At a Glance:

Website: http://www.wanderlusthollywood.com
Address: 1357 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Length: 75 minutes
Price: one class/$23, 10 classes/$199, month unlimited/$129
Sweat: low
Energy: low

When Wanderlust opened a brick and mortar yoga mecca right down the street, I signed up on the listserv immediately. Little did I know, they would send everyone on the list a coupon for five free classes. SCORE! From yoga to meditation, breath work to “chillax”, Wanderlust has the most well rounded schedule I’ve seen at a yoga studio. Not to mention the space also offers a restaurant with seasonal food and fresh juices. You could easily spend the day there, and I hope to spend many days there.

Pre Sweat

Unfortunately you’re going to need the valet parking as the neighborhood can be full to the brim with cars (maybe do a once around before committing because it’s $3 validated and $8 not validated). Once I headed inside, I checked in at the front desk alreadying ooh-ing and aww-ing at everything including the stunning geometric hanging lights. They told me my class was in The Haven room on the third floor. As I walked up the stairs, I tried to take in the gorgeous tile and wall murals. Seriously, everything there is so perfect. I grabbed two blocks, a strap, and blanket and found a space on the floor for my mat.

 

Sweat

Jennifer introduced herself and had us all gather around to introduce ourselves, say our yoga level, and tell her if we had any injuries. Somehow this made me feel immediately at ease, like I kind of knew these people, and grateful that I wasn’t the only beginner. After a group “ohm”, we headed to our mats.

Throughout the class we flowed through many of the usual basic yoga poses including a few sun salutations, tree pose, chair, mountain, warrior one, and triangle pose. What was most helpful was that Jennifer explained how to properly get into each position and slowly lead us through them instead of just hoping we would follow along. Although I practice yoga here and there, it was nice to understand exactly where my feet, hands, and gaze should be.

Most importantly, she demonstrated and clarified how to eliminate wrist pain during downward facing dog—by shifting your weight to the pads of your palms and fingertips and alleviating some of the pressure by imagining to slip a business card sized paper under your wrist. This helps move the weight forward instead of dumping it all onto your wrist. I still need to practice this a bunch because mine always act up in yoga. Towards the end of class we used the strap to stretch our legs and then ended in savasana.

 

Post Sweat

Look no further! Wanderlust offers an awesome assortment of wraps, sandwiches, juices, and more. I can speak to the mango chia pudding—huge portion perfect for leftovers. The rooftop, which I believe is only open for members, it so gorgeous and was hosting a welcome party on the night of my class. Wanderlust also has a store on the main floor with lots of goodies for yogis. If you venture outside, my favorite massage place, Blossom Spa, is across the street. They offer wonderful treatments at reasonable prices and always have sales, just get on the email list! My favorite is their Swedish/hot stone combo.

Tricks of the Trade

• Be aware of the street parking—you can’t park at the meters on Highland during rush hour times.
• Give yourself a self-guided tour while you’re there. Wanderlust spent time crafting every part of the space from the stairwells to the signs to the lighting, and you can totally tell. Everything is pretty spectacular!