For readers in Seattle, I have visited several yoga studios during my 3 years of living there. I have reviewed some of my favorite studios below. If you are looking for one single recommendation and you are an advanced yogi, looking to push your practice to the next level physically, I recommend Troy Lucero’s Acme Yoga Project (Facebook page).

• MIND.BODY.HUM – Scott Francis started this yoga studio after he left Be Luminous yoga. It’s a beautiful yoga studio, clean, and has individual showers. It has 2 studio practice rooms and the air flow of it is much better than that of most heated studios. I went during partial covid lockdowns (when masks were still required in the studio during practice) so I am not sure if it was because masks were required that the temperature felt warm but not hot. Scott’s classes are the most full and my favorite to go to: A good balance of strength and mental practice and he liberally uses the props and musical instruments in the room.
• Be Luminous Yoga – This studio benefits those who have practiced at least 10 times before the most. It is very popular and conveniently located on the plaza above Whole Foods in South Lake Union so it is the one of the more crowded of all the yoga studios listed here. However, it has the best community and my favorite teachers; it does have an intro to yoga series that beginners should take instead of the other classes. The studio is owned by small business owners and the 900 Lenora Street location is the only studio. This studio is heated to 90 degrees F for each class (except for the beginner’s and slow flow classes.)
• Sanctuary Studios – You go to this studio for experiencing the physical space, not for growing your yoga practice. This is a startup that pre-records yoga videos and plays them in a giant screen inside a beautiful yoga room. You can choose individual meditation rooms or group yoga studio rooms, and you get your own bathroom filled with high-quality soaps and lotions, towels, and everything you could possibly need. You can customize the temperature of the room, the sound, and whether you want aromatherapy. They serve loose leaf teas and the feeling of the studio is very “zen”, as if you are in a spa.
• CorePower Yoga – This studio is the best for beginners since they offer a 7-day free unlimited pass for new members. It is also super clean, has the nicest facilities of any yoga studio I have been to in Seattle, and has sticky floors, making your mat less likely to slip. The Queen Anne studio doesn’t get too packed and there are mirrors in the studio to help you figure out your alignment during the earlier stages of your practice. It’s also a chain so class packages and passes you purchase work in all 3 locations around Seattle and nation-wide in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. These studios are heated except for the 1C classes which are good beginner classes. The one downside is that the CorePower instructors are newer to teaching than those at other studios so I don’t grow as much physically or spiritually when I go to their classes.
• 8 Limbs Yoga (Capitol Hill) – This studio benefits those who have practiced yoga for at least 3 months the most. It has some of the more advanced yoga classes (although its level 1 and 2 classes are pretty accessible to most.) Their level 3 classes are quite challenging and involve fun inversions. I practiced at this studio during the 3 months I wasn’t able to do hot yoga (see my “Naked” Face post.) The studio doesn’t have the newest facilities but their live music classes and brick walls have personality and charm. This was also one of the few studios I have ever practiced at where there were more men than women (split was about 60% male, 40% female.)
• 8 Limbs Yoga (Wedgwood) – I went to Maritza Vargas Reyes’s flow/vinyasa class in 2018, at least 3 years after I visited the Capitol Hill location. This location caters to an older audience (they have a yoga for 50+ class) and the flow was a lot more basic and easy. I barely broke a sweat but the stretch and sequence was good. Maritza demonstrated several poses and it was clear she is an advanced teacher but the class was taught at a basic level. Similar to the Capitol Hill location, the studio space was cute and because of the few students in this class, we practiced with our mats in a circle, which had a nice community feeling. One of my favorite parts about this location is that their rental mats are Manduka PROlite mats. Their first class + mat rental is only $10.
• Troy Lucero’s yoga class – Troy’s class benefits those who have practiced yoga consistently for at least 1 year. My friends and I who frequent Be Luminous are rarely ever sore after yoga practice or any form of exercise, but we were all surprised at the new muscles Troy’s class had woken up for us. One of my teachers, Vanessa, introduced me to Troy’s class. His classes are the most bare bones in terms of facilities (it is the speakeasy of yoga,) but they are the most mentally and technically challenging classes I have ever taken in Seattle.
• Urban Yoga Spa – This is one of the most conveniently located yoga studios (centrally located right in Downtown Seattle on 4th Avenue.) It isn’t as great of a beginner studio as CorePower Yoga is but it offers basic classes with mirrors and modest facilities. The teachers don’t teach at as advanced a level as they do at 8 Limbs, so this studio is recommended for beginners too. They often do community classes which you can drop in on for free.
• Olympic Sculpture Park outdoor yoga – On sunny July and August Saturday mornings in Seattle, practicing yoga at the Olympic Sculpture Park is the best yoga period. Nothing beats outdoors yoga when the temperature is moderate and the sun is shining, in my opinion (especially free outdoor yoga on the lush grass of the Sculpture Park’s steps.) 8 Limbs Yoga has partnered with the Seattle Art Museum in the “Summer at SAM” public events. These yoga classes are free and run for about 10 weeks during the summer and they are back in 2015. Check out their Facebook event.
• hauteyoga Queen Anne – The instructors at this studio are experienced (the same people who enjoy practicing at Be Luminous Yoga would also enjoy flowing with the teachers at hauteyoga in Queen Anne.) The one major drawback of this studio is the lack of amenities. There is no changing stalls and no water fountain. There is a water bubbler but costs $1/refill. Granted, the Safeway is right across the street but it seems odd to me that there isn’t even a non-filtered water fountain. Additionally, there is only one bathroom. The lack of changing stations would be okay if the studio wasn’t heated to 95 degrees. I find that I always have to change after because my clothes are soaked with sweat. In my opinion, the studio is too hot for power flow and I always have to be right next to the door in the front of the classroom to catch the breeze when the teacher opens it to let in air. However, the studio does have a wonderful view of their garden and I like their floors the most. Their floors are ever so slightly “squishy” making practicing yoga more comfortable.
• Grinning Yogi (Greenwood) – I went to Annie Marks’s class when I was visiting Seattle and liked her interesting and difficult transitions. The studio provides high-quality Manduka studio mats which is great if you are traveling (and they even have free loaner yoga towels to put over the mat, which can be helpful if you sweat a lot in their heated classes!) I wish Annie gave more hands on adjustments but the studio otherwise was fun, clean, and convenient.