Advertising is a tough game in this town, with so much bustling about and ads literally plastered everywhere you can imagine, it’s hard to make your business stand out. That’s why we’re not surprised by Pure Yoga’s efforts to go overboard with their “green” marketing strategy. We’ve talked about the furry green wall before, and now that the studio is in full bloom it’s about time we air our environmentally friendly thoughts thus far. Since its opening we’ve had the chance to take a few classes in the new-age posh facility (with no natural light, mind you, it’s all underground) and were left with the bold impression of…meh. From the overly free spirited staff wandering around barefoot, to the shiny bathrooms fully stocked with every toiletry one could need (no steam room though?? we heard one dismayed patron remark), we couldn’t get past the overall narcissistic vibe and just enjoy the yoga.
The superficial “greenness” of the grass wall and the completely indulgent extravagance of it all is, very simply, an offensive eyesore. If we wanted grass we’d walk 5 minutes to Central Park, where we can even walk on it if want to! For being a so-called conscious venture we’d like to see them answer for the energy and resources they’re wasting with the upkeep of the 1000sft growing grass (although we’re sure the exorbitant $400 “initiation” fee must help to offset the cost). Still, it raises the bar for other wellness and yoga-related businesses looking to grab the attention of the luxury fitness market on NY’s Upper East Side. We’re looking at you Lululemon.
Pure Yoga Green Wall NYC [BuildingGreenTV]
Green Gone Wild! “Living Wall” Graces 86th Street [FineBlog via Gawker]
Additional good reads: Review at Yoga Salon (whose website is yogasaloon.com, go figure), Profile in NY Sun
the ugly green wall now is covered by scaffold thanks god
what an obnoxious thing for equinox pure yoga to do.. the cost of upkeep on that wall makes it not green. but now that nobody can see it who care
You are nuts that green wall is the coolest thing I have ever seen. Its about time new york joined the rest of the world and is showing off!! can’t wait to see more green walls in N.Y.good for you pure yoga!