Deciding to start your own yoga studio is exciting, and while there are plenty of steps to take before you begin booking out your first class, we’d like to help you out with at least a small part of it – deciding on the perfect venue. And when you’ve done that, we can get your yoga studio software sorted too.

Venue Type

Yoga studios have the unique advantage of being suitable for a wide variety of exercise environments. No equipment is needed. A large and empty space is pretty much all that’s required. Here are just a few examples of the venue types you could consider:

- Existing health clubs & fitness centres- Lease or buy a dedicated studio- Sub-contract to an existing yoga studio- Community Hall- Corporate space- WarehouseEach option comes with its own pros and cons.If you don’t have the coin to invest in real estate right now, you can always host yoga classes at your house. For this to work, the yoga studio must have its own dedicated space in the house. It must be kept clean and sanitary and be completely separate from your home and the area you live in. No one wants to walk through your living room and kitchen to get to the yoga studio. A converted garage or basement would suit well.

Location

Before deciding on the location for your yoga studio, consider doing a quick search for yoga studios on Google. Pay attention to where yoga studios are currently located. The more yoga studios there are in an area, the more competition you have to deal with. Ideally, you want your yoga studio located in an area that doesn’t have any or few other yoga studios nearby.Do keep in mind that the location should be near a residential area and be convenient for people to get to. The more people that live in and around your chosen location, the larger your prospective market will be.

Venue Features & Amenities

Cooling – For yoga, getting the temperature right is important to create the best experience for your students. Whether that’s air-conditioning, ceiling fans, insulation or a layout that allows for great airflow, making sure the studio space is as comfortable as possible will depend on your budget.‍

Heating – If you are looking to open a hot yoga studio, you’ll want a heater on the premises, or be allowed to get one. If you’re able to set and forget the ideal temperature and know it will remain consistent throughout your practice, that would be ideal.

‍Flooring – The type of flooring the venue has is important for a yoga studio. A clean and hard surface that’s easy to clean is ideal. This can include hardwood, vinyl or tiles. Carpeted floor just won't do.

‍Sound System – Having a decent sound system or an accessible place where you can plug in and play your own music will depend on whether you think music distracts from or enhances your practice. If music is an essential part of your yoga teaching experience, this feature is a must.Any other amenities like bathrooms or a kitchenette are not essential, but they will be an added bonus if available. While they are not necessary, they sure can be a deciding factor that helps to sell your yoga practice over others.

Venue Size

Consider how many people you expect to have in each class and make sure the space has enough room for everyone to do their yoga practice in comfort. Do remember to leave space for your instructing too. There’s nothing worse than trying to cram too many bodies into one room. It feels claustrophobic and yoga moves can be restricted. No one wants a hand or a foot in their face while doing their yoga poses.Keep in mind also that if you will have props for people to use in the session, there needs to be space to accommodate.

Easy Access

You want to make sure your venue of choice is easily accessible. Here are a few questions to ask yourself here:- Is there on-site parking or ample street parking available?- Are there public transport options nearby?- Is your venue easy to find on Google maps?- Is your venue visible and easy to access from the street?Out of all 4 of these options, parking is a big one. The amount of parking available can really be a make or break factor between choosing your yoga studio over the competition, so make sure this isn’t overlooked.

Aesthetics

How do you want your students to feel when they enter your yoga studio? You probably want them to feel relaxed, welcomed and at ease, and while this can be achieved with ambient elements such as soothing music and essential oils, the surrounds have a lot to do with this too. A space that looks unappealing can leave a bad first impression. Whether it be dark and outdated colours, broken and faulty fixtures or cracks in the walls ceilings and floors, the state of the venue can also result in a poor reflection on you.

A Complete Yoga Studio Business Solution

Along with finding a perfect venue, don’t forget to invest in some seriously great fitness management software that you can use to effectively run your business. Here at Clubworx, we’ve created software with yoga studios in mind. Not only is our software easy to use, but it’s also fully customisable and has all the bits and bobs you need to make running a yoga studio a breeze. Interested? Contact us to discuss how our software can give you what you need.