Happy August! How is it August? How are we still in this craziness? Well, we are and we keep adapting. We are a dynamic community and I trust what we can do together. There is a lot in this newsletter so please read thoroughly.
I look forward to the times that I will be able to come to the Seattle studios on a regular basis but am so grateful that we can gather online.
Thank you so much for continuing to support the studio, we need it now more than ever!
With love and gratitude,
Leah Zaccaria
Owner
Teacher and Staff Changes
In this ever changing environment, many are making changes in their lives. Michelle Chambers has stepped down from the Director of Yoga position to pursue her own ventures. She will continue to teach classes though! Michelle served as the Director of Yoga for nearly 5 years. A huge thank you for your contribution Michelle!
Casey Petersen will now be the Director of Yoga for all 3 studios (at least intermittently). We are on a trial basis of this but for now she has taken on this roll. Hooray for Casey!
We have some new teachers! Please welcome Matt Drews, Courtney Palmer, Alex Callahan and Melissa Vandall to the teaching staff at both/or hauteyoga and shefayoga. So excited to have you all on board!
Some of our teachers are not ready to come back so you will see some long term subs coming through: Danica Johnson, Melissa Chevalier, Kristine Manuel, and Bekah Root. Please provide us feedback!
Ashley Smith is the new studio manager. She is rocking it! A very new role with online and new regulations and Ashley has stepped up in a big way. Thank you Ashley!
New Restrictions
As many of you may know, Governor Inslee put out new restrictions for the fitness industry effective August 10th. The mandate calls for 300 square feet apart (or 17 feet) until Phase 4. As you know, we are only allowed 5 people in class which is not sustainable, but with this restriction, it would significantly reduce capacity, which could be the demise of the studio. These restrictions are not fair and out of line from the CDC and other industries. I, along with a dozen other studio owners have begun to lobby for change. A petition has been created for fair treatment. If you feel called to sign and share it, here is the link:
petition. We have also has conversations with the governor and have a few attorney working pro bono to advocate for us.
The Washington Fitness Alliance provided new information yesterday, after having a meeting with Labor & Industries, that this 300 square feet rule is arbitrary and not final. Additionally, the mandate is being misinterpreted. They said the 300 sq ft is not for distance apart but rather, calculating capacity. Therefore, a 2000 square ft studio can have 7 people (2000/300 sq ft).
We will continue to operate with 5 people in class until we have more information. With the current information we have, we believe this is safe and fair.
In Studio Class Reminders
- Please pay close attention to our live schedule. Also, pay attention to if you registering for online or in studio classes.
- We have enabled waitlists. If you add yourself to waitlist, please pay attention to your email as you will be notified if you get in class. This could happen up to 30 minutes before class so if you do not want to come anymore, take yourself off the waitlist. If you are added to class you are expected to be there and cancellation fees may apply.
- Please do not register for more that 4-5 classes a week. These classes are filling up and we want everyone to have a chance to get in class.
- You will be charged your class and an additional $25 cancellation fee for late cancel or no show unless you are experiencing symptoms of being sick. You will need to email the studio to let us know you are sick otherwise you will be charged. We do not like having cancellation fees! But with such limited capacity, we have to do something to hold people accountable and mindful of their registrations.
A few things regarding class:
- Please come prepared! We are not renting towels, mats or sharing props right now. Additionally, we do not have free masks for students. We have some for purchase for $5.
- We are having you sign a waiver for COVID. There is a health screening that states that you certify that you do not have any symptoms of COVID each and EVERY time you come to practice. We ask that if you test positive for COVID within 2 weeks after taking class, you notify us immediately as we will close our studio temporarily to deep clean and let the virus die.
- For the livestream classes, some of you prefer to not be on camera. We understand. We are working to find a different set up so that only one student plus the teacher are on camera.
Outdoor Rooftop Yoga starts Monday!
