Anna K.
Yelp
I took a 6:15pm Level 2 class one night last week. I was so excited to try Yogaview for the first time, because it's been popping up frequently on my ClassPass app. I often attend hot yoga classes at another studio that's also in Lincoln Park, but I was so curious to step through those Yogaview doors and check out the skyline view from the studio at night. I wasn't fully disappointed in my experience, but it didn't blow me away and I probably won't come back for another class.
I rarely write reviews that are less than 4 stars, so I'll get specific and break it down. I'll start with the best parts.
THE GOOD:
- One of the women up front gave me a tour after I said it was my first time at the studio. This was not not the main front desk girl, but instead an instructor who happened to be behind the desk. More details on that below.
- The instructor I had for the night, Kelly Tahini, was fabulous. She stayed after to talk with me after I let her know that her class was fun and challenging. I loved her.
- The class Level 2 class was, as I said, was challenging and the music was relaxing. If you're great at yoga, go for it. This is definitely a workout!
- The space is absolutely gorgeous. You can see the skyline from the lobby. I believe you can see the skyline from one of the studios, too, but I'm not sure, because I sadly was in one of the other studios not facing the skyline.
- It smells so good in here. There is incense burning in all the studios, so the whole place smells calming.
- There are plenty of free amenities, like mats and water stations to refill your bottles, plus a few changing rooms, and plenty of restrooms.
- There's free street parking nearby.
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THE DISAPPOINTING PARTS:
- Parking: Upon arrival, I was initially excited to see that there was a parking lot. After driving through the lot, I noticed all signs pertaining to YogaSquad said "staff only." Then outside the front door, I read a sign saying people could park in the lot during certain hours. I'm still confused as to whether or not students can park in the lot, and if so, can we park only in the Yogaview-designated spots?
- Check-in: When I arrived around 5:50, there was a sign-in sheet on the counter. The girl behind the counter said, "Are you here for 6pm?" I said, "nope, 6:15." And she said, "oh," and nodded at the empty sign-in sheet for 6:15 class. I signed in and didn't say anything else, but felt awkward -- usually at other studios, whoever's behind the desk asks if you've been there before or if you need anything before class. This didn't happen here, and there are a lot of doors, so I truly didn't know where to go, or which studio I'd be in. I aimlessly walked toward the studios, then hung my coat up. Then, I noticed changing rooms near the coat rack. By the time I'd changed, there was someone else behind the counter, so I told her it was my first time there. She said, "Did you buy a class online?" and girl who I'd seen before said, "she's with ClassPass," and they both were like, "oh." I'm all for hearing about pricing deals, but I guess if you sign up with ClassPass they don't offer deals, maybe. After that, the other woman, who I think was an instructor, gave me a detailed tour, which was really sweet. This woman was really nice, but I felt pretty unwelcome by the other person behind the desk, so I didn't venture back out to the lobby 'til after class.
- The studio where class was held: It shared a wall with other businesses in the building, which I learned during the last few minutes of class. When the class was taking our final breaths and soaking up all of our hard work, there were men rolling trashcans and bantering in the hall. It was the least relaxing final savasana I've experienced in a while. I'm not sure if class is rarely held in there, but soundproofing that area near the door that leads to the hall could make a huge difference. Also, the view was what I was most excited about when it came to choosing this studio, but unfortunately I didn't choose the class that was in the studio with the best view. That was fine, I knew I couldn't control that, but the noise + parking lot view together ended up making me feel pretty disappointed.
- Lastly, someone came into class about 10 minutes late, dropped her mat, unzipped her coat loudly, dropped her bag loudly, stomped across the floor, and totally got ready and adjusted pretty well after we'd already begun. I know people are encouraged to bring their valuables into the studios so they stay safe, but I think that was a little much and I kind of wish there was a better protocol on not allowing that kind of thing to happen.
As I said before, I'm not sure if I'd come back. Maybe if I sign up for a class in the future and I know I can see the skyline, or if I take a step back and consider that the girl behind the desk might've been having a bad night that night, I'll give Yogaview another try.