Your First Hot Yoga Class in Oak Park: What 100 Degrees Feels Like

What 100 degrees actually feels like

Walk into the practice room at Yoga Loft Studios on North Oak Park Avenue and the first thing you notice is the warmth on your skin, close and even, a little like stepping into a greenhouse in July. The hot classes run at 100 degrees. Plenty of people are sweating before the first standing pose is finished, and that is completely normal.

On paper that sounds like a lot, and in the first few minutes it can feel like more than a lot. The reassuring part is that nobody expects you to push through it. The hot classes use a Hatha format, which means a steady sequence of postures with natural pauses between them. You are not racing anyone, and the teachers have met every kind of first timer before.

The Oak Park room was fitted with a new infrared heating system in 2022, and the studio explains how it works on its infrared heat page. You do not need to understand any of that to take class. You only need to know that the room is warm when you walk in, and that you can set your own pace once you are in it.

Hot 90 or Hot 60 for a first visit

Both classes are held at 100 degrees, both are Hatha, and both are open to all levels with beginners welcome. The difference is time. Hot 90 runs ninety minutes and Hot 60 runs sixty. Neither one is the harder class by design, so choose by how much of your day you can give and how your body feels about heat.

If heated rooms are brand new to you, Hot 60 is a friendly way in, because you get a complete class without the long final stretch. If you already practice somewhere unheated and want the full experience, Hot 90 gives each posture more time to settle. Either choice is a good first step, and you can switch on your next visit.

Heated and Hot Power Flow is a different animal. It runs at 90 to 95 degrees in a Vinyasa format, and the studio recommends it for athletic beginners or more experienced students who already know Sun Salutations and basic standing poses. If that is not you yet, save it for your second or third week.

Getting ready before you arrive

Hydration starts well before class, not in the car on the way over. Drink water through the day, and bring a bottle with you. Bring a towel too, because a mat gets slick when you sweat. Many students carry a small hand towel for their face and a longer one to lay over the mat.

Eat lightly. A heavy meal right before a heated class tends to sit badly, so a small snack an hour or two ahead works for most people, or just water if you are coming first thing in the morning. Wear something light that you do not mind sweating through, and that stays put when you fold forward.

Arrive early for your first visit. Ten to fifteen minutes gives you time to check in, find a spot, roll out your mat and say hello to the teacher. Mention that it is your first hot class and anything your body is dealing with. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, talk with your doctor before trying a heated room.

Resting in the room is part of the practice

The most useful thing a new student can hear is that you are allowed to stop. If you feel dizzy, overheated or simply finished, come down to child's pose or lie flat on your back and breathe. Nobody will think less of you, and the teacher will not push you to get back up.

Resting in the hot room is not quitting. It is pacing, and experienced students do it too. The goal of your first class is to learn what 100 degrees feels like and find your own rhythm, not to complete every pose in the sequence.

Keep your attention on your own mat, breathe slowly through your nose when you can, and sip water between sections rather than waiting until you are parched. If you need to step out of the room, go ahead. Cool off, drink some water and slip back in when you are ready.

After class and what to book next

Expect to feel wrung out in a good way when class ends. Plan an easy hour afterward, keep drinking water and eat something real. It helps to leave a little room in the schedule so you are not rushing straight into a meeting with a damp shirt and a racing pulse.

New students can try two weeks for $49, which is enough time to take a handful of classes and see whether the heat suits you. A single drop-in class is $29. The Oak Park schedule lives on the booking page, and the pricing page lays out class packs and memberships if you decide to keep going.

If you have questions before your first visit, call or text (312) 560-8668 or write to info@yogaloftstudios.com. The studio is open early on weekdays and a little later in the morning on weekends. The hot yoga class page describes every format in more detail, so you can read ahead and walk in knowing what to expect.