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| I have seen some discussions about this before. We are teaching a variety of classes, yoga, yogalates, pilates (my partner teaches those) I teaching the ashtanga vinyasa classes in heat. We are looking into a new space. We have decided against hardwood because of the sweating mostly for safety reasons but also warping. We just go sent a sample of P.E.M. yoga flooring, looks like rubber spaghetti check it out at yogaflooring.com. I wonder if anyone has tried it? Also some advice/experience with heating. I am moving towards radiant heat, I dont want to deal with humidity issues and I have been to studios that are too dry but would love some pros and cons from anyone/everyone. Thanks for your time. Matt |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Well, it is made of PVC, which some folks will object to right off the bat, even if they say it doesn't off gas. I also would be really hesitant to use it with in floor radiant heat. It sounds to me like the sweat goes through the material (?) at least somewhat and would then be evaporated by the heating. I love in floor radiant, but there are not many floor treatments that work well with it that are yoga friendly. Actually, if that flooring has an insulating property, the heat would not rise through it. I know someone who put it under carpet (not recommended) and they were freezing because no heat came through. Nevertheless, nice to have a wall to wall mat, essentially. |
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| i've worked in a number of hot studios (as a teacher, as a student) and in all of them the hard wood was fine and didn't warp with the heat/humidity. i liked cork floors myself, they were very nice and cushy, while still being a renewable resource, etc.
other options may be a natural linoleum, which of course is made from wool and such, which makes for great flooring as well and is easy to care for and eco-friendly.
i'm not fond of the various plastic flooring that i've seen because it has horrid odor, it tends to trap odor, and i don't know why, but it always feels "dirty."
also, a lot of people have allergies to different plastics and such, so i'd be wary of putting that much plastic down. that's why i look for natural materials as much as possible when it comes to developing public spaces. |
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| oh, and i like radiant heat a lot, but i don't know if it would put off enough for a "heated" yoga class (if you're looking for 85 degrees F or higher), but i do like it a great deal for general heat. 
and i think that only certain materials can be used with radiant heat. |
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| I had the PEM flooring in my place for awhile. Don't get it. It made my place smell like a thousand hot sticky mats and made few of my members ill from the smell. I actually got my money back and went with carpeting. I also would come home every night REEKING of the smell of the PVC.
For heating, I LOVE my Enerjoy radiant heating panels. You do need to make sure that the electrical is wired for it, but when they get going the produce a great heat and it is easy on the wallet every month. I actually am going to add more to my new studio as in the morning the tend to take a longer time to really get cooking if it is cold outside. The also work better the more people are under them. If you have a small class and cold morning and not enough of the panel, use some space heaters! |
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| I wonder if it's possible for floors of materials like this not to smell. The studio I go to had a new floor installed, not this one but I think similar materials. It smelled so badly that the first classes after the installation moved to the lounge and in at least one case to another studio that teacher also taught at. The smell was still strong 6 months later, only after like 18 months is the smell finally close to gone |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Brian - is your radiant heat in the floor? |
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| tourist,
No there are ceiling panels. Very easy to install as long as the wiring is correct. The company is also awesome.
here is there website.
www.enerjoy.com
I also want to reiterate how BAD the PEM flooring is. I hate nightmares about it last night just thinking about. Worst decision I made in the 3.5 years of business! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Ah - ceiling panels would be nice. Our home heat is above the ceiling and many folks in our area had to have theirs removed as it was a fire hazard. Class action lawsuit and the whole nine yards. Ours is "supposed" to be the good stuff, but it still worries me a bit, especially when it comes to resale. Also, the drywall tape does not stand up to the heat so we have several cracked looking spots on the ceiling...   But it is lovely heat! I love having all the wall space available for placing furniture, or in your case, students. |
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| Why not a renewable resource like bamboo? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Bamboo is renewable but the new info coming out is that it is not very green in the processing end. Plus it has to be shipped halfway around the world... |
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| i would say that probably the most eco-friendly way to go is to use what is already there--if possible. there's a studio here that has painted concrete floors. the building ws set up so that you could order whatever kind of flooring you wanted, but due to budgetary reasons, she just painted the floor with eco-friendly paint.
it's very nice.
beyond that, the next step would be recycled flooring--reclaimed hardwoods and what not, and local if possible. my aunt redid her house with hardwood from a local roller-skating rink that was closing down. she went to the owner and asked for his floors (two rinks worth) and he sold them to her for a small price. then, she and a couple of friends (some who know how to lay floors) put the floors in her home. they're really cool, actually, with a herringbone pattern, and with lines and such that the rink had painted on them. but, of course, not in it's original painted pattern--so you'll see a blue like here, and a red on there, and such. it's cool.
there's a studio near me that reclaimed wood from the side of a barn, and had that refurbished into flooring.
after that, you're looking at ecological resources of varying sorts--such as cork and bamboo wherein the trees do not have to be cut down, and different processing aspects for them from very eco friendly to not at all, and then of course, shipping issues.
natural linoleum is considered very earth friendly in both the making and in the resources, but some people don't like the use of wool, cork, wood shavings and whatever else is in it, and some don't like the look. but, it's durable flooring, to be sure, and not terribly expensive.
and made on most continents so shipping is less of an issue. |
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| Tourist are you Radiant panels electric or hot water?
Hot water radiant heat it lovely for comfort once installed. A quality ventilation (make-up air) unit and radiant heat is about as good as it comes to a yoga environment. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Ours are electric but I have had hot water heat (not in floor) and it is very nice as well. |
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New Studio Flooring/Heating
