Management: 8/10
Sales staff/ reception: Friendly, non-consultant based.
Membership options: Class cards – 10 ($400) 3 months , 20 ($680) 5 months, 50 ($1500) 6 months, 100 ($2500) 8 months
Unlimited – 1 year ($4600) max 365 classes
- Cheapest price per class: $25
Class booking: Available on mindbodyonline 7 days ahead.
Number of outlets: 1.
Ambiance:
- Character: Spa-like in the reception and common area, stylish and modern.
- Condition: Sparkling new in newly renovated areas, but yoga studios 1 and 2 not so.
Crowd attracted: Bikram practitioners.
Class types: Bikram and Bikram inspired classes, Hatha, Flow, Yin, Meditation.
Crowd: Studio is still new, not sure yet.
Class timing: 9 classes a day starting from 7am (no class mid afternoon) on weekdays, 7 classes on weekends.
Room 2
Yoga studio: 6/10
Hot class: 2 hot rooms with heating panels set at 40 degs.
Non-hot class: Room temperature with windows opened.
Mats: Non-branded rubber mats
Class size: About 20+
Cleanliness: Clean your own mat after class.
Changing room: 7/10
Toilet: 1, right outside the main door
Showers: Plenty
Towels: Provided
Water: Dispenser
Lounge area: Huge common area, but within the changing room there isn’t any space.
Lockers: Bring your own lock
My opinion:
This studio is new yet not really new. The previous owner of BYCH Hot Yoga sold her business and this new BYCH Yoga Hub took over the brand and the space. What’s different now is that they no longer only offer Bikram style (*I mentioned style because they moved away from bring strictly Bikram after Bikram lost the lawsuit and they took the word Bikram off their name somewhere last year) yoga only, but also offer other styles. They merged with Singapore School of Yoga & Meditation (SSYM) so the teachers and classes from SSYM moved over as well. Newly added are hot versions of the classes that SSYM offers (Hatha and Flow) using Bikram heat of 40 degs. For those who enjoy heat, the classes here are really hot.
For the Bikram style classes, only teachers trained in Bikram style teaching are leading so you can expect the Bikram style classes to be more like the real deal, even though they took Bikram off the name. They offer Hot Classic (Bikram), Hot Cardio (60mins with selected poses from Bikram) and Hot Fast Track (60mins, all poses from Bikram). It’ll definitely be more like the real Bikram experience compared to other studios which offers these 26 postures but with non-Bikram trained teachers.
I attended a Flow class and I honestly did not think the teacher was satisfactory at all. Perhaps other teachers would be better since they do have a few teachers here and it would be unfair to judge the studio based on one teacher. But if I were to drop in for $45, I would be expecting a good quality class no matter which teacher I picked.
About half of the current studio is newly renovated and easily the nicest looking studio in all of Singapore with nice design and natural light, but the yoga rooms 1 & 2 which offers hot class looks like it’s been recycled from before the takeover because the flooring remains carpeted and has mirrors all over like Bikram studios. The ceilings are also office looking, which looks rather old and unstylish– a stark difference from the other areas of the whole studio which has much nicer flooring and ceilings (refer to picture above).
The mats used were non-branded but with SSYM logo so I guess it’s a generic rubber mat. The grip and impact absorption was good so all is fine. What I did not fancy was wiping down our own mats after each class. For a classy looking studio which charges so high for class rates, I would expect cleaning service to be provided because most studios of such scale would. If you’re taking a Bikram style class, you would use a mowel (mat+towel hybrid) instead of a normal mat. The bring your own lock system is also quite a hassle, but what most people do is to store their bags in the highest shelf unlocked thinking nobody would open it.
Unsatisfactory teacher aside, my experience here was quite good. The studio gave good vibes and is a very nice place to be in. I also liked how near the toilet was. The changing room was good, with Aveda products to use. The prices are extremely high though, but I guess they need to keep it consistent with what it cost before to be fair to old members. Bikram studios are usually priced like this. Speaking of this, even though it’s no longer a Bikram studio, the Bikram culture here remains strong since most members here are from Bikram background. Even the retail section sells mainly Bikram attire.
Room 3 – meditation room
Besides yoga, they also offer meditation classes every Monday and Saturday and it’s FREE! For those who are keen on meditation and wish to check out this space you can sign up for a level 1 class.
Pros: Stylish and modern design, plenty of light
Cons: Expensive, bring your own lock, wipe your own mat
Rating: 8/10
123 Penang Road
#04-13 Regency House
Singapore 238465
Namaste 