The background
Hot yoga, also known as Bikram Yoga, requires strict control over the temperature and humidity of the environment. Hot yoga studios needs to be maintained at a temperature of 35°C – 40°C, with a relative humidity (RH) of 40%. The humidity level is important, because at 40% RH perspiration won’t evaporate as quickly. This prevents the body from being cooled. This increases the amount of healthy sweating, makes stretching more effective and helps to prevent injuries.
For Yoga in the Lanes, environmental conditions would no be achieved in their Bikram Yoga School without humidity control. The school is operated by husband-and-wife team Simon and Bridgett Goddard, who both regularly practise and teach at the school. In 2020, they moved into their new yoga school and realised that the heaters they were using weren’t good enough.
Humidity Solutions first started working with Yoga in the Lanes in 2010 when their first studio opened. 10 years later they came back to us for our humidification advice and reliable customer service. This case study showcases how we helped Yoga in the Lanes achieve the perfect environmental conditions for Bikram yoga with best in class customer experience.
“We chose to work with Humidity Solutions because of our long working relationship together. We have always received excellent customer service, expert advice, and reliability.”
Simon Goddard, Yoga in the Lanes
The problem
When Simon and BA moved into the studio, they purchased three plugin heaters to heat the studio to the optimal temperature of 40°C. However, they soon realised that the heaters weren’t doing the job. There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, the heaters are placed up high to avoid heat being directly applied to the skin of the yoga practitioners. Secondly, to save valuable floor space being taken up by equipment. The problem is that hot air rises so the ground level temperature was only reaching 32°C at best. To add to the problem, fresh air was being brought into the space through a heat recovery unit and cooling the temperature of the room as the heaters could not cope with the load. Providing fresh oxygen into the space is necessary to be able to breathe so it was impossible to reach a 40°C room temperature.
The reliability of the equipment was another factor adding to the issue. Three to four months after installing the heaters, they began to break down. This meant that they couldn’t rely on all three heaters working at the same time. The heaters were placed in three corners of the room. This meant that there was no consistency of temperature from one side to the other. As the UK lockdown began and classes at the yoga school moved online, Simon knew it was time to investigate a new solution. Therefore, he contacted Humidity Solutions for help and advice.
The Hot Yoga Solution
Before coming to Humidity Solutions, Simon considered alternative ways to heat the space. These alternatives included infrared heaters suspended from the ceiling. However, these were ruled out on basis that they wouldn’t achieve the results. Simon and BA were also after a solution that would be safe for the yoga practitioners and was concerned that infrared heaters could potentially inflame any health issues the yoga practitioners may have.
Humidity Solutions’ managing director and humidification expert – John Barker – recommended the Vesuvius unit to Yoga in the Lanes. The Vesuvius has been uniquely designed and developed by the Humidity Solutions team specifically for applications like this. The unit has many benefits including stable, and reliable humidity and temperature control, energy efficiencies, reliability and durability and it doesn’t take up too much space. The Vesuvius was installed into a small kitchen space at the back of the studio. “One of the biggest selling points was the compactness of the unit. It could fit into our room and take up no more space than a fridge freezer. This was a big advantage.” said Simon.
As well as providing the Vesuvius, Humidity Solutions also assisted with the duct work. This helped soften the sound of the equipment which was located right next to the yoga studio. Attenuators were installed to the duct work to dampen the sound and remove any concerns that the noise could distract from the calmness of the yoga practise. Simon added: “Rob [from Humidity Solutions] and the duct work supplier communicated together to achieve the results we needed. The process was seamless”.
The results
Simon and BA are delighted with the consistency and reliability from the Vesuvius unit and have already noticed a difference in their customers reaction. Simon said: “We want our customers to feel the heat when they walk in, it heightens their experience and is what brings them back. Since we’ve installed the Vesuvius, we can notice the difference in our customers’ reaction”. Besides the performance of the unit, Simon also praised Humidity solutions for their outstanding advice, customer service and speedy delivery and installation to get their studio up and running in time to welcome their student back after the lockdown regulations.
John Barker, Managing Director, commented: “Humidity Solutions is all about providing the right solution to the customer through expertise, equipment and installation. We are thrilled that Yoga in the Lanes now have the equipment they need to provide the best hot yoga experience for their students and are proud to be involved in the project”.
Humidity Solutions helps many different industries achieve their correct environmental conditions, taking all parameters into consideration. Get in touch with our experts today to discuss your requirements by calling 01372 571200 or email info@humiditysolutions.co.uk
