Scoop: Urban Yoga Spa

Downtown's new Urban Yoga Spa offers one-stop shopping for those in search of whole-body health

The first thing you experience at the Urban Yoga Spa (1900 Fourth Ave.; 206.420.0222) is a distinct ahhh sensation as this spare, chic sanctuary shelters you from downtown’s hustle and bustle. It’s the brainchild of owner and longtime urban Seattle dweller Kathy Ferguson, who found that walking access to a hot yoga studio was the one thing missing from downtown living. So she opened Urban Yoga Spa (in February). “I wanted to make it convenient for people who work and live downtown to take care of their mind, body and self in one place,” she says. Award-winning local architecture firm Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen helped her transform what was once a piano store into a lofty place of calm amid busy streets. On the main floor, UYS offers a full slate of challenging hot hatha and power Vinyasa yoga classes ($18 for drop-ins; two pay-what-you-can classes on the weekends) in its two yoga studios—one heated to 100­–105 degrees, the other to 90–95. The rooms are blissfully clean and stink-free (a big deal when it’s this hot). Replenishment awaits in two tall, glass-fronted refrigerators in the lobby, stocked with electrolyte-rich Zico coconut juice (try the mango variety; $3). The airy, white and bright upstairs spa—with huge windows facing Stewart Street—is thankfully Enya-free (on a recent visit the music was upbeat Latin jazz). Services include manis and pedis ($25–$65), facials ($45–$125), waxing ($15–$80) and massage ($50–$120). An awesome workout and personal pampering in a Zen environment—it adds up to a picture of health nestled in the downtown core.