ID Hot Yoga, the city’s largest independent yoga brand in the city, has signed a lease for its eighth location on 86th Street, between Lexington and Third avenues. The upcoming Upper East Side studio is set to be the company’s most ambitious project to date. Slated for a mid-to-late fall opening, it will join an existing roster of ID Hot Yoga studios with locations spanning from NoMad and the Lower East Side all the way to the Hamptons.
Co-founded by Kelly Isaac and Tricia Donegan, ID Hot Yoga has carved out a unique niche in a market often dominated by massive corporate chains. Despite its rapid expansion — which recently included new outposts in the Meatpacking District and Sag Harbor — the brand has remained fiercely independent and rooted in a community-first philosophy.
“To be the largest independent yoga studio in New York is wild,” Isaac recently told What Now New York. “But the fact that we are this small little nugget of yoga in the industry that’s very much maintained authenticity and our personality is wonderful.”
The move to 86th Street is a strategic response to a long-standing demand from the brand’s loyal following. For years, the studio’s dual presence in Manhattan and the Hamptons has created a natural bridge for practitioners who migrate between the two locations.
“There’s a real, large percentage of our clients that are out here [in the Hamptons] in the summer that are also in the Upper East Side, so that’s really exciting because this is something they’ve been asking for, for a long time,” Isaac explained.
The new facility will feature the signature ID Hot Yoga experience: high-intensity, music-driven classes set in state-of-the-art heated rooms. While the physical challenge is a major draw, Isaac emphasized that the mission is more metaphysical. The aim is to provide a sanctuary from high-pressure New York City life, with emphases on accessibility and mental clarity rather than just getting fit.
“Yoga basically is a moving meditation,” Isaac noted. “And the mental, the emotional stress-relief benefits of that are just priceless.”
In an industry that can sometimes feel intimidating to newcomers, ID Hot Yoga prides itself on maintaining an inclusive atmosphere. Its instructors are trained to tailor workouts to individual needs, ensuring that every participant feel supported.
“(ID Hot Yoga) is really about wellness and about being accepted and creating spaces that are really comfortable to come into and that are not judgmental,” Isaac added.
