Pleasure Point Yoga

My favorite studio in Santa Cruz! All classes are Vinyasa or Yin style, which I love. Other studios in town offer great Kundalini and Ashtanga classes if that’s your style, but for someone interested in a yoga practice free from chakras and crystals (for the most part anyway), PPY is an amazing option! All the teachers are wonderful and the classes are much smaller than other studios in town, especially in the mornings. I love Slow Flow, which includes a brief seated meditation at the end of class. Sweaty Flow is much more athletic, as the name implies. And Mixed Flow is a perfect balance! It’s a great studio for beginners too — lots of instruction and options for variations.

This is my favorite yoga studio in town! I have tried all of them but the combination of the space, size of the classes, teachers and yogis makes this studio the best for me. The space is warm and welcoming and the teachers are excellent. I love the sweaty flow on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10am, the studio is warmed up but not to the point where you are miserable, just enough to get nice and sweaty. The mixed and yin classes are awesome as well, you can’t go wrong with any of the classes. They have mats you can borrow if you forget yours and a water source to fill up your bottle. There is a new student special for $ 20.00. They also have workshops some Saturday and Sunday’s.
For the person that gave two stars because of their experience with Rolf’s class, that is not the typical experience at this studio, I have never experienced anything like that in the last two years at this studio and must have been a one time thing with his particular class.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! I love this studio, its very small and cozy :) I have not met one instructor I did not like! All the people who attend the classes are very warm, friendly, and welcoming! would ¹¹⁄₁₀ recommend! Only down side is it is a bit pricey but totally worth it!

As a novice yogi, I started taking classes at PPY in order to relax and clear my head. I have a hard time doing both. But, yin yoga has been just the ticket. My favorite classes are Sunday nights with Katie. I feel like it is the best way to start the week. And I found that it has been great in addition to Crossfit. Yin Yoga is a series of long holds in poses. (At least that’s how I would define it…) It is so relaxing I feel like I can go to sleep by the time we get to savasana. Katie provides thorough queues and I have found that her classes are by far the most restorative.

Great Yoga, but really small place. They pack you in, most classes I have done here, there is only a 3inch gap between you and your neighbors on all 4 sides… I hope they expand and also add more classes

I got a week for $ 20. Great deal. I tried 5 different teachers with 5 distinct styles. It seems like there’s something for every yogi from slow and more spiritual to a quicker flow and a «power yoga» style. Regardless of the teacher, I felt looked after and at peace in every class. Great space.

My husband and I just took the Yin class with Amy and it was wonderful. We had heard great things about the studio & teachers and had been wanting to try it for awhile. We were a little nervous as we are beginners and were not sure what to expect. From the moment we walked in, we felt welcome and comfortable. The space is beautiful and Amy guided us through poses with encouragement, humor and insight. We feel like we’ve found our «yoga home» and look forward to trying other classes, too. Thank you Amy and Pleasure Point Yoga!

I’d like to preface this by saying that my intention is not to offend but to inform. There are so many yoga studios, practices, and philosophies out there, so this is just my opinion and I’m aware that others disagree. I’m coming from a perspective of someone who practices with Mark Stephens and enjoys an intelligent, simple, safe, grounded practice. I’d gladly return, as I love to support local businesses, if I knew I’d have a better experience.
First off, I walked in fifteen minutes early. The staff person told me to wait outside to see if I would move up the waiting list. I waited for 10 minutes outside. It was freezing. I then asked if I could wait inside. Another more friendly lady told me I could wait inside and that I made it into the class.
I got into the class and Rolf Gates was the teacher. I know he’s supposed to be a guru, but I don’t enjoy his style. First of all, he wears a microphone. The studio is small. Is that actually necessary? Next, he’s just really preachy. I like spiritual guidance and awakening as much as the next person, but it’s just not authentic and came off as annoyingly new-​agey (in my opinion). The sequence was fine but certainly nothing special. More of a beginning class than an intermediate sequence.
Just wanted to share my experience in case it’s helpful for someone shopping around.

Took my first class here on Sunday @10 …Sweaty Flow was just that! The teacher, Ashlea, was welcoming and the class was a perfect balance of intensity! It was pretty full so I recommend arriving 10 – 15 minutes early to grab yourself a spot and some props.
I purchased the $ 20 intro pass and will be trying other classes & teachers this week. If they’re anything like my first class, I’ll be hooked for sure! Great studio!

This is a solid studio! I was visiting from out of town and decided to try the mixed yoga class and was very delighted that I went. The teacher was incredibly mindful and her cueing was on point. I’m looking forward to trying other teachers.
This studio is incredibly welcoming and has a wonderful, chill vibe about it. Definitely worth a visit or two if you are from out of town and looking to practice.
Namaste!

Nice space, good atmosphere and welcoming staff. Took one class with Sean while visiting SC, experienced and caring teacher, nicely paced class. I would recommend to check it out when in town.

This place is amazing!
My first class was with Sean, he was so welcoming when you enter the studio. When his class starts he is an amazing instructor. I took the Sweaty class and I was quite impressed and felt like it was a great workout.
I also took a few classes from Rolf. He is very inspirational to start and end your practice and his class is an awesome workout.
I have to say each staff member was so friendly and nice. I really enjoyed the studio and I am looking forward to many more classes there. They got it right at Pleasure Point Yoga!

10am Sat sweaty yoga class is NO JOKE! but awesome!
I came here while visiting the area and found that of the 3 studios I’ve tried in the Santa Cruz/​Aptos area, this one is now my favorite. I loved that Sat. 10am Sweaty Yoga class — it will definitely make you SWEAT! The class is definitely challenging without a lot of down time — Brent (?) the instructor keeps you moving! The studio is large, there were probably about 35of us in there but it felt spacious. I loved the dark wood flooring and the large frosted windows that let in light but don’t allow you to see out or in. They kept the room temp at around 80 degrees. Lots of blankets, free mats to borrow (but they smell awful, to be expected), and the soundtrack was your typical yoga downtempo/​trip hop/​Indian flavor background music. The savasana was not as long as I might have liked. Bring a COUPLE of towels, or your own Yogitoes mat to sop up all that sweat! But you’ll feel great. Oh — the best part? A drop-​in class was just $ 15. Perfect!

Great studio with incredible teachers. Easy to book classes online. This studio is like a church inside. Amazing wood tones and murals. The instructors are great and always happy to see you. Sean Guinan was my first teacher there taking me into beginning yoga and moving me along very patiently. Aimee Nitzberg’ss Mixed class is my favorite.

Pleasure Point Yoga is welcoming and wonderful. The teachers create an environment that makes it possible for people of just about every skill level to enjoy yoga. I practiced yoga (not that well) off & on for over a decade. After a painful back injury that looked like it was going to require surgery, i decided to practice regularly for six mths as a way to recover & avoid the knife. It worked. The instructors /​owners (Aimmee & Amy) took time with me so i could become comfortable with yoga again, suggesting pose modifications to keep my back safe and get me healthy. Thanks to the help of Pleasure Point Yoga i’m back surfing, skiing and mtn biking without pain. Now I have incorporated yoga into my weekly routine. The style of Yoga practice @ Pleasure Point Yoga has been the perfect combination of body rejuvenation, relaxation, strengthening, and stretching for me. This has become the key to keeping my body healthy to do the other sports i love. THANK YOU Pleasure Point Yoga.

I really enjoy this studio! It is clean, comfortable, relaxing and the instructors are wonderful! Special kudos to Sean and Aimee Joy for making this place as good as it gets for yoga in Santa Cruz.
I wish their evening class was 5:45 instead of 5:30 due to traffic so if there is one «minus» that is a .25 off the 5 star score.

I am so pleased to discover this new studio so close to home! It is beautiful! The murals, art, and gorgeous wood flooring make practicing yoga there a real joy! The teachers are knowledgeable and inspiring. I love the heated vinyasa sequences that Amy teaches. I always am greeted with a smile and feel welcomed and appreciated.

Warm, friendly, great instructors. What more can you ask for?!
I was a little nervous to get back into yoga after not having gone in ages, but after sustaining a recent injury I thought it might be a great way to heal and maintain. I signed up for the Yin Yoga class (after some encouragement from a friend of mine) and was very pleasantly surprised at how wonderful and different the class was. Amy, the instructor, was so welcoming when we came in and during the class she was soothing, supportive and generally wonderful. The Yin class was the perfect way for me to get back into yoga as it’s very mellow and relaxed but still challenging enough that you definitely «feel» the poses.
The class times were super convenient and the class size was relatively small which I enjoyed. She even played really great music. ;)
I’m a fan.

I have tried many different yoga studios all over northern California… all I can say is that I have finally found my home at Pleasure Point Yoga. The environment is warm and comforting and the teachers are loving, gentle yoga experts without any pretense — they welcome you, no matter your skill level, and expertly and patiently guide you in improving your practice… and your health. My favorite teachers (right now) are Amy and Sean but I am confident that I will love the other teachers as well as soon as I get the opportunity to try more classes. So grateful to have found this place. I love this sanctuary!

I’ve taken classes at most every yoga studio in Santa Cruz, and this is my favorite one hands-​down. The teachers are excellent, friendly, and super knowledgable. I love Sean and Amy especially. They teach great, inspiring, heart-​pumping (and heart-​opening) yoga flow with just the right blend of effort, relaxation, and just enough incorporation of «yoga off the mat» to imbue the practice with depth and meaning. Sean has the perfect voice and delivery for going deep into your body, and Amy’s bright and warm energy keeps you smiling while you’re sweating. They also host cool events like hosting musicians and guest yoga teachers, giving the place a sense of community and «more than just yoga» that’s really unique.