Location Location Location!
That was the mantra for business in the pre-internet era. Now, it’s search engine placement, search engine placement, search engine placement. Okay, that’s quite a bit of an exaggeration. Yoga studio location is important.
Your yoga studio is a community-based business. You must give some thought to your yoga studio location. If you’re 30 minutes outside of town, you might cut off some clients, especially if there’s a yoga studio in town.
Aside from at least being in decent proximity to a decently sized population, there are no set rules for location. It’s better to be in the commercial/hip district than an industrial or residential district or out in a rural setting. That said, there are yoga students everywhere (neighborhoods, industrial parks, etc.).
Keep in mind that if you want to offer complementary services such as spa, retail, juice bar, massage, etc. that you’re better off in a high-traffic location.
If you’re catering to tourists, you need to be in the tourist part of your town (that is if your town has a tourist economy).
My suggestion is to locate your yoga studio in the best space you can afford, and that is accessible by public transit. Typically the most expensive space is in a commercial district.
Mobile Yoga Studio
If you don’t have the resources or desire to open a fixed-location studio, consider creating a mobile yoga studio. In other words, go to your students rather than you students coming to you. Market yourself as a mobile yoga studio for corporations, nursing homes, schools, and anywhere that can accommodate you.
If it turns out you need space for clientele that you develop, approach an existing yoga studio and work out an arrangement to rent yoga space. Again, as with all marketing, be creative and deliver to your yoga students.