Fire Shaper - Rutherford

The Sunday class at 12:30pm with Ellen Was THE BEST Yoga class I’ve had in a really really long time!!! The class was soooo good I actually walked out and forgot my yoga mat at the end of the class. That’s how I know the class was good if you actually forget the main essential needed to take the classud83eudd74I sometimes struggle with meditating and mentally checking out but during this class I was 100% present in the class because of the music and technique variations. It was definitely challenging and I spent more time than “normal” in child’s poise but I have been waiting for this feeling for a long time.

This studio like many other businesses in the world has been adversely impacted by covid restrictions and other government mandates. Overall, I believe that they have done an excellent job in accomodating their students while taking precautionary measures to create a safe environment to practice. Everyone has to bend a little these days (no pun intended) and I feel most establishments are doing their best to balance customer satisfaction with keeping the lights on. On one side their classes and capacity have been reduced but on the obverse you have more floor space and attention from the instructors when you do get to practice. The instructors are also passionate, dedicated and offer diverse routines to keep everyone engaged. Namaste!

Recently, a student from this studio invited me to take class. I do not live close (about 25 min away), but yoga with friends is pretty hard to decline. I obliged and ended up booking class. I thought it made sense to buy the 3-class pack versus spending $25 on a drop-in, so I purchased a $50 intro 3- class pack. I attended class with Kristi; she’s a great teacher.nnThe reason this studio is receiving one star is because of their poor hospitality and customer service. Admittedly, I was late to class twice. Obviously I wanted to take class, but being that I live far and have only been to the studio once I underestimated travel. Today, I attempted to enter class only to find the doors locked not even 5 min after the start time. I stood at the locked door and called in the studio— I could hear the phone ringing but no one even picked up the phone.nnWhile I understand the need to start class on time for the sake of other students, and understand policies need to be in place to be able to run the studio efficiently (I’ve worked the desk at a yoga studio), Fireshaper - Rutherford really showed a lack of grace when it came to offering any accommodation for my situation. I emailed/called the studio explaining what took place, and I received an in compassionate response that the instructor must lock up 2-3 min after class start time and that I would still be charged. I’d have to agree with the previous review that it’s ironic for a yoga studio to conduct business this way. For this reason alone, it makes me feel that this isn’t a studio in line with vibes I’d want.nnAfter sitting in my parking spot for a few, I googled studios nearby. I ended up taking class at Powerflow Yoga in Clifton, where I was able to purchase a 1-week unlimited class pack for $40 (it’s $30 for new students- I have been to Powerflow previously). Great class and they’re welcoming over there.nnUnfortunately I will not be back at Fireshaper, and don’t recommend it at all. The juice is not worth the squeeze!

The teachers and staff in studio are outstanding and some of the best around. Unfortunately, the owners only care about how much money they can bring in. In my communication they have shown zero compassion and are passive aggressive. Pretty ironic a yoga studio, which promotes flexibility and claims everyone’s body is different, is unwilling to bend and work with their customers.nnI can’t say I’m surprised they are looking at COVID only from a business perspective. Times are tough for all of us, but their unwillingness to view things from the eyes of longtime customers is embarrassing for a yoga studio that promotes community. FireShaper created fake rules that would limit the attendance of students who purchased packages ahead of COVID and allow them to bring in more money.nnI had purchased a year of unlimited multi-studio yoga pre-pandemic and upon reopening was told I was limited to four classes per week and was only allowed to visit one location. I let them know this wasn’t fair and asked for a resolution and was given an account credit that could be used to purchase classes as I’d like...this allowed me to purchase 7 classes and last two weeks, while the 4 a week would have allowed me nearly 50 for the remainder of my package over three months!nnI again asked to reconsider and was told not they weren’t discussing this any further and not to contact them again.

Yes.... this location is what customer experience is all about! It’s clean, smells nice, HOT & friendly vibe.nnFirst, their substitute Brian was awesome & the manager was a rockstar and I’m really happy right now. :)