The last time I went to yoga at the Union was 2019 and it really hasn't changed. The staff is wonderful and the calming atmosphere is just as amazing. I came during Thanksgiving week, which is always stressful, but I was able to let go of some of my stress by coming to class. The reset on Wednesday night was so refreshing and let me get into the right mindset for the holiday on Thursday. If you haven't been to the Union, I suggest you go today. read more

The teachers are great and the people are friendly! Fell in love with the combination of strength and flexibility training here. It will heal your body and make you strong. read more

First timer: Kathy was my instructor, and she was so positive! It felt like I was receiving individual training in a group setting which I like. I struggle with back problems and mental illness so this is a great way for me to really alleviate the back pain and let out some steam. You will sweat and it may smell, but that's part of the experience!! I mean why else would you go to the gym? The facility at Alamo heights was REALLY nice! And Everyone was really friendly. Also I got the best sleep of my life last night and I'm going again this morning cause I loved it so much. As Kathy told us: think of this gym membership as life/health insurance. It's starts with self care!! read more

I absolutely hated my class here. I've been doing yoga for a long time in a bunch of different cities, so maybe I am just used to a certain style, but this class was super focused on breathing more than active movements. I really didn't like the vibe there and the front desk staff was not very helpful. I may give another class a try to see if maybe it was just that one instructor, but overall I wasn't a big fan. read more

Bikram is great for everything from strength and flexibility to general good health. I love the practice, but have mixed feelings about the attitude that goes along with it. There are a lot of rules without a lot of explanation. Also, be prepared for a little humiliation--if you have to leave the classroom, you will be reprimanded, singled out, and/or made to do the "pee pee" dance. It sort of feels like you need to be a "soldier yogi" instead of just practicing. But, the owners are really passionate about what they do and they and the teachers are really willing to help with postures. It's worth a shot. Just go prepared to sweat, really hydrated, and ready to focus on the yoga instead of the 'tudes and other stuff. read more

I've been here twice, four years apart, and I can't say that my experience has improved. Bikram yoga is my least favorite of all the practices, so I will write this review based off my experience with the instructors, facilities, and services, rather than the practice itself. Nothing has changed about the studio since I last visited four years ago. The changing rooms/storage facilities are still cramped. There is barely enough room not to touch your fellow students when you're in shavasana, leaving you always extra conscious about disturbing or being disturbed by your neighbor. Some instructors are a little too aggressive both in class and when they're trying to sell you on their services. On the positive side, they have awesome first timer discounts, and free passes if you've been a member and want to bring a friend along. Prices are more affordable than many Bikram and power yoga studios. Not the best yoga studio in the area, but also not the worst. read more

I was skeptical to try "Hot Yoga" but a friend talked me into it...and now I'm a believer! I had zip, zero, zilch yoga experience before coming here and in just 2 weeks I've improved so much and already started noticing results...6 pounds gone! They have a variety of classes that are for all skill levels. What really suprised me about the classes are that they are so diverse-old/young, men/women, in/out of shape, people of all shapes and sizes come to class, so don't be shy to try it for the first time! You can buy a $20 pass that gets you 10 consecutive days of unlimited yoga, a real deal here since classes overall are more expensive than a typical gym membership. Go to thier website for other tips and info, its always up to date. Plus the staff is awesome! I've had about 6 different teachers so far and they are all great, and make every class fun and unique...hard to do when you are teaching the same postures with each class! read more

I had the instructor Claire for the inferno Pilates at the Huebner location she was the best ever she makes you feel really comfortable her music is really good I went to the broadway location and had toom he teaches the inferno Pilates he wasn't very welcoming and seemed to get a little agitated of you couldn't do what he asked he was rude he also didn't seem to have a routine the lady at the front desk was also rude he had lomg black straight hair I wish I knew her name all in all it's a good place to go to just don't take toom. read more

This is extreme yoga! 90 minutes in a 105 degree room doing 26 different yoga poses. You come out of that class drenched, but feeling amazing - just make sure you drink a lot of water before hand. It's a little pricey, but worth it if you want to become more flexible, build strength, and detoxify...or maybe if you're just masochistic! There was a studio that I used to go to out in California, so when I found this I was ecstatic. This is the only certified bikram yoga studio in San Antonio, and they have two locations, one in Alamo Heights and one in Hollywood Park and you can use your membership at both locations. read more

Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's hot. Yes, it's sweaty. But if you like those things, if that appeals to you, Bikram yoga is where you need to be. I like the atmosphere at Bikram Yoga San Antonio. The instructors accommodate your skill level and are always welcoming to newcomers. Everyone is pretty cool. It's a trial, going to bikram yoga. But if you like it, you should be going to this studio. It's worth it. read more

I love this place, after a friend of mind kept telling me about bikram back home i went on a search for one in town and well this was the only place i could find. the only thing i don't like is that fact that is still far for me to drive and the prices aren't always within my budget. if i was a rich college GRAD and not a college STUDENT i'd be here all the time. i felt that refreshed feeling almost every time i go. love it read more

I really like this studio. I love all the instructors and have gotten a warm welcome from them all, in yoga and crossfit. I think it is something to try especially because everyone has different preferences and you will learn every instructor is different. Some instructors talk and some do not. At this studio they do not do music but I have done hot yoga in OKC and they played music and a friend of mine, also a member, did not like that they played music as I did not care either way. It is a bit pricey and that may be the only reason I would not renew my contract as prices are going up this year also. Classes can get crowded but the early bird gets the worm because those morning classes are almost never crowded and it motivates me to go workout earlier because I do not want to be in the crowded classes. Which is good for me as often I make plans for an afternoon class and something comes up. Nothing comes up when I go to the six AM class lol. They do offer numerous classes but I think for the price I wish they had more as I am a nurse and when I work the weekends 12 hour shifts they have no classes available for me. read more

Before I write this review I would like to offer a little bit of background. I live in Austin, TX. I am 28 years old. I am a former gymnast and a runner. I use "Classpass" which allows me to go to many different yoga studios in and around Austin. I have done almost every type of yoga offered in the area including "hot yoga" and "Bikram Yoga", which is the class I will be reviewing. I took this class with Shane. I gave the studio 1 star because of the way I was treated. It upsets me that this kind of place exists. I would have given the studio 3 stars had I not been humiliated. I will first start with the class itself. It was a very crowded studio. The most crowded studio I have ever been in. I also would not have called this class yoga. It is more like a boot-camp with yoga poses. This was not what I was expecting, however I decided to roll with it. There was no music. The instructor had a headset microphone. It was not a relaxing atmosphere at all. The instructor would say things like "quick get in the pose" and "lower, lower, more lower". Bad grammar aside, this is not my cup of tea. Never have I taken a yoga class where I was told to quickly get into a pose. Other quotes from the instruction include "I am not going to start until everyone gets into the pose", "Charge" and the weirdest for me was the loud clap we received to signify we were supposed to get out of a pose. No variations were offered except for camel pose and reclining hero pose. The last 30 minutes of the class was spent going in and out of Savasana about 10-15 times and doing various exercises in between with harsh transitions. Once again not relaxing, which is the purpose of Savasana. At the very end of class we were asked to go into Savasana once more. The lights were turned off and immediately the instructor ends class with a very relaxing "Have a great day. My name's Shane. Ill be in the lobby" I attempted to keep my feelings out of the previous paragraph, however after reading further, you may understand why. About 30 minutes into the class we were asked to get into a wide-legged forward bend. A position I am very familiar with. The instructor told us to grab our heels and pull ourselves through our legs. Now as someone who has had hip and hamstring injuries in the past, I intelligently decided I was not going to grab my heels, but hang forward and let my hands rest on the floor. Most yoga instructors I have been with encourage you to "let gravity do the work" and if necessary you may then lightly pull on your heels. The instructor then came over to me demanding that I grab my heels and pull. I told him I did not want to do this. He then repeated my words into the microphone "you don't want to do this?" Then what got me incredibly angry is he then said "So you don't want to do this the 'right' way." This caused laughter within the studio. I may not be a yoga instructor, but since when is pulling on your heels the only way to do this pose? Now I am a very strong person and I am very sure of my abilities, but being in a new studio with people I have never seen before laughing at me was not a good feeling. I am not so much angry for myself, as much as I am upset that this is going on and no one is doing anything about it. This is not what yoga is, nor should be! I would have loved to speak with a manager about my experience, but there was no one other than the instructor left in the studio. I will be calling the owner to let them know what occurred. I am hoping this sparks some change. read more

I really enjoyed the Bikram class, minus the instructor, Lisa. What was supposed to be a relaxing workout was ruined by stories about her kids, side conversations with the regulars, and her lack of instruction. I was brand new to the studio, and Bikram, and she called me out in front of the entire class for doing moves incorrectly- hey, I was trying! Her attitude made me uncomfortable and I felt pressure to be perfect so I wouldn't be berated in front in the entire class again. I'll be doing Bikram again, just not at this studio! read more

It's really a shame I got into a debacle with one of the owners, Lisa, of this yoga studio. I really enjoyed going to classes here. The monthly rate is reasonable and affordable for students, and Steve, the co-owner, is really nice and a great teacher. I was in such great shape when I went to Bikram on a regular basis, and every class was absolutely refreshing. That being said, I know business can't please everyone but my situation could have been handled so much better, and I am sad it ended in me parting ways with Bikram Yoga. ***Long, winded story warning.*** I joined Bikram early 2008, I believe. When I joined, I spoke directly with Lisa and was sure to ask whether my contract could be "frozen" because there was a pretty good chance I would be spending the summer interning out of town. She said, yes, there is was an option to freeze accounts. I said great, and immediately enrolled in the unlimited student auto-withdrawal package. May rolls around, and if you're a student or a parent, you know that means it's finals time. My graduate degree program relied solely on final exams for grades, so my life was pretty much on hold starting in April. On top of that, my wallet had been stolen so I had to cancel all my cards and get new ones. When Bikram went to bill me for May, they couldn't because my card number had changed. Lisa emailed me asking for my new information, and I asked about freezing my account. First she told me that there was no such thing as freezing accounts, but when I told her I remembered speaking directly to her when I joined she suddenly remembered that there was an option to freeze accounts (red flag! ... this was just the beginning). It was still the first week of May when I requested my account be frozen, I hadn't attended any classes yet for the month, but Lisa told me that I couldn't freeze my account because my request came after the first of the month. I kindly asked her to send me the paperwork regarding my account in order to determine whether this stipulation was printed anywhere, and of course it wasn't. Lisa demanded that I pay for the entire month of May (this is probably now half-way through the month, and I still haven't attended any classes) in order to keep my account current. She wouldn't even consider the option of pro-rating my month from the 1st to when I asked for my account to be frozen even though I hadn't attended a single class. I even suggested that she freeze my account for the month of May, and I would cancel according to my contract which stipulates that you must at least give 30 days notice before you quit (i.e. you go through two billing cycles, I believe. You pay for one more cycle, then your last month is free because it's part of your payment up front--you pay for your first and last month of yoga). I just wanted to get my money's worth, and I didn't feel like getting taken advantage of for no reason--I hadn't been to a single class that month! I told her a few days after the 1st that I wanted to freeze my account, and that unprinted mistake cost me $70. Needless to say, I never went back, and she kept the deposit on my account. Steve was copied on all the emails between Lisa and me, and yet he never intervened. I guess this is the danger you sometimes encounter with mom&pop operations--the rules aren't clearly stated and sometimes that bites you in the rear. Part of me is still very bitter that they kept $70.00 of mine for stating some unwritten rule that I could never could have known existed. This was an unfortunate situation that led to a serious mishandling by these business owners. If Lisa would have just frozen my account, I probably would still be a Bikram Yoga Yogi. She traded two years of business for one month of fees. Someone tell me where is the business sense in that? I have not, and will never refer a friend of mine to Bikram Yoga. read more

I have a love/hate relationship with this yoga. It is 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises in a 105 degree room for 90 minutes. But aside from the yoga, this studio, the instructors, and the owners are top notch. After doing ashtanga and vinyasa yoga for two years and just moving to San Antonio, I was looking for a yoga studio near by. I had no idea what I was getting into. I agree with another review, that I would not necessarily say this is yoga. You will work, sweat, be miserable, be dying to get out of that room or out of the posture, you will wonder what made you decide to go, you will think these yogis are crazy. There is nothing relaxing about it for 90 minutes. On the other hand, I am amazed at how good I feel afterward and how energized I feel through out the day. The prices are reasonable, e.g., $99 auto withdrawal for unlimited classes at all three studios. First timers: no one is judging you, get their at least 15 minutes before your first class to meet with the instructor and sit in the hot room for a few minutes before getting started. I also recommend buying the 10 day unlimited starter package for $20 and going as much as you can before deciding whether it is for you or not. It took me about 5 classes to feel a difference. The good thing about this yoga is that it is your cardio, strength building, and stretching in one class. Prior to practicing Bikram Yoga, I did yoga for an hour or more, cardio for 45 minutes, weights for 20 minutes, stretching for 10 minutes. It is also difficult to get used to all their rules compared to other types of yoga or other studios I've been to. If you're late, you will get locked out, if you leave the room for any reason (unless you're pregnant), you have to do a pee-pee dance when you get back or at times are told not to leave. Once you get used to the rules, it's no big deal and you respect their rules. They offer a variety of times to fit any schedule at three studios: early morning, noon, after work, or late at night. It may not be your cup of tea if you prefer a flow or calming yoga, but I've noticed a difference in my body and attitude since I've been doing Bikram. read more

I have been doing bikram for almost a year now. The studios and bathrooms are always clean. The showers in the bathrooms allow a quick clean up in case you can't go home to clean up before finishing your day. They also supply hair dryers, soap, shampoo and conditioner! The front desk staff and teachers are always so helpful. Classes are judgment free, whether you're a bikram newbie or novice. Classes are 90 minutes long, however time passes quickly in the hot room (105 degrees). If you're thinking about trying bikram, and I recommend that you do! Drink plenty of water and don't eat anything heavy within two hours of class. Bikram is an amazing work out and you will feel great, physically and mentally. read more

Hot. Stinky. Not the peace and love yoga I was used to, but I like what this exercise is doing for my body. I don't consider this to be yoga, but more of a hard-core workout. I don't much like the instructors who act like drill sergeants. Rather, I like the ones who ascribe to a more supportive line of direction. It's a love/hate thing. When I walk in and smell the weird, hot, sweaty carpet smell, I feel a little sick. But when I leave the studio, I'm better for having gone. Namaste. read more

This yoga studio is somewhere beyond sub-par. The teachers speak quickly, yell 'go!' And clap when telling you to get into a pose and very rarely focus on breath. They like to tell you, 'you should be feeling pain'. All this taken together just seems like moving aorund in a hot room rather than yoga. In fact, a girl the other day in class with us was celebrating her birthday and they gave her a cheap plastic lei to wear throughout class. The teacher stopped the class mid way through, singled the girl out and asked her why she took it off. When she said it fell off during a pose and she kept it off because it was uncomfortable, the teacher literally forced her to put it back on and told her if it falls off again she better put it back on or she would stop class and wair for her to put it back on again. ...happy birthday? I have also heard numerous other people say while they were taking a break in childs pose, teachers tod them to get up and keep going. Yoga as torture? Not to mention the sign above the door that says 'torture chamber'. All this is quit strange as most of the instructors I have seen there and taken class from are not in shape and do not demonstrate any of the poses or do them with the class. However, all of the above is really just the icing on the cake. I have never been into a yoga studio that smells so foul. It is a stench that stings the nostrils. It was all I could do just to stay in the room with that smell. Why you would carpet a yoga studio in the first place is beyond me, it should be ripped out. There are not many hot yoga studios in San Antonio, so I really tried to look past the rude people, the bad smell, the inconvenient class times and complete lack of variety in practice but the last straw was when, after class, an instructor was trying to persuade me to sign up for automatic monthly charges for membership and I set down my yoga mat and accidentally forgot it. I commute for work and spend half my week in Austin so I called the studio looking for my mat and even showed up before I left town but no one was there. When I came back the day I got into town the studio told me my mat was gone and they had donated it. But I could borrow their free of charge that day, as if I was getting some kind of deal. What a shame that this place is one of the few yoga options centrally located, it is worth the drive to somewhere else, trust me. Hopefully better options will come along and shut this place down or competition will force it to improve. Until then, avoiding the Union. read more

If you like pushing the limits of what you can safely do to your body, then this place is for you. I like yoga classes that are more personal, and that focus on what is appropriate for you and your levels of fitness and health. The class I took at Bikram Yoga felt extremely competitive. They even have a "wall of fame" of people who have completed some sort of Bikram Yoga challenge, in the studio, that looks down on you while you practice. Even though I am very experienced with yoga, the instructor publicly forced me to leave the spot I had chosen near the front of the class and sit in the back row because she said it was my first time. I thought it was a bit childish. During my session, two people vomited and had to leave the class. Sounds like fun right? Yay, Bigram yoga. read more

I really enjoy the practice, but can easily see why it's not for everyone. My performance in the class is definitely influenced by who the instructor is. I like the Alamo Heights location second best to Huebner Oaks--mostly due to the paying for water issue since it doesn't have water fountains. The carpet doesn't seem as "grippy" as the Huebner one either, but still a great place to practice :) read more

This is the worst Yoga studio I have ever been to. The classes are exactly the same without any variations and the instructors do not help correct postures. The staff was also rude and pretentious. I will never go back and strongly encourage you to not waste your money here. It is over priced and not a productive workout. read more

BYSA is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I had no idea what it was when I was persuaded to attend my first class 5 years ago...now I can't imagine life without it. My quality of life has improved tremendously since starting a practice at Bikram. I'm happier, healthier (even lost 30+ lbs and 6 jeans sizes!), and enjoy the camaradarie at BYSA. The owners and teachers are fabulous, and have done SA a good deed by bringing the franchise here! read more

I started bikram yoga about 3 months ago and was going regularly. Loved it! I originally started to switch up my workouts and also to heal my knee. I did see results. I lost some inches and toned up. I also really like getting sweaty. So overall, it's been good :-) read more

I love bikram! The instructors are great and the class makes you feel whole again. I swear by this workout! Def miss the San Antonio studios

After practicing yoga at The Union for 1 month, I signed a 3 Month Contract. At the end of the 3 months, the contract "renewed" and the staff did not send any type of notification of the renewal. For the 2 months after my contract expired, a total of $218 was taken out of my account. When I tried to resolve the issue and come to an arrangement, I received extremely poor customer service. After giving The Union $545, I expected to be treated with more respect and to be heard- not to be given some payment policy paper and then be so easily dismissed. The Union wouldn't exist without customers and customers should be their number one priority. The reliable and positive vibe The Union tries to portray means nothing if their customers aren't first. It was never emphasized that the 3 Month Contract is not actually a 3 Month Contract, and that The Union can keep taking money out of my bank account without notifying me. I am beyond disappointed and I will never recommend any yogi to The Union. read more