Bikram Yoga Clapham Junction

With having had previous work experience in a yoga studio and doing Bikram off and on for over a decade I found my first and probably last experience here to be sub par and now let me explain why.
I was not greeted warmly and actually was told in a gruff manner to be helped from someone else after I didn’t want my picture taken for my file. First off, my friend who I went there with didn’t have to get her picture taken so it can’t be protocol. And my other friend who I’ll talk about later also didn’t have her photo taken. So why the battle?! Also, I don’t like my picture taken when I look like crap first thing in the morning.
That was after I was told i was in the wrong like and told to get behind people in the other queue only to be told to come back because I actually was in the right queue.
The class ok. In the end not my cup of tea. Not a big deal. Enjoyed the standing series but the sitting series was a bit annoying because after a posture you are instructed to turn around and get into savanasa, but you can’t really relax into it because you’re just waiting for the teacher to make you do a sit up (which I always think is weird to do in a yoga class, that’s just me tho) so how can you relax when you have to move in 30 seconds and sorta fumble around turn around to lay down like 15x. I got over that pretty quick. No downward dogs?! I dunno… I just think it’s weird. But ok. Me again.
Fast forward a couple hours when I was chatting to a friend about the class who I knew bought the intro monthly session.
I realised then I had been jipped out of a good experience and so had my friend who’d never done Bikram before.
Apparently people greet you warmly and ask you questions about what brought you to Bikram and if there’s any concerns or questions concerning ones state of health. I was asked none of this.
Then once in class the teacher is supposedly welcoming and directs first time students to certain spots in the room for a better view and then introduces people to the room. Yeah, that didn’t happen at all.
Basically I got a bad teacher who I battled with over having my picture taken and brought a bad attitude into the room with him.
Not a good experience and actually, I’m more bummed that my friend had a bad experience because it was her first time and from the talk we had it’ll probably be her last.

This is my regular bikram studio in London. I first got into bikram yoga in San Francisco at the end of last year and was thrilled when I found this place upon my move to London.
I began with the 1 month unlimited classes for £45 intro offer and enjoyed the classes so much that I committed to the unlimited membership package. I go to the studio 2 – 3 times per week and I love it!
The studio is very new and is always super clean, whilst the staff are really friendly and welcoming. The studio has a state of the art heating/​ventilation system so it is never stifling hot. There are multiple classes per day– during peak times the classes do get busy but I’ve never experienced a class being completely full.
It is a 5 minute walk from Clapham Junction station and so is really accessible. As a PhD student I really like that there is a student rate offered at this studio.