The Hot Room aims to heat up Encinitas’ yoga scene

A North County couple has opened a new studio in Encinitas to give locals more options for yoga.

Rebekah Cunningham opened The Hot Room at 207 South El Camino Real suite A, in January.

The studio offers hot yoga, or yoga sessions in a heated room, with classes in Traditional Bikram, Vinyasa, Hot Pilates and Yin. Its opening schedule shows about 50 classes with 17 teachers.

Cunningham, who began practicing hot yoga 20 years ago and has also opened studios in Colorado and Long Beach, said the heat allows participants to “stretch deeper.”

“That release of the toxins through the sweat is fantastic,” she said. “You’ll sweat like you’ve never sweat before. It’s crazy.”

She added that her studio offers a state-of-the-art heating system.

Cunningham says the classes are perfect for yogis of any level. In fact, the only advanced class is a Bikram music class on Thursdays, which does not involve any verbal instructions.

“Encinitas and the surrounding area have a very diverse group of yogis,” Cunningham said. “There are people who have been practicing for 30 years that come from deep-rooted yoga backgrounds to people who are brand new and have never done yoga or even exercised.”

She described The Hot Room as an “etiquette-driven” studio with no distractions. Cell phones are not allowed in classes, and there is no talking permitted other than instructions given by the teacher. Participants cannot arrive late or leave early, and all classes start and end on time.

“Everybody’s in it together,” Cunningham said. “Everybody’s in that room doing the work, and it has to be a place where people feel supported but also where they can concentrate.”

Her goal with the studio is to help people feel better and said hot yoga offers a multitude of benefits. For herself, she’s seen it give her energy, help her sleep better and aid her digestion system.

She added it “keeps everything where it needs to be mentally and physically.”

“Everybody is looking for something that is just that thing that will make them feel better,” she said. “I get so many people that come into the studio that don’t have any energy or are on a bunch of medication. Take a class. It’s just that simple. It just naturally starts to bring everything back into correction. It’s a wild thing.”

For more information about The Hot Room, including pricing, visit www.thehotroomyoga.com.

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