I am a fairly regular yoga practitioner, and I get antsy if I miss more than a week of class. Recently, as the economy has me questioning the expense of class fees, I started thinking more about why I’ve never been any good at practicing at home. I’ve never had much trouble giving up gym memberships, but sitting in the waiting area before class last week I was struck by how much I would miss the studio if I stopped going. And then it occurred to me that this is the difference a designed experience can make.
Gyms: Do You Feel Fit?
The average gym strives more to meet needs than to create a specific experience. To maximize capacity they are usually packed with as many machines possible. In nicer gyms, windows or mirrors might border the area to reduce the claustrophobia, the floor might be covered with a non-absorbent material to reduce stains and smells, and the locker rooms might feature some luxury materials to make it feel less like a communal shower.
24 Hour Fitness, photo by Wade Griffith
Each of these touches alleviates or masks an issue of the space, rather than supporting a consciously designed experience. In fact, gyms often make every effort to help you mentally escape their surroundings.
Some gyms have screens on every machine. Photo by Jeuce Huang
Yoga Studios: Step 0
In contrast, yoga studios, at least the ones I have been in, are designed to enhance the yoga practice experience. They engage all of the senses in a very purposeful way. Many studios burn incense or use aromatic oils in the lobby, most ask you to go barefoot inside, and some offer complimentary tea. The lighting and interior decoration are often designed to help you get into the peaceful, focused state of mind that yoga encourages.
Truyoga Lobby
The exercise space is inviting but simple, enabling students to feel comfortable in the space and as internally focused as needed. The minimal decorations also allow the experience of a class to be shaped by the people in the class, rather than the space.
Truyoga Studio
Most studios also sell merchandise, and these areas are usually well integrated with the main lobby or waiting area, following many of the same principles as Apple Stores – they uphold and are consistent with the overall experience of the studio, and they minimize the sales markup. (For example, there are usually no large “SALE” banners or neon lit cooler cases like you might find at the gym.)
Truyoga Store
The yoga studio opens a dialog with students, an experience narrative that is begun by the space, continued by the teacher, and hopefully carried home by the student. (Note: I took the above photos of the yoga studio in my office complex, which is not the studio I go to most often, nor one specially selected for its design.)
What This Means to Me
Jon Kolko talks in his book Thoughts on Interaction Design about “the importance of the seductive experience in generating return business.” The feeling I get from the well-crafted experience at the yoga studio, which I have neither the time nor space to replicate at home, is definitely part of what keeps me paying for classes even in these tight times.
