I plan to open a small, 2700 sq ft. personal training studio in LA,CA. Should I install a yoga room?
After installing 2 bathrooms, I would have room for a 400 sq ft. yoga space That will leave me enough space for about 600 sq ft for strength training area. Yoga and spinning is very popular in my area and I’m having a dilemma if I should just make a bigger space for a sports medicine studio or have both a yoga room and a small area (about 600sq ft) for personal training. I plan to have several independent trainers in the 600 sq ft space. Your feedback is much appreciated. Thanks.
Danny
Wow! Thanks guys for the quick advice. Definitely makes sense to go with what I know than just doing what everyone is doing, or what is popular. Since it will be a small personal training studio, it would make more sense to have a bigger room where independent trainers can train their clients without feeling cramped.
Coming back to this thread, I have to say that I really like Ariadne’s response.
It’s often best to design a studio that fits with your own core competencies, unless you have renters already contracted that you know will come through. One of the studios I used to rent, the studio owner spent thousands of dollars building out a soundproofed room for massage therapy. Then her friend, the massage therapist, backed out. For various reasons, she couldn’t find anyone else to rent the space, so it never got used. Meanwhile, her classes and mine were squished into a smaller space to make room for the unused massage room.
So, if and when I build out my own studio, it will first and foremost cater to my needs and what I’m best able to sell.
If you figure 6 feet by 2 feet, with a couple of feet for space between (mat sizes) so around 20 or a bit more feet per mat…. of course you need to look at your space… how this works with a square is different that how it works with a different shape. I think you want to look at the numbers carefully: how many people would fit, what is the typical instructor rate in your area, how does offering yoga impact your insurance, cost of props, etc, and what is the going rate you can charge per class in your market.
Then consider a couple of things about staffing…. Are you currently hooked into the world of yoga teachers? Really popular ones will come to you and fill the room, new teachers will take a while to build a cliental. However, popular ones may mean a higher payment.
How many other studios are in your area? Do their classes fill?
Unless you already have a really big client list with a lot of regular yoga practitioners, or have a really popular teacher on your list it might take a while to fill the room…. does your business plan include a hedge to cover that kind of start up issue?
A lot of these questions can only be answered by knowing your market, your clients, and your niche (in this case, yoga)
If you were in a market where there was less yoga available, or if you were a large gym offering yoga for a very small fee having less than ideal environmental conditions may not affect your business. I’ve taught in rooms that were too cold, too bright, and too noisy…. but typically if people are paying yoga studio rates they expect the conditions to be more appropriate to yoga. I’ve actually found spin to be the hardest thing with which I have to share space. If you teach a yoga class after a spin class you are laying on the floor on a mat, barefoot…. and it is not pleasant if the have just swiftered up pools of sweat.
What I have seen, and your market may be different, is that vinyasa and especially hot yoga tend to be popular in studios that are mixed use. If you do plan to offer this style keep in mind you will need a separate heating system for the area. Cardio rooms need to be a bit cooler, yoga rooms need to be heated. Even a non heated class might be around 74 degrees.
I looked at your profile, and I do not see yoga listed as an activity you consider one of your own areas of expertise or practice. If this is so the best advice I would give you is to ask one of your experienced yoga teacher friends (or ask around for someone to introduce you to one) and invite them for coffee (or tea) and get some good local advice. Having local knowledgeable advice is really the best. Yoga is so varied, and quirky….
Good luck… I hope your studio is a big success.
Are you planning to soundproof the space between the yoga area and the other area?
Is there a possibility of making one big space but having an open area on one end of the space that could be used for functional training and/or yoga? You could have just a couple of hours a week that the space is reserved for yoga or spin. You probably won’t be able to have a relaxed meditation class in the space since it will be open, but power yoga and stretch classes might be fine with the noise of a studio in the background.