PURE EAST
203 E. 86th St.; 212-360-1888, pureyoga.com
The class: Hot Homegirl Yoga, a fast-paced, hourlong vinyasa class set to pulsating rock anthems such as “Sweet Home Alabama”
Temperature: 92 degrees
With 100 classes per week, a sleek locker room and renowned teachers, Pure, which has another location on the Upper West Side, is the Rolls-Royce of New York yoga studios. It attracts serious (but fun-loving) Lululemon-clad yogis — but this class, led by Halle Becker, is refreshingly not snobby: “I want it to be a concert-style,” says Becker. “You don’t have to be silent meditating on a mountain!”
The class is cooler than others, but due to its fast-paced nature, sweat will ooze from every pore in your body — there are times, especially toward the end, when you think you might pass out. Newbies should avoid the front right corner of the studio — it’s the hottest area of the room — but thankfully, damp eucalyptus-scented towels cool you off afterward.
Cost: Memberships start at $155 per month (for unlimited classes).
YOGA TO THE PEOPLE
1017 Sixth Ave. (entrance on 38th Street); 917-573-9642, yogatothepeople.com
The class: 26 + 6 hot yoga, a 60-minute session similar to Bikram
Temperature: 106 degrees
You get what you pay for: The smell of sweat hangs in the air, and the mats are a little beat-up. Still, the instructor, James White, exuded Zen — emphasizing the meditative benefits of yoga and encouraging students to believe in their potential. The students are completely unpretentious (nary a Lululemon logo in sight), and you’ll work yourself into a detoxifying sweat in this swiftly moving class.
Cost: $7 for a single class, plus $2 for towel and $2 for mat rental
BIKRAM YOGA HERALD SQUARE
139 W. 35th St., eighth floor.; 917-940-8935, bikramyoga-heraldsquare.com
The class: The copyrighted hot yoga that started the frenzy, known as Bikram Yoga, is a series of 26 standing and seated poses drawn from traditional hatha yoga. Bikram is traditionally taught in a room heated to 105 degrees.
Temperature: 98 degrees
A bed of fake grass greets visitors in the reception area of this Midtown oasis. The benches in the lobby area are made of reclaimed wood from old Kentucky barns. The slip- and stain-resistant floor inside the studio is waterproof so germs and odors cannot seep through.
“We wanted to create a luxury version of the hot yoga studio,” says Greg Weglarski, who co-owns the space with his mother, Elizabeth Weglarska.
“Sometimes Bikram yoga gets a bad rap for having mean teachers,” he adds. “It’s more about teaching the yoga practice and not teaching discipline. Everyone’s an adult — if someone needs to go to the bathroom they need to go to the bathroom.”
Students say the all-inclusive factor is a plus (towels, mats and water are provided free of charge). “In New York, commuting from work to here and having to carry all that, is definitely a lot,” says 28-year-old NoLIta investment manager Jamie Kanter.
Cost: $30 for a single class
MOKSHA YOGA
434 Sixth Ave., second floor; 212-780-9642, nyc.mokshayoga.ca
The class: Moksha 60, an hourlong version of the studio’s 90-minute class, moves through 40 common, easy-to-follow poses, such as downward dog and side bends.
Temperature: 100 degrees
The thermostat hits triple digits — you’ll definitely sweat your butt off — but the poses aren’t too strenuous, so the class is detoxifying but bearable. And everything about the sun-drenched Greenwich Village outpost of this Canadian hot-yoga chain exudes environmental friendliness: The walls are insulated with recycled jeans, and the floor in the reception area is made from recycled tires and cork.
The teaching philosophy at this mostly female class is open and loving: The gentle teachers cast no judgment and won’t contort students into positions they’re not ready for. “In this studio, it’s a community-based, calming atmosphere,” says Abby Wyss, a 30-year-old blogger from Murray Hill.
Cost: $20 for a single class