YogaWorks Westside

This place used to be amazing in 2010, but now they’ve done a complete 180. The staff is quite rude. They do not give their paying customers a priority when it comes to classes. There was a time when i landed up for a class and they said it was full because the class was full of people (not regular customers of the studio) from Classpass, a separate company that allows you to take classes in your city at different studios. When i argued that they need to first give their customers priority over visitors they were not at all apologetic, but rather rude and curt. I also argued that if this is the case, why sign on new members, just have classes for classpass customers. As a result i cancelled my membership immediately. They need to get their priorities right.

YogaWorks is another of the more «big box» yoga franchises in the city. The Westside location near Lincoln center is a really large studio space with nice locker room facilities and very large studios. This YogaWorks is a decent place to take a yoga class. I think it ultimately comes down to the teacher you have on that day. There is a lack of consistency only because teachers vary so much in method and experience. I took a Vinyasa ²⁄₃ class recently that only incorporated one inversion the entire class. There should be more variety for skill levels to make sure you challenge students where they need to be challenged.
Also agree with many of the other reviews, Lisa Zalonga’s classes are fantastic, highly reccomend.

I’ve been a member of yogaworks westside for over 2 years now. My two criticisms is that 1. there are no transitional classes between 1 and 2 levels. So if I want a breakdown of head stands, hand stands or more advanced yoga poses (crow pose, lizard pose, airplane, etc.) there are no classes that cater to breaking these down. You either start at the very basics during level 1, or have to know these things in level 2. If you want to get between 1 and 2, you would need to take private lessons with an instructor for ass loads of money, or go somewhere else. Criticism 2 is that this year they will start charging $ 2 per towel rental. After paying $ 100 a month for a membership, asking to charge $ 2 for a ripped brown towel rental (which most nice gyms or studios offer for free– as they should), this is a pretty crappy thing to do. I may explore other options of studios that better meet my needs.

I’ve tried a handful of yoga studios on the west side and YogaWorks is my absolute favourite. Staff are super helpful, studios are clean, there are plenty of free lockers and I like the great range of class times and types offered. My favourite teachers are Yuval and Dana. Her Sunday night class vinyasa/​meditation class is a must. My one warning is that I’ve found some of the classes advertised as Level ½ to really be beginner classes, not Level 2 classes. If you have quite a lot of experience, I’d go with Level 2 classes.

I went to Yogaworks in LA for several years and loved it there, so now that I’m back in NYC I figured I’d give it a shot. It is essentially what I expected: similarly great classes but with a New York attitude. The teachers are great, and the studios are surprisingly spacious, but the people working here are NOT zen. I’m not zen either, I know it’s not their fault, but that’s why I need to go to yoga and I need the people working at the yoga studio to be zen.
The front desk people told me I couldn’t access the regular services, such as storing my own yoga mat there, because I was on a first month trial and haven’t signed up for regular membership yet. This is extremely annoying as they don’t provide free yoga mats, so of course I’d want to bring my own, and who wants to lug their yoga mat every single time through NYC rush hour traffic? And from a business perspective, it’s just dumb: if you don’t let people use your services during the trial, what would make them want to sign up for membership? Call me crazy but I thought trials are supposed to be that sweet sweet time where you get potential customers addicted to your service/​product so they’d want to come back and pay $$$ forever. I don’t know if I can endorse this kind of stupidity.
While I enjoyed the classes, I don’t think I can deal with the annoyance I inevitably experience just to get myself to class. And there’s nothing stopping me from checking out the other 2,898,329 yoga studios in NYC. So I will.

I’ve had a membership or multiple class cards continuously for several years. While I was recently disappointed that a favorite class was cancelled, Jen took care of my particular situation without a hassle to me. While we don’t always get exactly what we want (Ashtanga with Evan), Yogaworks handled my situation professionally and ethically.

I had my very first experience in life with Yoga here. I tried the 7 day free trial class. The instructor was great, very personable and more. I am super active so I will explore other types of classes like Pole dancing. I would definitely return here for Pilates, Hot Yoga or a more strenuous form of Yoga in general for me next time. The place is SUPER clean, equipped with showers and mats to try out for free. I purchased lovely yoga socks with the toe out that I use everyday to stretch. :-)

I came today to yogaworks for alexander’s hatha class. Thank you Yoga passbook. I appreciated that the reception staff had no problem checking me in and I quickly put my things away.
I really enjoyed that Alexander really did try to bring more meditative practices and thoughts into asanas. However, I do not feel like he did the best job of weaving the breathing/​meditation into something bigger and more spiritual. It felt like a class that was physically fulfilling. And I think years ago when I really merely dabbled in yoga I would have appreciated it. But now that I have been to Laughing Lotus and other studios that allow me to find this balance I find it missing here. That said, he was really good at making hands on adjustments. And there is no one who loves this more than yours truly. Also right from the beginning asked if anyone did not want to be adjusted, had injuries etc which is nice.
However, I gotta say the locker room kind of felt like a high school glorified gym locker room. I did end up showering here but really would not recommend there is only 2 showers, one with a drain.
All in all, it fills the void if you really just feel like you want to practice yoga that day and you are local like me but I wouldn’t rush over.

When I’m in NYC, I often stay on the UWS and YogaWorms is my jam. The location is really convenient.
The facilities are solid with ample room for you to store your shoes, clothes (including lockers) and jackets. There are a couple of showers which generally seem to be clean and in good working condition.
The yoga studios are large and, while I haven’t been to any weekday evening classes, there always seems to be plenty of space. The studios all also have windows which keep them generally well-​ventilated and bright.
The classes are expensive — $ 29 for a drop-​in class or $ 75 for an unlimited week-​long class. I did the unlimited week-​long pass but don’t think I could stomach a $ 29 drop-​in rate. The classes are good but they’re not that great.

Nice atmosphere. Entrance is into the gift shop, where their register also is. There’s complimentary tea and water outside in the waiting area.
The yoga rooms are big and spacious, and all of the classes seem to be pretty popular. The instructors have all been pretty good, no complaints. I’m new-​ish to yoga, but overall it was enjoyable.

Teachers are very good, but rooms are extremely crowded and have poor air conditioning. There never seems to be a time to open the windows to change air because as soon as one session finishes there is a line of people outside waiting to run in for the next lesson. It feels like exercising in a stable. Locks in the men rooms have been broken for months. At $ 30 p/​lesson you would expect clean air and enough room on your sides to perform the exercises correctly. I guess that doesn’t go well with profits.

Yoga Works is a mixed bag. I’ve had some teachers there that I really enjoyed (Lisa Yi and Evan Perry to name a few) and their scheduling is great, however it’s missing that community neighborhood vibe that I love. Also, the practice spaces are always foul smelling. I wish they would crack a window or light some oil or incense between classes.
If yoga asana is just «cool» and you «like like» asana, but you’re not totally in love with it or anything, then Yoga Works is for you. Otherwise, it will get you by until you find your special spot.

I practiced Yoga for three years and after I moved I tried to find a yoga studio with a good balance between the monthly costs, the classes offered and the variety of teachers and levels of experience.
The studio is great and everybody working there is doing a really good job. Depending on the time of the day the classes are not packed which allows the instructor to spend more time helping and correcting you. But even if more people attend it’s never too crowded like in other places I have been.
Sure, the studio is not as luxurious as most of the studios in the UWS but that doesn’t matter to me as long as the classes are good, the rooms are clean and the studio has a good vibe.

I signed up with Yogaworks over the summer after scoring a great Groupon. As a yoga studio, this place is great. The schedule of classes worked perfectly for my schedule I could attend a class everyday if I wanted to which was great. The instructors were great, my favorite is Jenny Cohen. The yogaworks level two classes were my absolute favorite. I really loved the amenities as well. The locker room could get packed but I never waited long for a shower before heading out to work.
I would still be going here had I not had a nasty customer service experience. This is where yogaworks fell short. When I signed up for a monthly membership my boyfriend and I were both told we would get 2 free months. 1 month free with their current deal for us both, 1 month for me for referring my bf, and then 1 month for him so he wouldn’t be «left out.» When that second month came up we were both charged. What happened next is why I am not with YW anymore.
When I emailed the shop I was told the person who sold it to me was no longer with the company so boo hoo. This was a lie. She was still with YW just in BK. I told them that. All of a sudden they knew where she was and the story changed «we would never have done that.» Yes YogaWorks you caught me I was lying. They finally told me I could have the free second month but no to my bf unless I could provide proof. (What?) This was the worst as all of our conversations happened over the phone. I let YW know that their business practices and treatment of me felt icky and just like any other gym or fitness location. Not what I expected from a Yoga studio.

I’m a fan of yogaworks. At a level ½, I think there’s a nice array of good teachers pushing me to the next level but in a very mindful manner.
Nice and clean facility. Teachers are super knowledgeable.

This place kinda gets a bad rap from some overly dramatic reviewers here. I came to YW from a Groupon, which I turned into a prepaid 6 month membership because there was a deal that brought the monthly down to the cheapest in the neighborhood, which is probably why I don’t care about the little things as much as some other reviewers, as I’m just here to get in some good yoga and get out at a reasonable price.
No place in NY is perfect, and here are where people have gripes:
1. walking up 4 flights of stairs because the elevator is slow (yes after 6 or so the door is locked and that means waiting a few minutes for the elevator)
2. sometimes waiting a full 60 seconds to check in
3. the lack of lockers, although I get there early and always get one
4. the non-​fanciness of the building — I’m not looking for a spa just a good workout
5. the window AC units as opposed to central AC — can get too hot sometimes so I position myself under a fan
6. the lack of posh amenities (yes they do provide towels BTW)
I don’t care much about the above because everything else is pretty great:
1. I like the teachers — They definitely don’t do as many adjustments as other studios I’ve been to in 20 years of yoga, but they seem to provide help to those who are way off the mark. They will also make a lot of clear verbal adjustments until everyone is on the same page.
2. the variety of classes is great — and most classes have a good mix of moves with nice pacing
3. Dense schedule — can always find a class at the time I have free.
4. the place is clean, the towels are clean, the props are clean
5. the staff is friendly
6. most classes don’t get overly crowded.
7. They are pretty prompt, and I like their hour fifteen minute class as opposed to hour and a half or just hour classes elsewhere.
My gripes, which won’t cause me to yell and scream or give one star but that can use some improvement:
1. they should put the most crowded flow classes in the bigger room in the evenings
2. they should ban cell phone from being charged at the back of the room. Really takes away from a cell free clear mind space
3. they need mini chalkboards by the door telling you which class is in that room, I’ve forgotten or I’ve been told the wrong room before and didn’t realize til the class was 15 minutes in.
4. They could maybe have a dedicated «check in» scanner where people scan their tags themselves. Other studios I’ve been to let you do that. And the person can just watch and listen for the beep.
5. The locked door after hours is a hassle if you’re running late so I try to get there a few minutes early because I figure they would do something about it if they could.
Basically if you can take advantage of one of their deals it’s a great spot for a solid yoga workout.

Writing this review in hopes that the studio can do something with the building management:
DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT %(#&%(%ing DOOR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS.
The elevator is scary bad and unreliable. It takes forever. Most people would be late to their class if they took it, so walking 4 flights up to the studio is the alternative. I am fine with that but the door to the stairs is always locked unless someone from the other side opens it (you have to touchdown tackle it to open it from the other side by the way)
If you can’t get the building managment company to do something about that door, can someone from the YogaWorks studio maybe stand by that door around the times that popular classes start and hold it open for people? It would help.

First observation: They let people in LATE! For both classes I tried here, latecomers crept in a good 10 – 15 mins after class had begun. In the case of an unfamiliar restoratives class, it meant the [somewhat shaky, substitute] instructor had to repeatedly explain the setup of props, over and over. As we all know, knowing you can show up late and still be admitted without a word only makes us likelier to care less about being late next time.
Aside from that, the classes were fine: good instruction despite that substitute instructor being a little nervous. Other students still may give off a bit of that sorority vibe. The studios are large, clean rooms even though the whole building is old and mildly grungy. At least one studio has an expanse of windows that faces the interior space between shorter buildings, so you have the soothing whir of rooftop compressor units accompanying you through class.
The decently sized women’s locker room has fluorescent lights and beige-​painted lockers reminiscent of a high school nightmare. Unlike the Soho location (
), there’s no towel service here, but they do have digital lockers and a few showers.
I’ve now visited three Yogaworks locations in New York, and the Soho location is still the only one that stuns, both in terms of the facility and the instruction. I’m almost nostalgic for its mingling scent of chlorine and tea tree oil spray! But I came to this UWS location in a pinch, and if Yogaworks weren’t a membership-​only studio, I’d be happy coming here again.

I was a member for about 4 months during my TT program. I chose YW because of it’s proximity to my apt. The teachers all had different styles but everyone offers few assists. I tried as many different teachers as possible and found my favorites and tried to follow them. There are few lockers so you may have to bring your stuff into class with you. The locker room also tends to get dirty later in the day. My biggest gripe is the inefficiency of checking in during peak hours. I often found myself stuck behind someone who needs help from the person behind the desk. I had to wait for them to finish before I could get my card scanned.

I have been here for a handful of classes with a friend who is a member. Last year the drop in rate went up to $ 22/​class, which is starting to make it cost-​prohibitive for me since YogaWorks doesn’t have a location that would be easy for me to frequent and therefore make a monthly membership worth my while.
I will say that the classes are good. I have been to Vinyasa Flow and YogaWorks Flow classes here and have enjoyed every single one. I always leave feeling really relaxed. Even though I am not a frequent practitioner I find I am able to keep up in Level ²⁄₃ classes.
I will say that the locker room tends to get very crowded before and after classes. I do like the fact that the lockers have keypads so you don’t need to bring your own padlock. Do everyone else a favor though and share a locker with a friend — there do not seem to be nearly enough!