Raffa Yoga and Urban Sweat

By far the coolest yoga center I have been to. I have stayed taking antigravity yoga and love it. Highly recommended.

To think, i almost let this experience go to waste, so glad I didn’t!!! It was amazing. This place is something you would see in movies, other countries or posh LA Spa’s…but it’s here in little Rhody!
Himalayan sea salt grotto’s, turmeric sauna and eucalyptus steam rooms were my favorite of all the rooms.
Where else can you spend an entire day stretching your body in zero gravity yoga, hanging in varied relaxation rooms that arouse all your senses and relax your body and mind by getting a unique massage (Hello…a massage with salt scrub or mud right IN a steam room!)
Finish it all off with a fresh squeezed juice or smoothie. Can’t wait to go back!

I was impressed! We did the Urban Sweat and it was amazing. Incredibly friendly staff (I was a little intimidated at first but quickly was put at ease by the warm ladies at the desk), beautiful facilities and very relaxing. Worth the $ 40 and then some. I look forward to coming back — soon!

I have enjoyed many wonderful classes at Raffa. The instructors are wonderful, educated on the various arts/​types of exercise within their specialty and he facility is simply beautiful. This is gem in RI, such a terrific place for class.

I find Raffa yoga well run and organized. I like that a lot. The class offerings and workshops meet my needs as a beginner, and the instructors are terrific. I did the 2 week unlimited membership for $ 50 and found myself looking forward to finding the yoga or meditation class that fit my changing daily schedule.
What I liked most I think is that the owner has made really solid hiring choices when it comes to key staff and instructors. No flakes here — you’ll find smart educated women and men that are committed to providing the best classes. So far I have yet to attend a class where I thought the instructor was phoning it in.
I’d say give Raffa a shot. I’ve enjoyed the community aspect of Raffa and I think you will too.

My review is based on Valerie’s AirBarre class. My husband came with me so I wouldn’t have to drive alone and he was a little skeptical about taking the class. The class utilizes the hammock to do some intense ballet moves (your legs, thighs, bum definitely get a workout). You get sneaky ab work too. Valerie has great enthusiasm and energy which makes the intense parts more tolerable! My husband said it was better than he thought it would be (he was thinking lots of ballerina stuff which was not the case) and said more guys should take the class. We will definitely be back, just wish it were offered more often!

Before I went we called to get the price for urban sweat we were on hold for 20 minutes. The answer took 5 seconds. $ 40 per person for the day. When we went there the had us register on an IPad which was incredibly stressful buggy software. It asked if I wanted email promotions and I indicated that I did not. After it crashed and erased all info i just went back to counter and paid cash. All my information had gone through. They provide uniforms which is cool. We go in the saunas and they were all pretty cold. Didn’t break a sweat in any of them. Some rooms were chilly. Wanted to try the infrared sauna and that was additional $ 30. The place is beautiful and decorated nicely but decorations don’t make you sweat. We wanted to get some fresh wheatgrass juice but the juice bar only makes smoothies. The veggie juice they had was a day or two old. They should know veggie juice is only good to drink right after juicing.
After getting back home I have gotten at least 10 emails. Some are for appointments we apparently made for hours they are closed. If you are not stressed out and want to be this is a great place to go.

I was teetering between a 3 or 4 review but went with the 4 based on the actually class itself. I used to go to Raffa years ago when they were on Reservoir before moving into the larger building. The hot yoga is a great class but not for everyone — it gets very hot in there but it’s a nice detoxing experience as well, sweating everything out. I haven’t had the chance to try that class at the new location but from what I hear, the yoga classes are very packed… and with all that breathing and sweat, like I said, not for everyone!
The antigravity yoga class on the other hand –fantastic! I took it last year with Kate and just started going back and attended David’s class. It is certainly your money’s worth — you work your entire body, focusing on your core and upper body but also opening your hips. There is a ton of stretching and opening of normally restricted joints and movements as well as some fun inversions! I love this class and feel it all over. I highly recommend anyone wanting to try something different to check it out.
I hope Christine considers a second location maybe in Northern RI. Parking and pre/​post class in the «lobby» can be quite overwhelming and hectic.

Another great year another great experience. I visit Raffa every time I am in town and I often bring a friend or two to experience the yoga or the saunas and steam room. It is the perfect mini retreat to decompress when traveling. Christine Raffa has been around for years and you can tell she pours her heart and soul into her facility it shows in the enthusiasm in her staff and the ambience of the experience!
Raffa is so affordable you can’t resist to try it at least once. Most that have, always seem to come back!

Don’t bother with Urban Sweat! The concept is attractive but their application and execution is abysmal. Sit at the beach, buy eucalyptus oil for your shower at home. Do not go to Urban Sweat. Bad staff, not enough attendants, cold, dark, musty, mildewy, uncomfortable surfaces, uninspiring spaces, terrible experience. Yoga is very smelly, super packed in, like sardines and unprofessional.

My review is for Aerial Yoga with David. He’s an amazing instructor and the class is both challenging and effective. I thoroughly enjoy his instruction and how accomplished I feel at the end of class. I was so nervous to try the class and I’m so glad I did!

I’m profoundly disappointed with a recent interaction with the owner, after being a frequent Raffa visitor about two years ago.
I became a customer when I purchased a punch card to visit Raffa 10 times. Unbeknownst to me, Raffa’s punch cards expire (something that technically doesn’t make sense, since you’re prepaying for visits at a promo rate… and if treated like a gift certificate, RI law says that they’re not allowed to expire). I frequently attended mid-​day $ 8 «community» classes where I opted not to use my punch card (I mean, why would I use it for a discounted class?), and let my punches get used slowly on full-​priced classes. I nearly lost 5 visits until the front desk agreed to pro-​rate what I had paid to regular class fees. Ergo, I didn’t save anything in the long run; I paid market rate for the classes I had attended on the punch card, and lost the rest.
I would attend classes here and there as I was able to. I stopped going when I found that the only classes I could fit in were obscenely popular after-​work classes in the Buddha Room. While large and open, Raffa does not cap their class attendance numbers, and simply lets people stream in (even past the start time) and take up space wherever and however possible. I often found myself with my mat 3 – 5 inches away from someone else, with nowhere to put a water bottle, blocks, or blankets. Arm extensions cannot be completed fully, and stretching or poses must be modified so that you don’t hit your neighbor.
Not only is it stressful when people are crammed in on top of each other, but a larger volume of people results in more ambient noise (not relaxing), and a teacher who takes a more casual approach to the class due to so many students (not professional). Plus, factor in that you’re in a 90 degree room and everyone is exerting energy & sweating. I find being so close to each other not only unpleasant and smelly, but stress-​inducing and frustrating.
I recently received a request for feedback. I completed the two-​question survey, which asked for my opinion on the facility, if I wasn’t giving them a perfect score. I very simply stated my discomfort with crowding, and left it at that.
Christine Raffa responded personally, to what I thought was an anonymous survey. She wrote back in defense of the overselling of classes, stating that «many people thoroughly enjoy» a completely filled room and that «truly the only space you need is that of your mat.» Apparently, the owner does not believe that physical extensions beyond the confines of your mat are necessary in an $ 18 yoga class.
She went on to say, «We feel the volume of our classes speak to the amount of people that enjoy our offerings. I hope you will give us another try possibly with a different outlook and enjoy the many benefits of the Raffa Yoga services.»
I am thrilled that the owner has clarified that I, a customer whose business she is seemingly trying to retain, need to change my outlook in order to take yoga classes which I am comfortable with and happy to spend money on.
If she wanted to earn back my business, perhaps she SHOULD have said that although I don’t enjoy that aspect of her facility, perhaps I’d like to attend a selection of less popular classes where I might have more space… and then provided me a list or schedule. Either that, or she should have said that perhaps her facility is not the place for me, given my preferences. Or, she should have let me continue to believe that my feedback was anonymous and said NOTHING.
Oooh, except she didn’t. She defended Raffa’s practice of overbooking classes, trying to invalidate my opinion. She told me, someone who was solicited for MY feedback, that I should change my disposition before coming back to her business. She tried to sell me on the idea of coming back, but only if I change what I’m personally comfortable with.
This has confirmed for me that the Raffa ownership is pretty arrogant in their business practices, puts the sale of class fees above client experience, and does not want any feedback that isn’t glowing. I’ll also add that their juice bar always seems to be closed, and the Oceana room in Urban Sweat is, indeed, laughable. Raffa retains 2 stars due to ambience and facility ONLY, as this building is truly wonderful and mostly offered spacious, relaxing classes when they weren’t selfishly overbooking them in an effort to rake in as much profit as possible.

I downloaded this app just so I could write a review of this place. I am schocked by my experience and if I could give it negative stars if I could.
It started when my mother bought me and her friend a gift of massages and a day in the relaxation room. Upon entering my mother asked if there was conditioner in the showers and the women replied yes, which there was not. Then, after spending about an hour in the relaxation room I noticed I had bug bites all over my stomach. My mother and her friend did as well. I freaked out and took a shower before the massage.
The massage was a NIGHTMARE. Do not get a massage here!!! The masseuse was very lovely and talented but the noise in the room was SO LOUD it hurt my ears. There was a horrible horrible buzzing noise and the masseuse said she kept trying to tell management about it but they never fix it or take her seriously. Half way through the massage I asked for toilet paper to put it in my ears. I left the massage and went right to the manager who COMPLETELY disregarded my concern. She said she would «check on the room» as if I made up the horrible sound comming from it. She said she would talk to me on my way out, which she never did.
Since my mother was in a different room I told her after about the sound and we checked it out and she was schocked and said it was rediculious and went back to the manager and asked for her money back. She manager was SO RUDE to my mother and told her the NOISE DIDN’T EXIST. My mother was livid and tracked down my masseuse and asked her if she could hear it, the masseuse said she was half deaf in one ear and she could still hear it and that lots of her clients complain but there’s nothing she can do.
The manager said she would talk to the owner and get back to us, it’s been over a week and we haven’t heard anything. We also filled out a complaint form and never got a response.
I also never mentioned the steam room. It is incredibly dirty with paint chipping off and buckets on the floor collecting water that is dripping from leaky pipes.
This place is horrible and treats it’s guests horribly. It’s great if you want to get bitten by bugs and have the worst massage of your life! I have never experienced such horrible hospitality in my life!

I was given a gift certificate from Raffa and had the chance to visit with two friends. It wasn’t crowded and the staff was very friendly. Most of the rooms were in great shape. A comfy shirt and shorts are provided to roam around the spa. The decorations are beautiful and I was able to successfully relax and sweat bad toxins away! Looking forward to coming back.

so happy I found this place! Not much into yoga but the urban sweat was a perfect thing to do on a cold snowy day in February! $ 40 and you get to spend all day in and out of each sauna or steam room. I thought the eucalyptus steam room would be my favorite but the Himalayan rock salt room was. Bring flip flops as the floors are HOT!
They provide a tshirt, shorts, and a towel for the day but bring an extra towel and toiletries for a shower afterwards.
Live in Worcester and so wish one was closer but will take the hour ride once in awhile to enjoy it

I tried aerial yoga for the first time at Raffa Yoga a few weeks ago and it was amazing. The whole place is like an oasis, with a beautiful interior and tons of products, smoothies, etc in the lobby area. The instructor we had was super helpful for beginners and took requests. She also made everyone feel inclusive by offering modified poses for people who felt uncomfortable doing a daring pose.
I took off a star because it is expensive, however when I looked for aerial yoga classes near me and they were closer to $ 25 a class, so it can be a bargain depending on where you live.

Ridiculously overpriced and overcrowded. I could barely move with the other people so close to me. They have this high priced sales pitch when you walk in for your first class. If you don’t take the introductory offer that day & begin the very next day then the offer will no longer exist period! Obnoxious! My friend asked for a paper schedule & their response was «look online.» Seriously? If you don’t have a mat you must spend extra $$ to rent and they give you a super small insufficient wipe to clean it afterwards. They are never consistent or dedicated with their community classes nor do they schedule them on a day or time which would attract a devoted crowd I am not impressed with the bells and whistles here.

Raffa Yoga literally has everything a yogi could need under one roof. I initially went specifically for the Yoga Stretch class that they offer, but i soon learned they offer an abundance of classes for every level all day/​night. they can be a tricky to find the first time and parking can be iffy during special events, but its well worth it the trek.

While at face value Raffa is an absolutely aesthetically beautiful establishment, something about it still makes me a little uneasy. I realize it is a business, and thus needs to turn a profit, however the prices make it very unaccessible to much of the community and acts to isolate yoga in an elitist way (though I know many yoga studios in the west do this anyway, so it isn’t just Raffa). There is no denying that at $ 18 per class, it just really isn’t something most people can commit to regularly.
Despite some of my reservations, I’ve attended several classes at Raffa over the past 2 – 3 years due to convenient location, or having received gift cards to the studio. Anti-​gravity yoga has been a fun/​unique way to exercise and is something I have really enjoyed and would encourage others to try – this is the highest point the studio has to offer. More traditional vinyasa classes have been decent, though nothing too earth shattering. Often classes are filled with beginners and the teachers are obligated to spend a lot of the time explaining things as opposed to just having a more natural flow to the class. I’ve taken far better quality classes in the Boston and Providence area for much less money $ 10 – 12.
Front desk staff have been a hit or miss – some have been friendly and polite, others couldn’t be bothered to give you the time of day or are snappy when asked simple questions.
I just can’t bring myself to spend $ 40 to sit in ‘Urban Sweat.‘
I know this review makes me sound «cheap” – I’d like to think I am cost conscious, and know when and how to splurge. Believe me, I truly value and am willing to spend money on quality self care. Yoga is such a beautiful, wonderful and healthy practice and places like Raffa are capitalizing on it in a likely unfair way — even I’ve fallen victim to it out of convenience.
It is my hope that my review will remind others to practice at smaller studios that are less commercialized. (Even I needed to remind myself to do this)

I was really excited to take a class here after many stellar recommendations from my friends and coworkers. I decided that today was the day to give it a whirl.
The place is stunning, don’t let the outside fool you. Once you pass through the doors, the studio is completely beautiful and decorated wonderfully. The studio consists of several rooms for anti-​gravity yoga, hot yoga, etc. This place is HUGE.
There is a pretty impressive shop when you first walk in, complete with yoga wear, mats, drinks and snacks. Very nice!
The instructor I had today was Jessie, who I found tremendously inspirational and knowledgeable. I tried Forrest yoga, which Jessie is a known expert in. I totally dug the style.
My biggest complaint was how crowded the class was. I pre-​paid and got there early to secure a spot. The staff continued to direct me and others to «get closer» to one another. By the time the class started, I was literally 3″ away from the person next to me, and the room was seemingly beyond capacity. If not by fire codes, by personal space codes. I honestly had a really hard time enjoying myself when I was constantly concerned about hitting the people next to me.
My advice to the management is to not be afraid to turn clients away. It takes away from the people who get there on time when the students are piled on top of one another.