SunstoneFIT – North Hills Center

This is a second home to me. Classes are amazing. Instructors are amazing. And you can’t beat the price. Most of the overpriced yoga studios in austin don’t offer the variety of classes Sunstone does. Classes are never TOO packed. I love this place.

From being welcomed as you enter, to being shown around and informed about everything SunStone has to offer, to the amazing classes themselves, this studio is hands down my favorite that I have been to. Not only is it run the way I would run a business, but it is run like a well-​oiled machine, while maintaining the relaxing, inviting environment that is ever present. I look forward to furthering my yoga education and spending many hours here participating in classes as well as the in studio workshops. I highly encourage any veteran or noob to check it out. Arrive 30 minutes early if you want to try a class that day, and you’ll get the full experience :)

I’ve taken 30 classes here in the last 3 months.
Teachers: Awesome.
Classes: Great. They vary with difficulty (I bring my 70 year old non-​yogi mother-​in-​law to the «Core» class, and we both get a good workout).
The schedule is flexible with a wide variety of options. Most of the classes have a set flow, and I have grown to like all of the sets and how they complement each other. I also like the power flow where the teachers get to be creative.
The «fit» in the name is true– these yoga/​pilates/​barre/​cardio classes are not fooling around.
If you’re a yoga beginner, talk to a teacher about what classes to take, and perhaps hire one to give you a personal lesson or two. Otherwise, Sunstone would probably be intimidating.
I take full advantage of the wonderful darkened, silent room 30 minutes before class to meditate. They aren’t pretentious or overt about the spiritual side of yoga– it’s served up on the side, which makes it comfortable and accessible, or you can leave that part behind if you just want to get in shape.
Free mat and towel service.
Previous reviews from the past mentioned cleanliness. I have not noticed this problem. The place always seems clean to me.
Things I have gotten used to: open cubbies in the women’s bathrooms instead of lockers (lockers would be nice), fans overhead in the yoga room (I’m guessing they keep the air and humidity circulating), music for some classes (which I think is unnecessary, but maybe the young ‘uns like it), and carpeting in the yoga room, but that doesn’t bother me.
They give out wristbands for milestones when students have attended a certain number of classes. I think it’s a great form of encouragement, and I have seen several students earn wristbands for their 500^th class. Cool. You also get «points» for attending, and your membership fees can lower as you accumulate more points (the lowest is $ 59/​month).
Men and women, old and young, in and out of shape, are students here.
Drink water an hour before, then during and after class. You will sweat. And, don’t eat 1 ½ hours before class if you can help it, but eat well. I skipped breakfast once and bonked in the hot room.
If you decide to try the free class, be prepared for their «best» membership offer. If you want to take time to think about the offer, just pay for the class, and take your free class another time.

I have completed a year at Sunstone this month. I love this studio! I find yoga studios to be very expensive, but Sunstone offers a great value. For $ 99 a month you get unlimited classes & free towel & mat use. They have a rewards program so the more classes you take & points you build up the lower your monthly fee. It can go as low as $ 59. There are classes at all hours from 6:00 am to 7:30 so there is no problem fitting your schedule. There are a variety of classes to take including pilates, barre & HITT classes so you can change up your fitness routine & not get bored.
First impression the style of yoga was a bit different than what I was used to. The sequence is the same for all their individual classes, but I find that this really helps to deepen my practice & build up my strength. They have added a power flow class now that changes with each instructor so this satisfies my desire to try different
postures.
All classes done in a hot room so you will get sweaty. There is a changing room with showers in case you need to head somewhere after class. All the instructors are amazing! I recommend you check it out.

I have been going to this studio for almost a year now. I LOVE it!
Amazing instructors with great attitudes and so helpful!
Love you ladies and Gent!
They are they are very reasonably priced. I pay$ 89 a month but split it in half with my free guest! what what! Yes a FREE GUEST and quality mats and towels are provided. They even provide shampoo and conditioner and towels for your shower. Not very many yoga studios provide all of this.
I have had a wonderful experience almost every single time I have gone. I have noticed such an improvement in the issues I was having with low back and leg pain.
EVERY single instructor wants to help you. I have asked everyone questions about poses and what I can do better and everyone has always been so helpful!
They offer multiple classes to change it up your routine and help you focus on what YOU need since everyone is so different. I enjoy the kick butt Sweat class! (now called Cardio) for a good change–
Go to this studio! you will be glad you did!
Remember to smile! :)

In previous months I would have given this corporation a better rating; however, their extremely poor quality of customer service has completely changed my mind. This is extremely unfortunate, as I thought I had found a small business, customer oriented studio that was more client focused than profit focused… afraid not! I am very, very, very, very disappointed with their willingness to take from clients who will not be receiving any benefit from their studios. And on top of that, when I requested that my membership be cancelled as I would not be able to continue to attend the studio, they STILL sent me a message asking me to reconsider and put my membership on hold for $ 10/​month as they are raising their prices and this is the only way to keep my current membership level. Are you kidding me? Did you even read my original email, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND, so yes, by all means, let me continue to pay you for a service I will not be able to benefit from even for the one «free» drop in class. It’s not like I hadn’t already paid them several and I mean SEVERAL months without being able to attend some months but 2 – 3 times and others none at all. You already made $ 600-​$ 700 off me with no work required from you or your instructors, wasn’t that enough? This is NOT the small business, customer service oriented organization everyone thinks it is, they are more concerned with making sure they get every penny from you that they can. Not very yogi like if you ask me. BEWARE!!!
On the classes… they are the same.every.time. BORING! This is not a progression based yoga company, they want the most bang for their buck thus there is no class that provides room for the unique personalities of the instructors to create a dynamic and enriching class. They have one class that is lead by an audio instructor? seriously?! This is basically an assembly line exercise facility… do not expect to see any advanced poses or grow your yoga practice, this not encouraged in the least bit.

Fast food yoga!
Every class is the same: same poses, same sequence, same cuing, down to the word. If you are looking for a stretch class, this should work for you. If you are interested in cultivating or deepening a yoga practice, this is not the place to do it.

The women in my family all love this place. Smaller, better atmosphere than the big yoga houses and warm, well-​trained staff. Yes, it’s a small place — so small locker rooms — but that is to be expected and not a big factor for most. Only caution to sunstone — be sure to add classes to keep variety and reduce size of classes at peak times — especially the spark and earth classes as they get crowded.

Every member of the staff was smiling and enjoying themselves when I entered the facility. After a few questions, I decided to go to the intro and the fire 60 class available that night.
Fire 60 was an awesome introduction to hot yoga which was not something I had much experience with. The 7:30 instructor was informative, positive, and made gentle yet effective corrections. The class was a variety of age and body type so there was no real attitude or image. Just a collection of sweaty people getting their yoga on.
I wasn’t pressured to buy a membership at all. I was given the rundown on pricing twice, both times at my request. All in all very positive.

The positives: I really enjoy the instructors here; they are friendly, upbeat, and helpful.
The not-​so-​positives:
A lot of people have mentioned cleanliness. I agree there is something to be desired here. The floors in the hallway are wood/​laminate. There is frequently sweat on the floor after class. The rooms are carpeted, so they (obviously) see a lot of sweat too.
There are mats available that are free to use. The instructor sprays them down after class with some vinegar mixture (that stinks). I would never call that «sanitized,» but there is a rack for these mats that have been sprayed.
The bathroom is small, crowded, and has a dingy look (sinks, showers, stalls, cubbies are dirty with hair/​sweat/​water).
Also, when it rains outside, there are a couple of leaks that have been around for a couple of years now. I worry about water leaking through the celling and then the insulated fluff on the ceiling not letting it dry. Ugggh.
More recently, they cut a bunch of classes… Including a cult favorite: their Water class. They only offered two Water classes on their schedule, so now it’s down to ONE. Their remaining Water class is on a Sunday afternoon, which I particularly hate having to keep my whole Sunday free to go to a late afternoon/​evening class.
I have enjoyed some aspects of sunstone these past couple of years, but I’m just not happy with this studio offers (or doesn’t offer). These negatives have slowly creeped in and have pushed out the positives. Thankfully, Austin is big and has lots of yoga options. So, it’s time for me to move on to another studio.

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is people who don’t follow through with what they say they are going to do. — it messes with my peace of mind.
Anyway, we’ve had a lot of ice storms in Austin lately and I checked sunstones twitter and Facebook feeds to make sure they were still holding classes around 2 weeks ago. No updates so I braved the roads.
Arrived for 7:30 AM class and they told me they were closing and that the owner would be calling to give me some free stuff as an apology.
That was 2 weeks ago. No call, no email, no follow through. I still love the studio and people here but I need to take them down a notch. If they are going to cancel classes they need to update twitter and Facebook along with following through on promises made.

I have been to pretty much every Yoga Studio in town (Austin, TX) and have a lot of respect for this studio. As for reviewers attesting to the cleanliness, have you been to many other gyms or studios? These typically aren’t the cleanest of places and I personally think that Sunstone is above average in this regard. A lot of hot studios smell bad, but Sunstone prevents that stink with their heat/​humidity system that blows all the stale air out of the room between classes.
As for the instruction, these teachers know what they’re talking about! A layperson can get a yoga teaching certification online for 200 hrs and go apply for jobs without ever having stepped foot in a yoga studio. Sunstone hires their own after they’ve completed 500 hours of training at their training academy. Yes, the classes are similar each day and between instructors, and there are of course arguments that can be made against that, but there’s obviously a lot of thought and training that went in to preparing these classes. Sunstone is a great place for beginners to spend their first few years on their way to becoming more advanced practioners.
Price– Fairest membership-​based price for yoga in Austin. The prices are always lower than advertised on the website too because they’ve always got promotions/​specials going on.

I have gone to this studio for about 6 months now and I really enjoy their classes. I did Bikram previously and it was too boot-​camp-​ish for me. Sunstone is much more laid back but still an incredible workout. It’s the perfect mixture of relaxation and exercise.
The locker room is quite small (2 showers, 2 bathroom stalls) but I’ve never had much of a problem finding enough room to change. I normally go to the 4:30 classes so perhaps it is worse at other times of day, but in my experience it’s been fine.
There are also free mats and towels which I LOVE. I don’t have to remember a towel and mat every time I want to do yoga and I don’t have to pay to rent one or the other.
Finally, the instructors are awesome. They’re always so friendly and helpful. This is a far cry from many other studios (especially the Bikram ones) where the vibe can be very pretentious. This studio is inviting, and is a great place for inexperienced yogis.
Two thumbs up! :)

I’ve been going to Sunstone consistently for the past 3 months. In that time I’ve done 65 classes. My membership allows me to bring free guests. Also, the membership rate drops depending on how many classes you have done and/​or if you have someone sign up for a membership.
I love going here. I was nervous because it was my first yoga experience. The instructors are really friendly and are genuinely concerned with safety and building you up in your practice.
They provide towels and mats free of charge to use during class.
No pretentious people at Sunstone. There is a wide range of people in all shapes, sizes, and ages
I would definitely recommend this studio for new yogis and people who have been practicing for some time. There’s no crazy arm balances or anything but you will be sweating your butt off by the time you are done.

At first I was a bit turned off by the intro/​orientation session where they explain packages/​classes, but after that I became a huge fan because:
1. The instructors are wonderful! I go to different classes/​different times during the week based and each teacher has been knowledgeable, upbeat, and helpful.
2. The schedule has many different classes and times, 7 days a week.
3. They provide mats and towels. No lugging extra stuff around!
4. The large room is well lit, with mirrors top to bottom on 3 sides; perfect for checking posture and alignment.
5. As far as the bathrooms go, some reviewers thought they were beyond disgusting! Myself, I thought they were fine and what you would normally find in a gym locker room.
6. NO TALKING and NO CELL PHONES in the yoga room. What a concept! I have been at other studios where this is not the case. I have found the enforcement of this policy to really help me achieve inner focus and be present during the practice.
I am looking forward to improving my practice with Sunstone!

I recently completed a trial period with Sunstone Yoga (Jollyville & Braker location), where I completed over 20 classes. While I think the yoga did benefit me and help me with some back pain issues I’d been having, I won’t be extending my membership past the trial period. Here are the reasons why:
— The studio was not clean. I’m sorry to say the women’s bathroom was always dirty: the cubbies, the floors, the counters, the sinks, the toilets. Also, there was always a lot of hair on the carpeted floors of the yoga rooms that would stick to your arms and legs when doing the poses — ALL kinds of hair, if you know what I mean.
— The women’s bathroom/​changing area is too small! There are only two toilet stalls, two shower stalls, and no room at all to move around or change. No room for any privacy either. The counter/​sink space is also small — if women are trying to get ready to go to work then you can’t even get to the sinks. Also, I always felt unsecure leaving my belongings unprotected in an open cubby — it would be better to have actual lockers that lock.
— This is not «relaxing» yoga. It’s pretty strenous, and kind of intimidating for a beginner. There were really only 3 classes that I felt comfortable trying/​taking — I was told all the others would probably be too hard for me. I also found myself wishing that there was some kind of variation to the moves/​poses from time to time, but that is not the case — you do the same moves each time in each class.
— The heat and humidity can be overwhelming. I tried the Fire class just a few times and it was almost too much for me. Usually I took the other classes that were about 8 degrees lower in temp. It was ok in the colder months, but I simply can’t imagine wanting to endure those classes once the oppressive Austin heat of late spring and summer arrives. Also, there was a pretty overwhelming smell when walking into each yoga room, and not a pleasant one.
One other note: although they provide mats free of charge, I highly recommend you bring/​use your own. For the first few classes, I used their mats — until I noticed a woman in the bathroom with a horrible and massive staph infection all over her back/​shoulders who had also been using one of the mats. I always used the provided Clorox wipes to wipe down the studio mat before and after class, but I never saw anyone else doing this in any class. I went out and bought my own mat after I saw that staph infection. Don’t take a chance.

They no longer offer a flow class.
The studio is always filthy.
One of their two rooms had a broken humifier for 7 weeks.

Pretty average place as far as Yoga goes here in the 5−1−2
Their «hot» Yoga isn’t very hot at all. Maybe 98 degrees … oh shit, boyband talk here. Where’s Nick Lachey when you need him — haha
Place is pretty dirty. Would fail miserable in the ‘white glove’ test.
And last but not least DAMN expensive. A lot of less expensive alternatives all around Austin.

I have been going to Sunstone for over a year now, and during that time I’ve only lost about ten pounds, but I’ve gone down two clothing sizes and built up a ton of muscle. I have more energy and stamina, and I have a lot more confidence.
Now, let me be clear about something. I hate exercising. I hate it. Hate. It. Yoga is the one form of exercise I’ve ever been able to do with some consistency. And if I hadn’t had a friend to go with me for the first six months or so I probably would have quit early on. Sunstone suggests you start out with Fire classes. That means you’re going to go into a room that’s nearly one hundred degrees and very humid. And if you’re really out of shape you’ll feel like you’re going to die only a few poses into the class. But if you stick with it you will be absolutely amazed by what your body can do, as I was.
I love the classes because I can go to three 1 hour long classes a week, and do literally nothing else, and I stay in awesome shape. Ok, ok I walk my dog twice a day, but that’s pretty much it. I eat relatively healthily, but have the odd burger or pizza when I feel like it (thanks PMS). The instructors are all very friendly, and end up knowing you pretty well if you go often enough. I also love that the people who attend classes at Sunstone cover the spectrum: young, old, thin, muscular, overweight, male, female. And you’d be surprised. It’s often the super muscular dudes who have to sit down midway through class while the older women get through with ease.
I think the best thing about it though is that all the progress I’ve made and everything I’ve done in the class is because of me and me alone. Because of the nature of the exercises it’s up to you to push yourself and decide when you want to move on to harder variations of the postures. The instructors offer encouragement and suggestions for improving your postures, but the work is all yours.

Overall a good yoga studio. My favorite classes are the Earth classes. It’s a little more power/​vinyasa yoga vs. the Fire Classes, which are my 2^nd choice for classes at Sunstone Yoga.
The instructors usually provide feedback and generally do a good job dealing with the larger classes.
The pricing is also very reasonable. They also provide complimentary mats and towels.
My main complaint is that the studio overall has that moist/​pool smell and the rooms have a very strong sweat smell. The smell is usually right when you walk in and quickly goes away as you get used to the smell. It’s kind of inevitable when you have a hot yoga studio.

I have been going to Sunstone now for a little over a month. They do great promos like 10 days for $ 10 and they’re often on the Groupon/​Living Social Circuit.
I really, really love order and routine. On some level, I can see this being frustrated for more experienced yogis but for me, it’s really nice to get down a general flow. I like knowing what’s next and for now, this is where my comfort level is at. I mostly go to their Fire 60 classes after having completed their introductory series. I’ve tried and Earth class after boot camp and unfortunately, I was just way to exhausted and winded to carry through on some their moves, which had a very vinyasa feeling. Great work out though, I definitely felt it the next day.
The instructors are nice, very helpful, and correct in a really kind and relate-​able way. They also offer tips and hands on adjustments so you really get the full feel of certain posture. I often end up having the same instructor, Andrea, and she’s been great. I’m really wanting to sign up for a full membership where I can bring someone each time I go to a class as part of their signature membership. They also do a neat deal where the more classes you go to, the more of a discount you can receive on your membership. I don’t know of a lot of places that do that and most yoga studios are EXPENSIVE. This one even provides towel and mat service so you don’t have to bring your own! The space is very small and their locker area is really cramped but everyone is pretty understanding and accommodating!
I really like it here and wish they had a closer location! I hear they did but that one closed. Hoping for another one soon!

I’ve been a regular at Sunstone Yoga since October of 2010. Despite having done over 300 classes here, I still can’t wait to get back to the studio every day (or at least almost every day).
Obviously, I really like this studio, and I could go on and on about it, but I’ll try to briefly summarize the good and the bad:
The Good–
1. The teachers are really friendly, down-​to-​earth folks. In the 16 months I’ve been attending, I’ve encountered only two teachers I didn’t care for, one of which I haven’t seen in months (perhaps they don’t even teach there anymore???). You won’t encounter any of the «yoga-​weird» personalities you might at other studios. The instructors don’t yell at you, and are really awesome at noticing when you’ve achieved greater strength/​flexibility in your practice. I’ve only ever received positive reinforcement.
2. There are a variety of classes available and there are LOTS of times to choose from, starting from super-​early A. M, all the way to 8pm in the evening. Even if you work an 8 – 5 job, there are still opportunities to go and get your sweat on.
3. Really reasonable pricing, especially if you sign up for the auto-​debit option. Initially, their prices are comparable to several other studios, but what’s really cool about Sunstone is that your price per month decreases with the number of classes you take there. I started out paying $ 109/​month. I currently pay $ 79/​month, and that’s about to drop to $ 69/​month after I reach the next milestone of 350 classes.
4. (This should really be 3a) If you sign up for the unlimited auto-​debit, you can always bring a guest for free. ALWAYS. So if your spouse/​partner/​significant other is also into yoga, it’s like getting a couple’s membership for the price of one membership. Sweet action.
5. The studio is CLEAN! Considering the sweat-​lodge that it is, I’m always amazed at how clean and tidy the studio is.
6. Mats and towels are available free of charge (but you can always bring your own). I generally prefer to bring my own, but it is really convenient to know that Sunstone has my back if I manage to forget my own mat.
The «Bad» (and it’s not really bad, it just may not be to everyone’s taste)–
1. Only hot yoga is offered, and all of the classes are fairly strenuous. I do wish they offered a more gentle/​restorative class done at around 80 – 85 degrees. When I want to just chill with a yoga class, I have to go to a studio that isn’t «home» to me.
2. Sunstone’s emphasis is very much on strength, stamina, and flexibility. If you are looking for a spiritual/​emotional/​restful component in your practice, then Sunstone is probably not the studio for you.
3. Sunstone is a franchise based in Dallas, and all the class offerings are a set series of postures – every Fire class is the same, every Earth and Metal class (both Vinyasa flow) is about the same. It would be nice if the higher-​ups within the Sunstone organization would allow the teachers to change it up a bit – particularly for students with a strong practice who might want to try some more daring postures.
4. The bathroom area is pretty small, with only two showers and two toilets. This can make for a fairly claustrophobic experience in the women’s changing area after a crowded class.
So there it is. It isn’t the right studio for everyone, but at least for me, they do a lot of things very, very right.

Most people that know me will never be able to tell but I have some issues with knee pain. A few years ago the limp, wrapped knee and often the frustration written on my face would give it away; I was in constant pain. The doctor scratched the elliptical, treadmill, plyometrics off my list of things I should do which were of consequentl the things I loved to do. He suggested swimming and yoga. I like to eat fish, not be one, so I decided to focus on yoga but wanted more challenge so I went with hot yoga.
I first tried Bikram. Well that didn’t work out so great. At the time I had flexion issues and some Bikram instructors berate yogis that try to do modifications. And to be honest, the whole experience is what I picture purgatory to be like.
Then I walked into Sunstone to see Owner Leah’s smiling face. Her employees were/​are kind and well trained. They offer a variety of classes. The temperature and humidity are similar to Bikram however they offer 5 types of classes that range from 60 to 90 minutes. The prices are comparable to other studios (after attending for awhile my fees dropped below a $ 100) and they have a varying schedule starting at 6:00 am and the last class starts at 7:15 pm.
When I first walked into Sunstone I could not bend my leg up past a 90 degree angle. After a few months of attending regularly I got all my flexion back and I credit most of this to doing yoga at Sunstone that incorporates many exercises that were suggested by a physical therapist. After about six months, and to this day, I will only feel pain typically the day following a hike or after several days of heavy walking (think 3 days of ACL festival).
Would another yoga studio had the same effect? Perhaps but the difference is the instructors are nice and the classes were enjoyable yet challenging enough to keep me consistently attending the classes.