological sun sign.

Understanding the needs of their clientele has been key to Heatwise’s success over the past seven years. During the pandemic—when Scupp says their clients were missing hot yoga so much they practiced in their bathrooms with the steamed heat from their running shower—the studio shifted to outdoor and online classes. When they officially reopened in 2021, Scupp says the response was overwhelming because “hot yoga was the one thing people couldn’t recreate at home.” While Heatwise’s in-person turnout has never been better, the studio still maintains its on-demand platform so clients can practice while travelling or with their favorite teachers who’ve left the city.

More than the heat, what people miss when practicing at home is the community. “Being in a room with other people who are moving and breathing in unison with you is so powerful,” says Scupp. The Heatwise founder says people also lost the power of touch during the pandemic—practicing in studio has the added benefit of hands-on adjustments from teachers (with consent). “Having a safe space to be with other people who may or may not be dealing with the same stuff you’re dealing with; you’re coming together for the same reason,” says Scupp. “We’ve really fostered a community that aligns with our mission: we’re all just trying to do our best, we’re all New Yorkers, we’re all stressed, this is 60 minutes to hopefully just leave it at the door.”

Now, Heatwise hopes to cultivate community on the Upper West Side, with a new location that opened March 9, 2024. The new studio replicates the top-notch amenities and stress-free experience of their Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope and Bowery locations, but with a distinctly Upper West side feel. Like all their locations, the studio occupies a commercial space within an apartment building, and features bright and airy plant-filled rooms with lots of windows. “I get stressed about the basement, dungeon-style studio,” says Scupp, describing the intentionality behind each of the studio’s design. With Scupp’s partner a native of the neighborhood, the Upper West Side location felt like a natural next step. “We’ve had people in our ear for a couple of years now saying a hot yoga experience with a focus on hospitality was missing from this part of town,” says Scupp. “With so many young families, in particular, we’re so excited to move in and help as many people in the area possible feel good.”