EPISOD, Hub Bourse
115 Rue Réaumur, 75002 Paris, France
2nd arrondissement Neighborhood
(Reviewed in February 2023)
I stopped by this set of studios (yoga, boxing, and Barry’s Bootcamp like HIIT) after finding it on ClassPass, and tried out their vinyasa yoga class. It was completely in French and the instructor did not use any sanskrit terms. Because I don’t speak French, I was looking around a lot and can’t really review the instructor’s directions. The class itself felt a bit like a series of poses, not necessarily one that was flowly or strung together with an advanced instructor, but it was nice to get to experience as a part of exploring Paris.
Pros
1.) This is one of the nicer fitness studios in Paris, although pictures make it look like as nice as an Equinox or Barry’s (it’s not quite that nice, but certainly comes close and has showers, lotions, shower products, feminine products, and free towels to use)
2.) They provide all the props you need, including assigned yoga mat spaces (although they aren’t the nicest yoga mats)
Cons
1.) The instructor didn’t seem very advanced in the instruction or the flow, but I think it was fine for a class geared towards beginner students and for those who don’t speak French (like me–I would have had a hard time following along a more advanced sequence)
Rasa Yoga Rive Gauche
21 Rue Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris, France
Monnaie Neighborhood
(Reviewed in July 2017)
I took a morning Ashtanga 1/2 class and there were 2 other Americans amongst a group of 10 or so French yoginis. As with traditional Ashtanga practices, the practice begins with a set of Ashtanga sequences and then diverges based on what the teacher wants to work on that day. The teacher (I believe her name is Anais) offered many hands on adjustments and demonstrations throughout the class. At the request of one of the Americans, she also included some English into the practice. The skill-level of this class is accurately advertised as a 1/2 class but the skill-level of the participating yoginis was generally a 1 so the teacher didn’t lead that many advanced poses–just a few, geared towards about 2 of the yoginis. The studio itself is quite nice: It is clean and they offer mats for you to use for free and mat cleaner (although the cost of a yoga class is about $25 / 22 euros–interestingly, I found the yoga classes in Europe to be more expensive than the yoga classes in the Bay Area.) Like many apartments in Paris, the studio is located inside one of the building complexes that has a code to unlock the door (the studio doesn’t face the street.) I didn’t know the passcode to enter (I think it may be buried somewhere on their website but I didn’t find it.) Luckily, another yogini was exiting right when I needed to enter so I didn’t need to enter in the code. The studio isn’t that well-marked (see picture below to help you identify its location,) but Google Maps does take you to the right location if you follow it precisely.
Pros
1.) Clean studio, large retail interior for hanging out, changing rooms (bring your own locks)
2.) The one class I took seems to indicate they have high quality teachers–she was good at mixing the right amount of demonstration with hands-on adjustments
Cons
1.) The building’s courtyard is currently undergoing renovations (as of June 2017); that means there is loud sawing and hammering noise that permeates into the yoga studio during your practice
2.) It’s pricey for yoga–for the same price, about $25, I was able to go to Barry’s Bootcamp in London. For those who haven’t been to Barry’s, the workout space offers many amenities including spacious and clean showers, shampoo, body wash, toiletries, and towels. For $25, you get much better amenities at Barry’s Bootcamp (which is usually $32/class in the San Francisco Bay Area and in similar metropolitan cities in the US.)
Riviera Yoga
8bis Rue Martin Seytour, 06300 Nice, France
(Reviewed in July 2019)
I was the only student who showed up for the class on a Wednesday morning in July so I was fortunate to get a one on one session with the instructor for only 19 Euros. The instructor taught to my level, challenging me with harder and harder poses until I could no longer do them. The class was taught by the owner, Anais, and she spoke a bit of English but it was actually quite wonderful to challenge myself doing yoga while listening to her lead the class in French.
Pros:
1.) Pleasant and relaxing space to practice yoga in and located close to downtown areas in Nice
2.) Instructor gave me quite a bit of hands on adjustments (I was the only person in class) but she seemed to be the type that would give adjustments even if there were a few more others in class
Cons:
1.) If you have your own yoga mat, bring it because the mats they have for visiting students are the cheap / thin mats that fall apart.
2.) This is a cash-only studio (from what I could see) so you should bring Euros to the class (I didn’t see that she had a card reader machine)
Bendi Yogi 