Tough Lotus

Negative stars for Marnie. She is extremely rude. For a yoga instructor that’s supposed to help me calm down and relax she did the complete opposite. She ruined my Sunday morning in less than 5 minutes. Beyond horrible customer service.
I recommended Tough Lotus to my girls because I actually enjoyed it last year when I first tried them. We were so excited about getting our intro classes but for some reason our booking got cancelled. We tried calling and even sent an email but we didn’t get any response. This morning, before 8:45, I received an email again saying to get ready and arrive 15 minutes earlier. So with that confusion, me and my girls just decided to show up because nobody from tough lotus made an attempt to reach us back regarding the cancelled/​not cancelled issue.
We showed up around 8:30 and was «welcomed» by Marnie. We explained our concerns and she just said «we didn’t get money from you, it didn’t go through.» And I told her well we called them and we tried resolving this issue beforehand. And she condescendingly answered, «we don’t check our voicemails that’s why it says there send an email and I checked the email this morning and I didn’t get anything.» Getting annoyed, I pulled out my phone and showed her my email that I sent to them and she just rudely said «huh, when did you send that, I didn’t get that.» I told her I sent that Friday and she just kept asking if we used Groupon. We answered 3 times that we didn’t use Groupon. She told us that there are spots left and if we wanted to we can do the intro right now. Cool we can do that. Then she said «while you guys are deciding let me help these other girls.» And just like that we were shoved on the side. Since we really have been wanting to do this together, the girls and I decided to just join the intro class and make sure we don’t get her next time. When she came back to check on what our decision was, we were still in the middle of conversation and she turned her back and walked away. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN?! Did she skip breakfast? Did she not want this life? Why is she taking it out on people who wants to relax???
I don’t care if she’s the most flexible yoga instructor in the whole east valley. I couldn’t care less if she can teach me tricks or whatnot and nobody can. How can I be inspired to learn through somebody not even willing to talk to us?! Extremely disappointed. I will go to extreme measures to make sure nobody goes through the same experience with this lady Marnie.
You should change your name to Rude Lotus cos that’s what you are. Have a nice day.

I was so excited to try aerial fitness. In my mind, I figured I would look just like Pink in concert. Although that wasn’t the case, it was awesome! Marnie greeted everyone as soon as we came in the door. She modeled each move perfectly and amended it to each individual’s needs. I cannot wait to take more classes!

My sisters and I went to the intro class this morning, and it was so fun and empowering. The hammocks really helped me to do poses that I haven’t been able to do before. The group was super friendly – lots of laughing and shared tentative looks about our first inversions. Okay, inversions? So fun. We can’t wait until our next class! Thanks for being awesomely helpful and cool, Elise!

I enjoyed the intro class, but after I’ve used the sessions on my Groupon, I’ll probably look for another aerial studio. The cancellation policy is 48 hours and the reminder email comes after it’s too late to cancel. That just left a bad taste in my mouth. I ended up working late one day and had to lose the session because if the cancellation policy. No flexibility or forgiveness when life happens.

I initially purchased a Groupon to check this place out. I followed the directions given in order to sign up online for my introductory class. No issues at all (even for the 2^nd class and beyond). Time to dust off the yoga mat, find a shirt that won’t flop over my head if/​when I’m inverted, and use this as an excuse to get a fresh pedicure.
The intro class instructor, Elyse, made me feel very comfortable. She demonstrated each move and made sure everyone was safe and using proper technique. She showed us the easier way of doing something and then also showed more advanced poses or modifications to take the stretch deeper or the move make you work harder. I found my happy place in the ‘easy’ zone initially, but I am progressing! I have chronic pain in my lower back, but I was very pleased to find that inversion didn’t hurt at all and actually made me feel amazing.
After tonight’s class, I will have worked my way through the remainder of my Groupon package. I’ve had the opportunity to try out both Tough Lotus and Balanced Lotus classes. I’m finding that Tough on Tuesday and Balanced on Thursday is the right mix for me. Marnie kicks my butt on Tuesdays and Elyce takes it just a little bit easier on me during Thursday’s class. It’s all low impact, so this is truly perfect for me!
It’s only been 1 month, but I already am more flexible and my back has been feeling better. Attending classes at Tough Lotus has been a great supplement to my hiking and PiYo workouts at home. I actually look forward to working out. I’ll be buying my next 10 class package tomorrow.

Terrible experience for my first visit. The instructor was rude and unprofessional. Being in the Fitness industry myself I could never imagine treating my customers/​students this way. I reserved my class only to find when I get there, there were only two spots left but three people walking in including myself with reservations. She was immediately rude to all of us stating we were «interrupting her class». Class started at 8:45, we arrived at 8:46. She confirmed two of our reservations but we all decided we no longer wanted to participate due to her rudeness.

Terrible first experience at Tough Lotus. I have never posted on Unilocal but I felt my experience was so bad I had to let other people know. I would not recommend this studio to anyone.
I signed up my sister and I up online in advance for the intro class. They require you to pre pay for the class. The advertised time for the class was 8:45am. When we arrived we ran into some other people in the parking lot who were taking the class as well. We all walked in together at 8:46. The second we walked in the owner/​instructor announced «you are interrupting my class». Then she stated that there were only 2 spots left available for the class and anyone more then that will have to leave. Everyone had said they signed up for the class in advance and had already paid. The entire group of us that came in decided to all leave and not even take the 2 open spots because we were treated so poorly. Because they don’t do refunds unless you cancel exactly 48 hours ahead of time I had to call my bank and have the charges reversed due to the fact that she over booked and didn’t have the spots that I paid for and received a confirmation email for.

I bought the Groupon and took my first class 2 weeks ago. I had no difficulty signing up by following the directions on both the groupon and the website, but i did hear a few people thanking the instructor for helping them to sign up.
I am not a physically fit person, nor am i flexible in any way. I was able to follow our incredibly friendly and energetic instructor without any problems! She corrected us if we were lost, and offered easy to harder options for nearly every workout. If i had to stop or take a break, i didn’t feel bad for it.
My second class had the same wonderfully friendly atmosphere. It did move a bit faster, but Marnie was still wonderful with us newbies (and there were a few of us!)
I plan to bring many friends this month as well as buy more classes. It’s quite a fun option for fitness and I’m excited to get flexible and strong with their help!

This place is by far one of the best places to go hands down. Very unique type of exercise especially for those who tire easily from mundane workouts at the gym! An hour here and you have worked every part of your body. The instructors are wonderful and very helpful as well so no experience necessary! I have been coming here for almost a year now and have seen more results, feel stronger, with better posture than ever before! I would recommend this place to everyone!

I am a huge supporter of small businesses, but the owner of Tough Lotus was terribly mean and rude the moment I walked in. I have been practicing different types of yoga for years, and this was by far the worst experience I’ve ever had at any studio. I don’t recommend practicing here.

My friend and I had arranged to meet up at the Intro to Aerial Fitness class one morning thinking it was going to be a silly fad exercise. I showed up — sadly, my friend did not. She missed out.
As a yoga practitioner for several years I love a good stretch — what impressed me about aerial fitness is that the moving hammock allows you to stretch on the deepest possible level. By the end of class I knew I wanted to get a package, so I could try the Tough Lotus class.
Marnie and Ashley are amazing instructors and athletes. The moves we do in this class are extremely challenging and efficient in that all muscle groups are engaged at once. I am stronger and more flexible now than when I started.
It has now become my Saturday morning ritual and I look forward to it immensely.

I tried two classes (they were ok, a lot of the same things) and scheduled my third in my groupon and a personal situation occurred and had to cancel two days prior. I received a confirmation email two days and when I asked I was told I didn’t cancel more than 48 hours in advance, I was 42 hours. I understand if it was the day of or the day before but find it silly that they wouldn’t budge, so it left a bad taste in mouth regarding the studio.

I actually wrote this great review about how FUN Tough Lotus is and what a great workout you get, but it got lost so here’s the Long story short– My best friend and I bought a Groupon for 3 classes and wish we bought the larger package because we are hooked!

Classes were fun. Instructors were very helpful and made you feel like part of the class. Used a Groupon.

I think Marnie has a great concept for some amazing health benefits and increasing strength and balance of the body. What attracted me to come to the Tough lotus studio was my desire to do supported inversions to relieve back pain. I have been to about 4 classes now and am really starting to «get it». I am on a 5 class pass from groupon and am considering buying her 10 class package next.
I think the value of her ariel fitness comes once you attend several classes regularly over a period of at least two weeks. That increases your likeliness to get the most benefits from the experience. I have done ariel yoga in the past but this is a bit different. I like the tough lotus class for the challenge but then I like the balanced yoga for the longer stretching. I thought i was in good shape until Marnie asked us to do «handstand pushups».
My back always feels 10x better after i leave. However, my biggest hope is to gain increased neuromuscular activity for my little tiny stabilizer muscles. It feels great to finally work that small stuff you rarely do in the gym with free weights. The tension relief from decompression of the spine is the icing on the cake for me! It might look like «yoga» but if you do it often enough you’ll discover the difference.
I commend Marnie for teaching so many classes a day. Props to doing it on your own girl :)

I went on a Groupon and tried three classes: the mandatory intro class, balanced lotus, and tough lotus. The three classes were pretty similar, except that the intro class had a sales pitch and the tough lotus class incorporated a flexible pole for resistance training.
The hour-​long class had the same structure as any other yoga class, the instructor remained in front and talked the class through/​demonstrated the poses; students followed at their own pace. It was private and non-​judgmental, although the instructor would step in if someone was doing something dangerous. Most of the class was spent doing standard yoga poses: forward folds, lunges, twists, standing splits, planks, hero’s pose, etc. The hammock was used for support, kind of like a ballet bar. Towards the end of each class we would do a full inversion and hang suspended for a few minutes. It was probably the best way to practice a handstand outside of actually having a partner there holding your feet. Savasana was done either in the hammock or on the floor with feet elevated in the hammock, both versions were super relaxing.
The studio itself was nice: cool, low lighting, quiet part of the shopping center. The instructors were professional and friendly. The hammocks were well-​maintained, and were switched out/​washed between classes. Yoga mats were provided for people who didn’t bring their own.
I’m not very flexible, so the idea of supported yoga really appeals to me. But, I think I would have to do this several times a week in order to see any real improvements, and at $ 12.40 per class it is a little out of my price range. If the Groupon price (~$ 8) was the regular price or if I could buy a 1-​month pass for say, $ 60, I would be all over it! I will keep an eye on the Tough Lotus website, and hopefully I will be able to come back soon.

I have attended two classes so far at Tough Lotus; the Intro class, and Balanced Lotus. The Intro Class is mandatory as the «first class» because it introduces you to the swing, the terminology, and the basic moves. I was glad I took it, because when I arrived for my first Balanced Lotus class, we jumped right into the workout with no ado and the assumption that everyone would understand what the plumb line is, and which strap is which. Each class had a different instructor (I think there are 5 total) and both were great. I wish I could remember names, but whoever taught the intro class was super energetic and kept us excited, explaining each move and component so I felt like I really understood what I was doing. The second teacher moved a lot faster (since everyone should be familiar by now) and added a lot of humor to the routine. They were both wiling to hang out after to answer questions, let us try a move again with assistance, or give more information.
As for the actual workout, I like it a lot! It really is tough, but you must remember that it is as easy as hard as you want it to be. Each move could be performed with minimal effort, and you could easily walk out with simply having had a nice stretch. Or you can push farther, try harder, work on form, and end up engaging muscles you didn’t know you had. It’s up to you what kind of experience this is. The hammock can cut in to the body a little bit, but think of it like riding a bike or any other new experience. Initially it’s not going to be comfortable, but you get used to it! And it’s worth it. Some positions feel really good. Any «inverted» (upside-​down) pose feels great, and again, you can hang and relax (which has several health benefits) or you can push it the extra step and do push ups, other stretches, bicep curls and more. The moves are slow; you may only do a few lunges, but if you let the hammock do it’s job and you do yours, you’ll get more out of one Tough Lotus lunge than 10 conventional ones. I have felt sore the day after both times, and I’m really excited to try the «Tough» classes, and eventually «Iron»! Also, as with any exercise, the benefits will begin to compound with repeated practice.
One thing to remember is that Tough Lotus does not employ a receptionist, so you can’t get anyone on the phone. Their primary method of contact with clients is email, and I’ve always seen a response within 24-​hours. I decided to try Tough Lotus with a Groupon, and the friend I signed up with and I both had problems signing up for the first class with out Groupon codes. There are instructions on the FAQs for enrolling with a Groupon, but although we followed them to a T, something went wrong. An email to Marnie fixed the situation, but it seems like a common enrollment problem. It also seemed a bit more complicated than it needed to be. The package of classes I purchased from the studio are totally intuitive to redeem though.

I sleep better.
I feel amazing.
My back is so grateful.
Tough Lotus classes have helped with stretching my back, all my other muscles, helped with my balance and no kidding it actually help me sleep better. It’s mind blowing what regular inversion can do for a body. I didn’t notice until after I missed going a couple of times and then picked the classes back up. This is hands down the best low impact high result workout. I’ve being going since it opened and the Every Tough Lotus and Balance Lotus classes I’ve done have been different each time and I really appreciate the diversity of the workout in every class. I tell everyone with any back discomfort to at least check it out and see for themselves that I’m telling the truth.
Thank you Marnie, I always look forward to seeing you and really appreciate what you’re bringing to the E.V. We’re all so so lucky!

I have been attending classes at Tough Lotus since it opened. Being a fitness instructor and personal trainer, I am always on the lookout for a new activity that will compliment my regular workout. My experiences at Tough Lotus have been nothing less than extraordinary! Marnie has designed a workout that is excellent for any age group, and any fitness level. She is very precise with her instruction, and is happy to leave her place at the front of the class (where everyone can see her) to assist those who need that little extra «oomph».
Tough Lotus’s location is awesome-​not far from the 101 Freeway. Tons of parking, a huge plus! The studio itself is light and airy, very laid back and welcoming (not full of cold machines and hard core sales people a la corporate gyms).
The workout itself is amazing. My muscles were worked in area that standard weight training cannot touch! It does take more than one class to really reap the benefits (I have chronic back pain, which has disappeared, thanks to the spinal decompression the swings provide), and for your body to get used to being upside down. Once you are used to the sensation, it is absolutely LIBERATING. You establish a mind-​body connection on a whole other level, and let’s face it-​one does feel pretty bad ass using their own muscles to invert in a silken swing! I always leave class feeling completely blissed out, stress-​free and happy!

Had my first class this week, lucked out and got a great package from one of those «deal» websites. to be completely honest I just wanted to try it out because it was something different and it looked so cool! How many fitness classes do you get to hang upside down? Think channelling your inner cirque du soleil. Little did I know the tough lotus class would kick my butt. I was sweating profusley within the first 5 minutes. There were a few moves that I just could not do. Just was not there mentally or physically. They don’t call it TOUGH Lotus for nothin’. I loved the end of class, the stretching and relaxing was amazing for the soul. At the end of the class my body felt like it had a great workout. The next day my entire body was sore. Which is great! If you are looking for something new or need a change of scenery you MUST try Ariel fitness.